UK children use TikTok, Snapchat in 2022

A photo taken on January 21, 2021 shows a teenager holding a smartphone with the logo of Chinese social network TikTok in Nantes, western France. The number of children using TikTok and Snapchat increased last year in Britain, according to research published by media regulator Ofcom.

More than half of the people aged between 3 and 17 use TikTok and Snapchat, according to figures collected as part of the watchdog's annual survey of children and parents online attitudes.

The survey found a slight increase in the popularity of both apps in the past year, with TikTok now used by 53 percent of children up from 50 percent and Snapchat by 46 percent, up from 42 percent. Both companies have faced mounting pressure over user safety in recent months.

The report found that children's use of YouTube, Whatsapp and Instagram remained steady at 88 percent, 55 percent and 41 percent, while the popularity of Meta's Facebook platform declined from 40 percent to 34 percent. Children of all ages reported watching dramatic content in various forms when selecting TV shows and films to watch, according to Ofcom's annual report on attitudes towards media.

Ofcom also found that the percentage of 3 and 4 year-olds using Snapchat had risen to 17 percent in 2022, up from 12 percent the previous year.

A TikTok spokeswoman said government bans were based on fundamental misconceptions around TikTok's safety protocols.

A Snap spokeswoman said that the company blocks and deletes tens of thousands of attempts by underage UK users to create Snapchat accounts monthly, misrepresented by its record on underage users.