Content, engagement and reach: The biggest UK TikTok trends in 2025

Despite only launching internationally in 2017, TikTok has grown to become one of the most popular social media platforms among young people in the UK, and TikTok marketing is the best way to market to them directly.

Success on the platform is about consistency, quality‌ and keeping up with the always-changing TikTok trends UK users watch the most.

To help you better understand the uniqueness of UK TikTok, we’ve outlined what sets it apart from its US and other counterparts. We’ve also listed 15 of the most important UK TikTok trends that you can take advantage of to boost the reach of your accounts.

Understanding the UK TikTok Ecosystem

TikTok is reliably one of the top 4 most used platforms in the UK today, with millions of daily active users, and it also has a notably young user base. Around 74% of all young people aged 15-24 engaged with TikTok in the UK in 2024, and people aged 25-34 make up the app’s second-largest demographic.

These TikTok stats showcase popularity similar to other markets, like the US, but UK TikTok also has many intricacies of its own. While some trend cycles are the same for UK and US TikTok, many of UK TikTok’s trends focus on UK-specific hobbies or events, like Premier League football and British soap operas. Major national events like Wimbledon, Glastonbury and London Fashion Week also tend to create their own region-specific trends.

It therefore isn’t enough to have an understanding of how TikTok works in the US if you’re hoping to attract UK users to your account. A nuanced understanding of what sets the TikTok trends UK users prefer apart can help you create content that better serves their needs.

TikTok trends in the UK

Capitalising on these particular trends demands a sharp content creator and a deep understanding of how UK TikTok works. Make sure to analyse which accounts and audiences are jumping on a trend, and decide whether your account can contribute in a unique way.

We’ve also factored this point into all of our trends below. Because it’s near-impossible to track these short-term trends before they move on, we’ve focused on more wide-reaching UK TikTok trends that continue to influence the app at all times. From comedy sketches to UK foods, here are the 15 UK TikTok trends impacting the app at the moment.

1. UK TikTok’s fast-moving trend lifecycle

Much like elsewhere, UK TikTok trends are fast-moving and often fleeting. The “very mindful, very demure” trend was all over the app last summer, but nobody is posting about it in 2025. It’s hard to put an exact timescale on the lifecycle of a TikTok trend, but trends focused on TikTok sounds or talking points often only last around a week or two before a new trend appears. If your brand wants to participate in a trend, time is of the essence.

2. Comedy sketches

The UK has a long history of comedy sketch routines, from The Two Ronnies to Mr Bean. This history has found its way to UK TikTok, where comedy sketches are one of the main trending content types. Sometimes accounts are entirely focused on these sketches, whereas influencers or brands might create one-off sketches amidst a wider strategy to capitalise on the trend.

These sketches tend to come in two forms–either as rehearsed sketches made by comedy-focused UK TikTok influencers or as unscripted sketches that focus on the natural comedy created by certain people or situations. The example below is a popular version of this second type of UK sketch comedy post.

3. Self-deprecating British humour

Another popular comedic trend on UK TikTok is accounts that rely on self-deprecating British humour. This usually doesn’t translate well to other audiences, but has led to some UK accounts building huge followings on the platform.

Alex Dodman creates “real reviews” of popular UK tourist destinations that poke fun at the UK as a whole, as well as at himself. This reveals another key trend about UK TikTok–that what sounds like negativity can, in the right situations, create a positive response. Pulling this type of content off does however demand an understanding of how UK comedy works.

4. The influence of UK food TikTok and creative food recipes

When it comes to TikTok trends, food is one of the most influential categories for UK users. Food TikTok content is so influential in the UK that it has begun to change the eating habits of young people across the country.

The BBC found that 57% of millennials and Gen Z are influenced by nutrition trends on the platform. The cucumber salad and tomato toast trends that hit the UK platform over the last year also increased sales for both ingredients across the country. These clear impacts created by food TikTok in the UK are a great example of how trends on the platform can lead to wider societal trends.

One of the main ways to adapt to the food TikTok trend as part of your content strategy is through recipe content. However, as the platform has evolved, most UK viewers now have higher expectations from the recipes they’re watching. As the number of UK TikTok food accounts has grown, standing out has meant content creators need to design eye-catching recipes that are distinct from others on the platform.

NellsKitchn is a good example of an account doing this in practice. They’ve created a recipe series focused on turning crisp sandwiches–a popular UK pastime–into gourmet sandwich recipes. This combines the trend of nostalgic content (which we’ll detail below) with recipes to create an engaging series for her UK audience.

5. Street food POV accounts

Another significant TikTok trend UK users are engaging with is content managed by street food trucks, created by UK food influencers. These accounts often create POV-style content during food service, and also tend to use TikTok live streams.

Food trucks represent a perfect opportunity for TikTok content because of their enclosed space, their smaller list of menu items, and the fact that truck staff engage directly with customers and manage their own businesses. Some of the most disruptive accounts on the platform right now include SpudMan and SpudBros, both of whom manage jacket potato food trucks and have earned widespread news coverage.

6. Local UK businesses using TikTok for marketing and sales

It isn’t just food trucks that are benefitting from creating TikTok accounts. Over 1.5 million SMEs in the UK now use TikTok to market their products directly to customers, which is a growing trend for the platform.

Many of these TikTok business accounts have been encouraged by wider trends promoting sales on the platform, like the ongoing #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt hashtag. Each of them uses TikTok in a unique way to announce one-time sales, create funny sketches, answer questions their audience has and more.

Even businesses you wouldn’t expect are now on UK TikTok, proving how versatile the platform is. One example is Wakey Wines, who owns a local off-license and has earned almost a million TikTok followers. His success has been in part due to embracing his local community and the region of Wakefield, showing the strength of community engagement on UK TikTok.

7. BookTok in the UK

BookTok exists in other countries like the US, but it has a particularly strong influence in the UK market. Since 2023, BookTok influencers have been heavily impacting how books are sold and published across the country.

It’s grown to become one of the most significant subcategories of TikTok in the UK thanks to this wider influence and the growing number of BookTok UK influencers. TikTok has also been promoting this side of the platform specifically through its annual TikTok book awards. An independent bookshop in Wales won the award for bookshop of the year last year. Its popularity proves that a key part of success on TikTok in the UK is finding your niche and creating content that markets towards them directly.

8. UK Gaming TikTok

The UK’s gaming TikTok community is growing, with TikTok itself sponsoring the UK’s EGX gaming show to support more gaming content on the platform. Over 34.4 million posts have already been created using the UK gamers topic.

UK gaming TikTokers often focus their content on specific games that’re particularly popular, like Fortnite or Minecraft, or genres of games like indies or cosy games, to appeal to certain audiences. This is a good example of how having niche content can help attract a more engaged UK TikTok audience. They’re also known for building communities through live streams and across other apps like Discord.

Much like with BookTok, the UK gaming TikTok significantly influences which games are purchased and played across the country. There are also many gaming influencers on the platform today; MadMorph is primarily a TikToker and has over 1.3 million followers who appreciate his game recommendations.

9. Day in the life, behind-the-scenes and GRWM

Behind-the-scenes content is one of the biggest UK trends and can include prep work for kitchens, how products are made, candid conversations and more. For influencers, this tends to include a day in the life, whilst UK fashion influencers as well as UK beauty influencers have adapted this into the continued GRWM (Get Ready With Me) content type. This type of content is very popular on UK TikTok partly because it relies on authenticity, and creating a dialogue with an account’s audience.

They’re also popular content types because they break some of the traditional walls of marketing down. Instead of forcing potential customers to see one side of a business, these TikTok accounts show more angles of themselves, which builds a more human connection between them and their followers.

10. Conversational POV videos

Another UK TikTok content trend that also builds authenticity is conversational POVs. These are often designed for account owners to share a topical thought they’ve had for the day, or as a way of reacting and engaging with comments they’ve received. GK Barry is one of the biggest TikTokers in the UK and regularly posts these light-hearted, conversational POVs.

Content like GK Barry’s shows how authenticity on UK TikTok differs from the US. Authenticity in the UK is often meant to be funny and unserious, though this can differ slightly depending on who manages the account and their particular audience. The trend for conversational POVs remains massive and is one of the main ways that UK TikTokers are able to engage with their followers through content updates.

11. Nostalgic content

Gen Z and millennials are both heavily interested in nostalgia. In the UK, this is a complex trait, but it’s similar to generational feelings in the US and other countries, where uncertain futures have forced younger people to yearn for a simpler past.

Nostalgic content on UK TikTok is very different from anywhere else because it relies heavily on the experience of growing up in the country. Imogen Aisha’s comedy sketch below, for example, satires a distinct type of UK TV fashion show which was prevalent in the mid-2000s, which wouldn’t resonate with anyone outside of the UK. Being able to tap into UK nostalgia can be beneficial on TikTok, but you need to be able to use these types of cultural touchstones.

12. Recommendation interviews and regional alternatives

UK TikTok can be used as a recommendation tool, and many UK users find new restaurants, days out and products directly through this type of content. TopJaw has transformed the way restaurant recommendations work on social media through their well-edited 1on1 interviews with chefs, influencers and celebrities, who all recommend their favourite places in London.

This trend reveals a wider behavioural trend for TikTok use in the UK–that its users are actively looking for recommendations and new things to do. This shows an openness to new experiences, as well as an expectation that they will be being sold to in some situations. The recommendation formula works well because it isn’t a hard sell; these are suggestions based on quality and personal preferences. It’s a reminder that selling on UK TikTok isn’t about direct sales, but about authentic engagement with your audience.

TopJaw and this style of recommendation content has blown up in the past year, but in a way that further reveals the uniqueness of UK TikTok. Region-specific accounts focused solely on sharing things to do in certain cities or areas are now very popular on the platform; MCRFinest in Manchester, NottsHappening in Nottingham and TheYorkshireman across Yorkshire to name a few.

These take the London-centric approach of most TikTokers and apply a regional specificity to their content, which allows them to build a large following in their chosen area. They’re proof that bigger isn’t always better on UK TikTok; clearly understanding your audience can lead to more effective growth.

13. Clipped podcast or video conversations

Short clips of existing videos or podcast conversations can be very popular with certain demographics on UK TikTok. In most of these cases, TikTok can form an extension of an already successful podcast or video series, allowing its fans a new way to see when new episodes are out or to experience it in a truncated format. AmeliaDimz is one of the biggest social media celebrities in the UK, and has over 4 million TikTok followers as a result of her posting clips of her Chicken Shop Dates.

These clips don’t have to be taken from popular online shows to gain reach. The news channel Novara Media clips their podcast conversations to a following of almost 500k on TikTok, as does Drag Race star Biminibabes to her following of over 250k. Repurposing long-form content like this for TikTok is a great way for UK accounts to post content more frequently and build their audience.

14. Money-saving content

One of the unique categories of content on UK TikTok is money-saving accounts. These are all designed to help people save money, inspired partly by Martin Lewis, “The Money Saving Expert”, who has been a major journalist and celebrity in the UK for many years. This type of content has also become increasingly popular as a wider UK social media trend due to the UK’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

UK TikTok creators can consider this continued trend by better understanding where their products are priced in the wider economy if they’re using TikTok to sell. It’s also worth remembering that UK TikTok users tend to appreciate clear and open discussions about serious topics and financial matters, due to the open and inclusive nature of the platform.

15. TikTok trends coverage in UK media

Due to its ongoing popularity, TikTok is now being covered regularly by the UK media. Many of the biggest publications in the country, including the BBC, Glamour Magazine and The Independent, among others, have dedicated sections on their websites focused solely on the latest TikTok trends.

Checking these topic sections regularly is a smart way to catch current trends you might’ve missed. While not as reliable as tracking trends yourself, these news websites often spotlight bigger creators and reveal what TikTok influencers are creating during national holidays or countrywide events, like Glamour’s coverage of creative TikTok pancake day recipes. You shouldn’t rely on these publications entirely, but using them as an additional trending touchpoint can help with content ideation.

How to expand your reach on UK TikTok

The 15 trends above should give you a clearer picture of how UK TikTok differs from TikTok in the US and around the world. The UK market has many uniquenesses and eccentricities that make building your reach on the network a distinct task that has to be tackled with a regional approach.

If you hope to increase your reach in the UK, read through Sprout’s list of 30 different TikTok tools that can boost your account’s growth.

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