TikTok and WhatsApp – what were kids in Saudi Arabia interested in online this summer?

A new Kaspersky Safe Kids research has revealed the online content that children were most interested in during summer 2021. During this time, TikTok managed to overtake WhatsApp in the list of apps where kids in Saudi Arabia spent the most time. Instagram’s popularity among children continued to decline while Eurovision became popular, and Brawl Stars surpassed Roblox in popularity, globally.

Summer is the best time for relaxation and entertainment as there are no schools, lessons and homework. During this period, children have more time to consume various content, watch more bloggers, play online games and chat with friends. Kaspersky analyzed anonymized data, such as search queries and the most popular Android applications as well as website categories, all voluntarily provided by Kaspersky Safe Kids users, to explore how the interests and needs of children have changed over the summer of 2021.

Children in Saudi Arabia who use Android devices spent the most time on YouTube (37.4%%)[1].This summer, TikTok (7%) was able to overtake WhatsApp (3.6%) to come in second place. The main activities kids were interested in are videos and YouTube, and in particular queries related to video games (16%), such as on Let’s Play walkthroughs. Among the most popular ‘Let’s Players’ globally were the English-speaking SSundee and MrBeast Gaming. Minecraft (25.9%) was the most popular game during the summer, while Brawl Start (4.9%) surpassed Roblox (4.6%).

Another trend among kids was music. Almost a fifth of all internet searches on YouTube globally (18.4%) were devoted to artists and clips. The most popular track of this summer was Astronaut In The Ocean by Masked Wolf, while Ariana Grande and Lil Nas X became the most famous performers.

Interestingly, the Eurovision Song Contest also turned out to be popular among children and adolescents. This year’s winners, the Italian band Måneskin, have become one of the most popular teen bands around the world. On YouTube, kids most frequently searched for their songs Beggin’, I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE and Eurovision winning song ZITTI E BUONI.

Among other internet trends, it is important to note the explosive popularity of new toys Simple Dimple and Pop It. They were covered by music tracks that went viral on TikTok, and a lot of reviews on toys appeared on YouTube.

“The research shows that children do not change their preferences that frequently and continue to watch the same type of content, but the main characters change. For example, Italian rockers Måneskin replace BTS, and the game Friday Night Funkin’ overtakes Among Us. The numbers also show that music is of greater interest to modern children than sports. Even such global events as Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics could not capture their attention,” comments Anna Larkina, web content analysis expert at Kaspersky.

To ensure children have a positive online experience, Kaspersky recommends that parents:

Surf and learn together. See where children spend their time online and explore how to best keep them safe.

Consider downloading parental control apps and discuss this topic with your child to explain how such apps work and why they need them to stay safe online.

Spend more time communicating with children about online safety measures. Tell your children what must not, under any circumstances, be published on the internet and why.

[1] Kaspersky compiled the Top 10 most popular applications in the world. The percentage distribution in the TOP 10 reflects the number of hours spent in each of the applications, out of the total 10 apps