UK spending half an hour longer online than in pandemic, says Ofcom

UK adults spent over half an hour longer on-line day-after-day in 2025 than they did throughout the pandemic, based on an annual survey of web habits by the regulator Ofcom.

The On-line Nation report discovered on common, individuals within the UK spent 4 hours and half-hour on-line day-after-day in 2025 – 31 minutes longer than in 2021.

Psychologist Dr Aric Sigman instructed the BBC this was not an issue in itself, however what mattered was “what this time is displacing and the way this will likely hurt psychological well being”.

He added the “excellent news” was society was “starting to query on-line time extra critically”.

In a 12 months the place the most important UK Netflix drama Adolescence received reward and politicial consideration for shining a lightweight on misogynistic on-line content material, the survey discovered adults have been feeling much less optimistic in regards to the affect of the web total.

Solely a 3rd (33%) stated they felt it was “good for society” – down from 40% in 2024.

Nonetheless, almost two thirds of individuals nonetheless believed the advantages of being on-line outweighed the dangers.

And lots of adults stated they discovered the web to be a supply of creativity, with roughly three quarters agreeing being on-line helped them to broaden their understanding of the world.

The report additionally explored kids’s experiences of being on-line.

Whereas greater than eight in ten aged 8-17 stated they have been pleased with the period of time they spent on the web, in addition they recognised there have been unfavourable impacts of endlessly scrolling on smartphones.

The time period “mind rot” was utilized by some kids surveyed to explain the sensation they have been left with after spending too lengthy on their gadgets.

It has turn into a preferred phrase to explain overconsuming on-line posts and movies thought of to be the alternative of mentally difficult.

And Ofcom discovered throughout 4 of the principle providers utilized by kids – YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok and WhatsApp – as much as 1 / 4 of the time 8 to 14-year-olds spent on-line was between 2100 and 0500.

From 25 July, Ofcom required web sites working within the UK with pornographic content material to “robustly” age-check customers, below the On-line Security Act.

Some individuals started utilizing a digital personal community (VPN) right now – instruments which may disguise your location on-line to will let you use the web as if you might be out of the country.

The rise signifies persons are seemingly utilizing them to bypass necessities of the Act.

After the age checks turned obligatory, the survey stated VPN use greater than doubled, rising from roughly 650,000 day by day customers earlier than July and peaking at over 1.4 million in mid-August

But it surely additionally discovered the quantity had since declined to round 900,000 in November.

The report additionally discovered 69% of youngsters aged 13 to 17 stated they used on-line providers to assist with their wellbeing, both to calm down or enhance their temper.

Greater than half named ASMR as a instrument they’d utilized in specific to assist them calm down.

These movies turned a web based phenomenon greater than a decade in the past – which some individuals declare causes them to really feel a tingling sensation.

It has led to a whole trade of on-line creators making particular content material seen on platforms similar to YouTube.

However kids weren’t solely optimistic about their on-line experiences.

Seventy % stated they’d points with self-improvement media – involving poisonous messaging or physique shaming.