Ofcom: Time spent online hits record levels

The annual report shows that people’s online usage has surged in lockdown with adults spending an average of 4 hours and 2 minutes a day online, versus 3 hours 29 minutes in September 2019, as platforms such as TikTok, Twitch and video call services see unprecedented growth. 

Ofcom states: “With people seeking new ways to keep connected, informed, entertained and fit during the pandemic, emerging video-sharing and video-calling services are surging in popularity.”

Here are some of the key trends: 

• The proportion of UK adults making video calls has doubled in lockdown, with more than seven in 10 doing so at least weekly - up 35% pre-lockdown 

• One third (32%) of online adults now spend more time viewing video-sharing services than broadcast television

• Two in five adults (40%) and 59% of older children who use video-sharing sites and apps now create and upload their own videos “driving an explosion in short-form, user-generated content”

• People are moving away from established forms of communications - such as landlines and text messages - and using a variety of online messaging services 

Download the full report here.