In February 2025, YouTube’s average daily watch time exceeded 140 minutes on most days. (Image courtesy of Pixabay/CCL)
SEOUL, March 2 (Korea Bizwire) — More than half of South Koreans spend nearly two hours daily on YouTube, reinforcing its dominance in the country’s digital landscape, according to a report by Mobile Index from IGAWorks released on March 2.
As of February 25, YouTube’s total usage time in South Korea reached 69.65 million hours, the highest among all mobile applications. The platform recorded 29.99 million daily active users (DAU), with an average individual usage time of 139.37 minutes.
YouTube’s Growth and Sunday Peaks
In February 2025, YouTube’s average daily watch time exceeded 140 minutes on most days. Sundays saw particularly high engagement, with usage surpassing 150 minutes on February 2 (153.13 minutes), February 9 (153.17 minutes), February 16 (151.15 minutes), and February 23 (152.12 minutes).
This suggests that three out of five South Koreans regularly consume more than two hours of YouTube content daily, including the popular short-form video format.
Instagram, another short-form video powerhouse with its ‘Reels’ feature, also saw strong engagement. On February 25, the app recorded 13.4 million daily active users, with an average usage time of 50.58 minutes per person.
Naver and Kakao Struggle to Compete
In contrast, South Korea’s homegrown digital giants, Naver and Kakao, saw significantly lower engagement. KakaoTalk, the country’s most widely used messaging app, had 37.16 million DAU but an average usage time of only 30.12 minutes. Naver, South Korea’s leading search and content platform, recorded 26.51 million DAU with an average usage time of 25.4 minutes.
Even when combined, Naver and Kakao users spent less than an hour per day on these platforms, highlighting the increasing challenge of competing against global tech firms.
Video streaming service YouTube has been the most used mobile app in South Korea for an entire year of 2024. (Image courtesy of Pixabay)
Local Platforms Shift Strategies
In response, Naver and Kakao are ramping up efforts to retain younger audiences and increase engagement. Naver has been aggressively expanding its short-form video platform, ‘Clip,’ which launched in August 2023.
The company claims it has already secured the third spot among short-form video services in South Korea by integrating ‘Clip’ across its existing platforms.
Kakao, meanwhile, is focusing on capturing younger users, particularly those in their teens and twenties who drive digital trends. The company recently introduced a new ‘Schools’ tab within its open chat feature on KakaoTalk, piloting the service at 30 universities, including Seoul National University and Korea University.
As YouTube and Instagram continue to dominate South Korea’s mobile landscape, domestic tech firms are pivoting their strategies to stay competitive in an increasingly short-form-driven digital ecosystem.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
