The average fell from 122 minutes a day in 2010 to 68 minutes in 2019, then to 52 minutes in 2024. That is a 70-minute decline across the full period, or about 58%.
Most of the fall came before 2020
By 2019, the average had already fallen by about 55 minutes. That represents roughly 77% of the net change between 2010 and 2024. The pandemic disrupted social life, and it arrived during a decline that had been underway for years.
This comparison uses three points in a population survey. It does not identify what caused the change. The figures also describe different groups of young people over time, rather than following the same people as they grew older.
Minutes together are one part of the picture
The American Time Use Survey asks people to describe a day and who was with them. This measure counts time with anyone identified as a friend, including roommates. It excludes phone or video contact with someone elsewhere, and averages across the population, including people who spent no time with friends that day.
Less time in the diary does not tell us whether people feel lonely, how close their friendships are, or why routines changed. Work, travel, housing, family care and access to shared places are possible questions for further reporting. This survey does not isolate their effects.
It does give us a useful starting point: where can people spend time together without a long trip, an expensive plan or a calendar negotiation? The data show the time changed. They leave the reasons open.