Helping students navigate the most visited websites in the world
Technology and social media have become a normal and almost necessary part of many students’ day-to-day lives. This doesn’t just apply to students in the United States– tech and social media use transcends borders and has become relevant in students’ lives worldwide.
Similarweb, an all-in-one website analytics and traffic intelligence platform, has shared the top fifty most visited websites worldwide as of January 1st, 2023. The majority of these websites are owned by companies based in the US, and many are owned by Big Tech companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta and gather billions of searches each and every day.
What does this mean for students? Let’s find out.
The websites and social media giants with the most traffic
From search engines to social media networks, there are currently over two billion websites in existence in 2023. Many have little-to-no traffic and would be considered inactive– on the other end of the scale are the websites with the top traffic that can reach into the billions.
The top five most visited websites as of Jan. 1, 2023 are:
- Google – 85.1 B in monthly traffic
- YouTube – 33.0 B in monthly traffic
- Facebook – 17.8 B in monthly traffic
- Twitter – 6.8 B in monthly traffic
- Instagram – 6.1 B in monthly traffic
Google and YouTube sit at the top of these rankings and are billions ahead in visits from any other platform. Both platforms are owned by Google, and together they have more traffic than the following forty-eight websites combined.
Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok also rank in the top fifty, and TikTok has risen through the ranks significantly in the last few years due to its popularity among students. According to the stats, 67% of students aged 13 through 17 use TikTok. Students make up a large majority of social media platforms, and their increased presence demonstrates the shift in the social media landscape since 2014 and 2015.
TSI’s Take
Many of these websites and social media apps are present in our students’ daily lives. They use Google for research, spend time on Instagram to stay connected with friends and families, and watch YouTube to explore topics they’re interested in.
This is why it’s important to help students build the skills to navigate these platforms in high-character ways. As educators, we can encourage students to:
- Be aware of and spot misinformation on Google and other search engines.
- Find positive influencers and fill their feeds with things that motivate them.
- Explore their interests in safe and positive ways.
Here at The Social Institute, we know students may need guidance when it comes to social media and technology. That’s why our #WinAtSocial Curriculum empowers students to use social media in ways that will fuel their health, happiness, and future success. Download our 23 Insights for 2023 on How Students Navigate Well-being, Social Media, and Tech to discover how students are using social media and tech and what they want educators to know about how it impacts their lives.
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The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in understanding student experiences and creator of #WinAtSocial, a gamified, online learning platform that equips students, educators, and families to navigate social experiences — online and offline — in healthy ways. Our unique, student-respected approach incorporates topics like social media, technology use, and current events that have a significant impact on student well-being. Lessons teach life skills for the modern day to inspire high-character decisions that support the health, happiness, and future success of students, while capturing data that provides insights to school leaders to inform school policy and communications, and enable high-impact teaching and a healthy learning environment. For schools, our turnkey technology allows for easy implementation and a comprehensive game plan to support the well-being of school communities. For schools, our turnkey technology allows for easy implementation and a comprehensive game plan to support the well-being of school communities.