No wonder YouTube launched Shorts! A recent study examining children’s digital media habits found that kids aged 4-18 spent an average of 112 minutes per day on TikTok’s short video app in 2023, up from 107 minutes the previous year. Even though YouTube remains the top streaming app for this demographic, kids spent 60% more time on TikTok last year. This data comes from a new study on kids’ digital media that also looked at their usage of novelty technologies like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
This study, conducted by parent control software maker Qustodio, analyzed the digital media habits of over 400,000 families and schools worldwide. The study provided deep insights into kids’ technology usage across mobile and desktop devices, with a special focus on markets such as the U.S., U.K., Spain, Australia, and France. What sets its data apart is that it comes from real-world usage of technology by kids, rather than responses to surveys. However, it may not fully represent all kids’ digital media habits, as it mainly represents households and schools using Qustodio’s parental control software.
Despite this limitation, the study provides a comprehensive look at overall trends in how kids, both younger and older, are engaging with technology. Additionally, it also delves into kids’ use of new technologies, including AI.
Regarding streaming, kids spent 27% more time watching streaming services than the previous year. However, there was a decline in watch time for Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu. On the other hand, YouTube and YouTube Kids saw increased watch time, with the latter experiencing record growth by reaching 96 minutes per day on average globally.
When it comes to social media usage, TikTok remained the most popular app globally, followed by Facebook. Notably, Twitter’s rebranding as X saw a remarkable increase in younger demographic usage. Additionally, Meta’s WhatsApp was the most popular messaging app globally.
Furthermore, kids continued to use popular learning apps last year, such as Google Classroom, Duolingo, Photomath, and others.
The full report, which can be found here, also addresses how parents can manage and monitor their kids’ technology usage, as well as future expectations for technological growth among kids.
