LinkedIn launched first, on 5 May 2003, followed by Facebook on 4 February 2004 and YouTube's first video on 23 April 2005. Instagram launched on 6 October 2010 and Threads on 5 July 2023. Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram have each passed 3 billion users, according to Meta statements reported by CNBC.
Last checked October 2026.
When did Facebook launch, and how many people use it now? Questions like that sound simple, but the answers online are a mess of rounded years and user numbers with no date attached. So I've put the launch date and the latest official user milestone for each major platform in one table. Every row names its source, mostly company newsrooms, earnings filings and official blogs, plus CNBC where it reported a company statement.
Social media launch dates and users: the table
| Platform fact | The number or date | Source | Refers to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook launch | Launched 4 February 2004 | Meta Newsroom, Friends Day (4 Feb 2016) | Feb 2004 |
| Facebook users | More than 3 billion monthly actives | CNBC quoting Mark Zuckerberg (Meta earnings call) | Jan 2025 |
| Facebook last reported MAU | 3.07 billion monthly active users, the last number Meta formally reported | Meta Platforms Form 10-K for 2023 (SEC) | Dec 2023 |
| Meta apps daily people | 3.60 billion people use at least one Meta app daily | Meta Platforms Form 10-Q, Q2 2026 (SEC) | Jun 2026 |
| LinkedIn launch | Officially launched 5 May 2003 | About LinkedIn page | May 2003 |
| YouTube first video | First video uploaded 23 April 2005 | YouTube Official Blog | Apr 2005 |
| YouTube viewers | 2 billion viewers a month | YouTube Official Blog (14 Sep 2020) | Sep 2020 |
| YouTube Shorts views | Shorts average over 200 billion daily views | YouTube Official Blog, Neal Mohan at Cannes Lions 2025 | Jun 2025 |
| Twitter launch | Created March 2006 | CNBC, A brief history of Twitter | Mar 2006 |
| Twitter renamed X | Rebranded to X on 24 July 2023 | CNBC | Jul 2023 |
| WhatsApp start | Coding began February 2009, messaging added summer 2009 | WhatsApp Blog, Jan Koum (20 Feb 2017) | 2009 |
| WhatsApp users | More than 3 billion people in over 180 countries | WhatsApp About page | Oct 2026 |
| WhatsApp 3 billion milestone | Passed 3 billion monthly actives | CNBC quoting Mark Zuckerberg (Meta earnings call) | Apr 2025 |
| Instagram launch | Launched 6 October 2010 | Instagram, product evolution timeline | Oct 2010 |
| Instagram users | 3 billion monthly active users | CNBC quoting Mark Zuckerberg | Sep 2025 |
| Snapchat launch | Launched September 2011 | Snap Inc. Form S-1 (SEC, 2017) | Sep 2011 |
| Snapchat users | 493 million daily active users | Snap Inc. Form 10-Q, Q2 2026 (SEC) | Q2 2026 |
| Pinterest launch | Launched 2010 | Pinterest Newsroom (co-founder Evan Sharp) | 2010 |
| Pinterest users | 640 million monthly active users, an all-time high | Pinterest Q2 2026 results (SEC Form 8-K exhibit) | Q2 2026 |
| Douyin launch | Douyin launched in China September 2016 | ByteDance company site | Sep 2016 |
| TikTok launch | TikTok launched outside mainland China in 2017 | ByteDance company site (timeline) | 2017 |
| TikTok users | More than 1 billion people a month | TikTok Newsroom, Thanks a billion (27 Sep 2021) | Sep 2021 |
| Threads launch | Launched 5 July 2023 | CNBC (5 Jul 2023) reporting Meta's blog post | Jul 2023 |
| Threads users | 500 million monthly active users | Meta Newsroom (16 Jun 2026) | Jun 2026 |
| Telegram launch | iOS app launched 14 August 2013 | Telegram FAQ | Aug 2013 |
| Telegram users | Significantly over 1 billion monthly active users | Pavel Durov, official Telegram channel (19 Mar 2025) | Mar 2025 |
The platforms that launched first
LinkedIn is the oldest on this list. The About LinkedIn page says it officially launched on 5 May 2003, and the LinkedIn Pressroom now lists more than 1.3 billion members. Facebook followed on 4 February 2004, according to the Meta Newsroom. YouTube's first video went up on 23 April 2005, per the YouTube Official Blog, and CNBC dates the creation of Twitter to March 2006. If you work on LinkedIn, my LinkedIn statistics page goes deeper.
The mobile-first wave
WhatsApp's coding began in February 2009, according to the WhatsApp Blog. Pinterest launched in 2010, per the Pinterest Newsroom, and Instagram launched on 6 October 2010. Snapchat followed in September 2011, according to the Snap Inc. Form S-1 filed with the SEC. Telegram's iOS app launched on 14 August 2013, per the Telegram FAQ.
Snapchat's launch is one of the most searched dates on this site, so I've covered it on its own in when Snapchat came out. For Instagram, when Instagram Reels launched picks up the story of its short video push, and my Instagram statistics page has the wider numbers.
The newest platforms
The ByteDance company site says Douyin launched in China in September 2016 and TikTok launched outside mainland China in 2017. Threads is the youngest: CNBC reported its launch on 5 July 2023. Twitter became X on 24 July 2023, according to CNBC, and when Twitter changed its name to X covers what that meant for marketers.
Who has the most users
Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram have all passed 3 billion. CNBC quoted Mark Zuckerberg saying Facebook had more than 3 billion monthly actives in January 2025, WhatsApp passed 3 billion in April 2025, and Instagram reached 3 billion monthly active users in September 2025. The Meta Platforms Form 10-Q for Q2 2026 says 3.60 billion people use at least one Meta app daily.
Outside Meta, the Pinterest Q2 2026 results report 640 million monthly active users, an all-time high, and the Snap Inc. Form 10-Q for Q2 2026 reports 493 million daily active users. The Meta Newsroom put Threads at 500 million monthly active users in June 2026. Pavel Durov said in March 2025 that Telegram has significantly over 1 billion monthly active users. TikTok's last official number, from TikTok Newsroom in September 2021, is more than 1 billion people a month.
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How to read these social media numbers
- Daily and monthly users aren't comparable. Snap reports daily active users and Pinterest reports monthly active users. A daily number is always smaller than the same platform's monthly number would be.
- Some numbers are old because companies stopped publishing. Meta's last formally reported Facebook number is 3.07 billion monthly users at December 2023. TikTok's last official count is from 2021, and the YouTube number of 2 billion viewers a month is from 2020.
- Members aren't users. LinkedIn counts members, which includes people who rarely log in.
- Launch dates depend on the definition. Some companies date the first line of code, others the public app. WhatsApp's date is when coding began, and YouTube's is its first video.
- Where a country matters, use local data. For example, how many people use Pinterest in the UK is a different question from the global total.
Where these numbers come from
Every number on this page comes from one of these named sources. I haven't linked them, so search the source name if you want to read the original.
- Meta Newsroom, Friends Day (4 Feb 2016)
- CNBC quoting Mark Zuckerberg (Meta earnings call)
- Meta Platforms Form 10-K for 2023 (SEC)
- Meta Platforms Form 10-Q, Q2 2026 (SEC)
- YouTube Official Blog
- YouTube Official Blog (14 Sep 2020)
- YouTube Official Blog, Neal Mohan at Cannes Lions 2025
- CNBC, A brief history of Twitter
- CNBC
- WhatsApp Blog, Jan Koum (20 Feb 2017)
- WhatsApp About page
- Instagram, product evolution timeline
- CNBC quoting Mark Zuckerberg
- Snap Inc. Form S-1 (SEC, 2017)
- Snap Inc. Form 10-Q, Q2 2026 (SEC)
- Pinterest Newsroom (co-founder Evan Sharp)
- Pinterest Q2 2026 results (SEC Form 8-K exhibit)
- About LinkedIn page
- LinkedIn Pressroom, About us (page updated Aug 2026)
- ByteDance company site
- ByteDance company site (timeline)
- TikTok Newsroom, Thanks a billion (27 Sep 2021)
- CNBC (5 Jul 2023) reporting Meta's blog post
- Meta Newsroom (16 Jun 2026)
- Telegram FAQ
- Pavel Durov, official Telegram channel (19 Mar 2025)
Frequently asked questions
When did Facebook launch?
On 4 February 2004, according to the Meta Newsroom.
Which social media platform launched first?
LinkedIn, which officially launched on 5 May 2003, according to the About LinkedIn page. Facebook followed in February 2004.
When did Instagram come out?
Instagram launched on 6 October 2010 and reached 3 billion monthly active users in September 2025.
When did Twitter become X?
Twitter was rebranded to X on 24 July 2023, according to CNBC.
How many people use Threads?
The Meta Newsroom put Threads at 500 million monthly active users in June 2026. It launched on 5 July 2023.
