Young People Are TikTok's Biggest Users: How Old Are They?

Based on data compiled by Business of Apps, TikTok users reached 1.5 billion in the second quarter of 2023. Based on cumulative downloads, the ByteDance product was downloaded 3.3 billion times in 2022.

TikTok users are predominantly young people. Business of Apps data indicates that the largest user group is aged 18-24, accounting for 34.9% of total users in 2022.

This is followed by the 25-34 age group at 28.2%. Teenagers (13-17 years old) represent 14.4%.

The smallest user group is those over 55 years old (3.4%) and the 45-54 age group (6.3%).

In terms of gender, female users account for 55% of the total users in 2022. Males account for 43%, while other genders represent 2%.

Indonesia is the second largest TikTok user base globally, with 113 million users as of April 2023. The United States holds the top spot with 116.5 million users.

Currently, TikTok Shop is under scrutiny after becoming a popular e-commerce platform. Some items on TikTok Shop are reportedly sold at lower prices than on other e-commerce platforms.

TikTok Shop is also accused of contributing to the decline in sales of Indonesian MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises). The government has revised Ministerial Regulation of Trade No. 50 of 2020 (signed on September 25, 2023), which includes a regulation prohibiting transactions within TikTok Shop.

According to Katadata, Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) stated that social commerce platforms like TikTok Shop are only permitted to promote goods and services like advertisements on television. The revision of Ministerial Regulation of Trade No. 50 of 2020 also mandates the separation of e-commerce and social media functions.

"They must be separated so that algorithms are not all controlled and to prevent the use of personal data for business purposes," said Zulhas, as reported on Wednesday, September 26, 2023.

The regulation also outlines sanctions for e-commerce platforms that remain integrated with social media services. Penalties for violators are implemented gradually, ranging from warnings to closure.

"If anyone violates this, I will send a letter to the Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo) this week to issue a warning. After that, they will be shut down," said Zulhas.