Environment

TikTok’s carbon footprint is likely larger than that of Greece, according to an analysis of the environmental impact of social media platforms.

Estimates from Greenly, a Paris-based accounting firm, suggest that in 2023, TikTok’s emissions in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France amounted to approximately 7.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)—more than the combined emissions of Twitter and Snapchat the same year.

With over a billion users worldwide, TikTok generates twice the pollution of Instagram, even though the U.S.-based platform has twice as many users.

This substantial carbon footprint is largely attributed to TikTok’s operational model, which relies on an algorithm designed to keep users engaged and consuming content for longer periods.

On average, an Instagram user spends 30 minutes a day on the app, while a TikTok user spends around 45 minutes daily on the video-sharing platform.

Greenly also noted that TikTok users rank as the second-largest CO2 emitters per minute of usage, just behind YouTube. One minute on TikTok produces an average of 2.921 grams of CO2e, compared to 2.923 grams per minute on YouTube.

(QG - Source: The Guardian / Picture: © Unsplash)