Streaming consumption has soared throughout the last year as a result of Covid-19, and YouTube isn’t excluded from that rise in viewing time. A new report from Pew Research Center says the app grew more than any other social media app by users in the U.S. during the pandemic.
YouTube’s usage by adults in the U.S. jumped to 81% this year, up from 73% in 2019. The data was determined by a survey Pew conducted among 1,502 U.S. adults during the first months of this year. Reddit was the app next in line that saw the most growth, reaching 18% among adults in 2021, up from 11% in 2019.
The Google-owned app is even more popular among younger users with 95% of 18-29 year olds saying they use the video platform according to a survey of 220. The next popular app is Instagram, with 71% saying they use it, followed by 65% for Facebook.
Although it seems YouTube doesn’t have to try hard to keep users coming back daily, the platform recently launched YouTube Shorts as a new way to create videos. YouTube describes the feature as a short-form video experience for anyone who wants to create short, catchy videos using nothing but their mobile phones.