Recent reports suggest that among younger generations, TikTok may be closing the gap on YouTube’s lead in video apps.

For now, YouTube remains at the head of the pack, but by a slim margin. According to a study done by Qustodio, children aged 4-15 now spend an average of 85 minutes a day watching videos on YouTube, while 80 minutes a day were spent on TikTok for that same age group. (Note: the study covered populations in the U.S., UK, and Spain, and thus may not have been representative of global populations.) In May 2019, American children spent an average of 38 minutes on the app – a number which has more than doubled as of this February.

Coronavirus screentime increases

Coronavirus lockdowns have also had a significant impact on video app usage amongst younger generations. In recent months, YouTube’s lead in video app dominance has shrunk even further, with American kids spending an average of 95 minutes on TikTok and 97 minutes on YouTube per day during lockdowns.

Beyond Gen Z

TikTok’s rise to prominence has accelerated especially in the past year. Of the app’s 1.5 billion downloads, over 738 million took place in 2019.

At the moment, TikTok’s audience is largely comprised of younger users; it is estimated that 60 percent of its users are Gen Z kids. But some recent reports also suggest that TikTok may attract downloads from broader age ranges as restrictions drag on throughout the globe. Since 2019, their millennial user base has also been steadily increasing.

For more info on the rise of TikTok, check out our post TikTok: the app telling Facebook and Snapchat their time is up.