YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram: Which social network does the world spend the most time on?

TikTok is where users around the world spend the most time according to the Digital 2023 April Global Statshot Report. Image: Shutterstock

It's not uncommon to lose track of time when you're scrolling through your various social media feeds. And some apps grab your eyeballs for more time than others. Between YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, discover the social network that we spend the most time on around the world.

It may not come as a surprise to many; the relatively young social network TikTok is the one where users around the world spend the most time. In the "Digital 2023 April Global Statshot Report," published by Meltwater and We Are Social in April 2023, the data collected by data.ai presents a clear picture: users spent an average of 31 hours and 32 minutes per month in the fourth quarter of 2022 (between October and December 2022) on the Android app of TikTok.

The Chinese app has succeeded in overtaking YouTube, which previously came in first place with 23 hours and 4 minutes per month in Q2 2022. Now, the streaming video platform is in second place with an average of 27 hours and 19 minutes per month. While the average time spent also increased for YouTube, the report's results show that TikTok users saw their average time spent on the app increase more quickly compared to the previous quarter. Specifically users spent an average of 22 hours and 9 minutes per month on the Chinese giant's Android app in Q2 2022. As for Messenger, the Meta group's messaging service takes last place with Snapchat, with an average time of 3 hours and 17 minutes spent on the app per month by Android users.

Also Read: Top 10 most-viewed videos on YouTube in 2023

The Meta group's Facebook social media platform remains a key draw for users, coming in third place with an average of 18 hours and 17 minutes of time spent on the app per month, followed by WhatsApp with 16 hours and 50 minutes and Instagram with 12 hours and 30 minutes.

Despite TikTok's significant advances, YouTube still remains ahead of the Chinese platform in terms of use on a daily basis by Android users. YouTube ranks second with 63.2% usage behind WhatsApp, first in the ranking at 82.6%. When it comes to use on a daily basis YouTube is followed by Facebook, then Line and then TikTok, fifth in the top at 60.5%.

However, the report also points out that overall, internet users are spending less and less time on the online, even on social media.