Study of kids’ media usage shows TikTok and Roblox are king

TikTok continues to pull ahead of YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram among children between the ages of four and 18, according to a new study, while Roblox emerges as the top gaming choice.

Qustodio’s annual data report is a global study of kids’ online habits: examining 400,000 families with children who use the company’s parental control software.

Why it matters

TikTok has emerged as the most popular and intensely used social media app in all of the markets studied, which echoes similar trends across demographics. But the time spent on Roblox indicates that this social-network-enhanced gaming platform offers a key opportunity for brands building experiences, ads and digital products. It racks up 127% more average daily minutes globally than Minecraft, its closest competitor.

The data: Social media

TikTok is not only the most popular social media app, with 44% of global under-18 users, it is by far the most watched across all markets with a global average of 107 daily minutes versus Snapchat’s global average of 72 minutes, and Instagram’s 45 minutes.

It has grown steadily over the last series of surveys, with growth in its ad revenues largely following usage trends:

• 2020: 75 mins
• 2021: 91 mins (up 21% YOY)
• 2022: 107 mins (up 17% YOY)

But what’s impressive about TikTok’s viewing figures is how they even blow long-form video apps out of the water: YouTube averages 67 minutes, for Netflix it's 48 minutes, and Disney+ is 40 minutes.

Nevertheless, from an advertising perspective, YouTube remains extremely popular among kids, with 63% of users surveyed using the video-sharing platform, and time spent on the platform climbing 20% in the past year.

Gaming: Roblox is king

Fifty-nine percent of those surveyed use Roblox, and with 180 average minutes globally, it is by far the most-used gaming platform among kids. However, as Qustodio’s analysis notes, this usage only grew 4% last year, suggesting that the platform is running out of room.

The issue for Roblox, as it has pointed out in recent financial announcements and reports, is that a large and engaged young user base doesn’t necessarily translate to commercial gain. Most of its revenue comes from the purchase of Robux – the platform’s digital currency with which players can buy and sell items – meaning that it must now chase an older user base.

Sourced from Qustodio, WARC