Study Shows Kids Now Spend As Much Time Watching TikTok as YouTube

According to a new study on kids’ app usage and habits carried out by digital safety app maker Qustodio, kids ages 4 to 15 in the U.S., U.K., and Spain now spend an average of 80 minutes per day watching TikTok, compared with 85 minutes per day spent on YouTube videos, TechCrunch is reporting.

The data, which was provided by 60,000 families and encompasses children’s online habits from February 2019 to April 2020, takes into account the COVID-19 crisis and is specifically focused on online video, social media, video games, and education.

From May 2019 through February 2020, the average minutes per day kids spent on TikTok increased by 116% in the U.S. to reach 82 minutes, went up by 97% in the U.K. to reach 69 minutes and increased 150% in Spain to reach 60 minutes.

Time spent on TikTok increased during COVID-19 lockdowns, as well, leaving the app now only minutes away from being equal to time spent on YouTube. In the U.S., for example, kids’ average usage of TikTok hit 95 minutes per day during COVID-19 lockdowns compared with just two minutes more — 97 minutes — spent on YouTube.

The report suggests that these increases in kids’ app usage may never return to pre-COVID-19 levels, even if usage declines a bit as government lockdowns lift.