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Facebook: Use is falling in Australia. Photo: Reuters

The amount of time Australians spend on social media sites is declining, new research involving three million internet users has revealed.

Interest in sites like Facebook and Twitter grew rapidly in Australia from 2010.

But new data shows time spent on these sites via fixed-line internet connections fell in 2012, with average users now spending 14 minutes out of every hour online using social networks, compared to 16 minutes per hour in 2011.

Similar falls were recorded in the US and Britain, broader research by information services firm Experian, involving another 22 million internet subscribers, has revealed.

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''The online landscape is constantly changing and it could be that we're starting to see social networking sites reaching their peak,'' said Experian manager Matt Glasner.

The impact that surging smartphone and tablet use had on these figures is unclear.

Data published by Telstra in February showed that half of all Australians now own a smartphone, with many spending up to 12 hours per week accessing the internet using mobile devices.

But Experian and other researchers suggest most visits to social sites on phones and tablets are relatively quick.

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Australians spending less time social networking