TikTok eclipses YouTube: Americans and Brits now average more time on TikTok than on YouTube ^↺

For years, YouTube has been the de facto king of video platforms in Western countries (particularly the U.S. and U.K), sucking up more time than any of its competitors. However, the Chinese seem to have conquered new territory: TikTok is now the most used video app in these two countries, according to app analytics firm App Annie.

According to data tracked by the firm, individual users now spend more time on TikTok than on YouTube, on average. YouTube retains its status as the most-watched video service overall, owing mostly to its massive monthly user base (which is estimated to be over 2 billion). By contrast, TikTok is estimated to have roughly 700 million to 1 billion monthly users.

There are some caveats to the data that must be highlighted. For one, the data used for this claim comes only from Android phones, not iOS users. That said, TikTok is routinely at the top of the iOS App Store for downloads week over week. Also, the data does not track which apps claim the most time for Chinese users. TikTok, which is known as Douyin in China, is hugely popular in that country.

TikTok has rapidly grown in popularity over the past two years. The app, which was officially launched in China as Douyin in 2016 and internationally as TikTok in late 2017, hit one billion downloads in January 2019 and has grown rapidly since. TikTok hit three billion downloads in July 2021. The app enjoyed success in its home country of China, as well as India, the United States, and the United Kingdom. TikTok seems poised to potentially overtake YouTube as the most used and most popular video platform in the near future.

What do you think of TikTok overtaking YouTube for average use time? Do you use TikTok? Let us know in the comments.