TikTok’s carbon footprint is greater than Greece’s annual emissions.
It is expected that TikTok will outdo Greece in terms of annual carbon emissions. The analysis by Greenly, a carbon accounting consultancy, shows that an average TikTok user contributes a volume of greenhouse gases likened to driving a gas-powered car for 123 miles within a year.
By 2023, TikTok emissions in the US, UK, and France will be about 7.6 million metric tonnes of CO2e, surpassing Twitter/X and Snapchat. These countries contribute just under 15 per cent to TikTok’s total global user base, and thus it can be assumed that this staggering platform would have a total contribution of around 50 million metric tonnes of CO2e. For comparison, the total emissions of Greece are equivalent to 51.67 million metric tonnes annually.
The Very High Carbon Emissions in TikTok
Interestingly, TikTok’s addictiveness is attributed to its algorithm, which drives the audience to settle for maximum use of the app. For example, the average user spends 30.6 minutes on Instagram, while the average TikTok user spends 45.5 minutes. Such usage would mean higher emissions.
“Algorithmically, the whole concept was about the massification of videos,” said Alexis Normand, CEO of Greenly. “It is, of course, a very addictive mechanism, and it has its exertion indirections in terms of encouraging people to produce more and more of a [carbon] footprint on an individual basis.”
It was also found that TikTok produces the second-most significant emission with the average time spent by the user among social media sites, coming second only to YouTube. Thus, one minute on average at TikTok generates 2.921 grams of CO2e, which compares to 2.923 grams with YouTube and 2.912 grams with Instagram at the very minute level.
Emission Comparison Between Users of Interactive Platforms
Due to its higher usage time and video-centric consumption patterns, TikTok is at the top of annual user emissions. A typical TikTok user produces 48.49kg of CO2e per year in comparison to 40.17kg from use of YouTube and 32.52kg from Instagram. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, that translates to driving a gas-powered vehicle for about 123 miles (TikTok), 102 miles (with YouTube), or 82.8 miles (with Instagram).
Transparency and Commitments of TikTok in Emissions
Unlike Meta and Google, which publish emissions reports in annual periods, TikTok does not have any emissions data disclosed. While other tech giants have adopted pledges to power their data centres with renewable energy sources, that’s where TikTok has not made sufficient progress.
For its “Project Clover,” which was created to ensure improving data security, TikTok also promises to achieve carbon neutrality in the year 2030. The company planned to build one renewable-powered data centre in Norway, entirely affiliated with green energy. However, only a very small step ahead has been made towards an acceleration of its environmental footprint.
The Prospective Future of Carbon Emissions from TikTok
The ownership status of TikTok fails to become clear. ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, was required by a US court ruling to shed the platform before January 2025. If it should eventually be acquired by a firm in the USA, one may be interested in knowing how regulations would then be formulated on public disclosure about TikTok’s carbon emissions. Policy reversals in the event of a Trump presidency could complicate these requirements.
The environmental impacts of social media cannot be ignored as they burgeon in today’s world. Addressing the carbon emissions of TikTok would be one move toward a more sustainable digital future; in fact, considering the footprint TikTok has, it could actually rival an entire country.
