Ofcom has reported “unprecedented growth” for services including TikTok and Twitch during the lockdown.
The UK’s communications regulator has published its annual Online Nation report, which reveals the scale of useage at the height of the lockdown in April 20. Adults spent a daily average of four hours and two minutes online, up from three and a half hours in September last year.
TikTok reached 12.9 million UK adult visitors in April, up from just 5.4 million in January. Twitch, which has experienced a boom in livestreams, saw visitors increase from 2.3m to 4.2m adults.
The proportion of UK online adults making video calls has also doubled during lockdown, with more than seven in 10 doing so at least weekly.
YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok have never been so popular, according to the study. The report shows that nine in 10 online adults, and almost all older children aged 8-15, used at least one of these websites and apps in the last year, with many watching videos several times a day
Yih-Choung Teh, Ofcom’s group director of strategy and research, said: “Lockdown may leave a lasting digital legacy. Coronavirus has radically changed the way we live, work and communicate online, with millions of people using online video services for the first time.
“As the way we communicate evolves and people broaden their online horizons, our role is to help ensure that people have a positive experience, and that they’re safe and protected.”
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