American Time Use Survey · 2003–2025
Same 24 hours.
A different story.
Young adults aren't just socializing less. They're spending their time differently. Since 2003–04, daily socializing among 15–24-year-olds has fallen by 23 minutes, about 39%.
Scroll to watch the day melt ↓
Chapter 1
First, a guess
How many minutes a day do you think 15–24-year-olds spend socializing with other people?
Drag the slider, then reveal the real number.
Chapter 2
The drop
In 2003–04, 15–24-year-olds spent 59 minutes a day socializing.
By 2024–25, it was 36 minutes. That's 23 fewer minutes, about 39%.
Every age group declined, but young people fell furthest.
Find your own line.
Chapter 3
The weekdays emptied out
For 15–24-year-olds, weekday socializing roughly halved, from 52 to 27 minutes. Weekends fell less, from 80 to 53.
Chapter 4
Where the time went
A day always adds up to 24 hours. When one activity shrinks, others grow.
It wasn't more work: working fell 18 minutes a day.
It wasn't more TV either: watching TV fell 34 minutes.
Sleep and personal care grew 39 minutes, and other leisure grew 29. These changes happened together; the data can't say one caused another.
Chapter 5
Alone or together
Since 2010, 20–24-year-olds went from about 4h15m a day alone to about 5h30m.
Time with other people fell by roughly 2h20m.
Chapter 6
The day, melting
This clock is one average day for 15–24-year-olds in 2003. Each wedge is an activity; the bright one is socializing.
Watch it run to 2025. The socializing wedge shrinks, and its lost minutes drip into the hours that grew.
When technology reshapes the day, connection is what gets squeezed. If AI changes how much time we spend working, what will fill it?