People spending even more time online now than during the pandemic

People spending even more time online now than during the pandemic

9 hours ago Share Save Laura Cress Technology reporter Share Save

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UK adults spent over half an hour longer online every day in 2025 than they did during the pandemic, according to an annual survey of internet habits by the regulator Ofcom. The Online Nation report found on average, people in the UK spent four hours and 30 minutes online every day in 2025 - 31 minutes longer than in 2021. Psychologist Dr Aric Sigman told the BBC this was not a problem in itself, but what mattered was "what this time is displacing and how this may harm mental health". He added the "good news" was society was "beginning to question online time more critically".

In a year where the major UK Netflix drama Adolescence won praise and politicial attention for shining a light on misogynistic online content, the survey found adults were feeling less positive about the impact of the internet overall. Only a third (33%) said they felt it was "good for society" – down from 40% in 2024. However, nearly two thirds of people still believed the benefits of being online outweighed the risks. And many adults said they found the internet to be a source of creativity, with roughly three quarters agreeing being online helped them to broaden their understanding of the world.

Children wary of 'brain rot'

The report also explored children's experiences of being online. While more than eight in ten aged 8-17 said they were happy with the amount of time they spent on the internet, they also recognised there were negative impacts of endlessly scrolling on smartphones. The term "brain rot" was used by some children surveyed to describe the feeling they were left with after spending too long on their devices. It has become a popular phrase to describe overconsuming online posts and videos considered to be the opposite of mentally challenging. And Ofcom found across four of the main services used by children - YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok and WhatsApp – up to a quarter of the time 8 to 14-year-olds spent online was between 2100 and 0500.

VPN use more than doubles

From 25 July, Ofcom required websites operating in the UK with pornographic content to "robustly" age-check users, under the Online Safety Act. Some people began using a virtual private network (VPN) at this time - tools which can disguise your location online to allow you to use the internet as though you are in another country. The increase indicates people are likely using them to bypass requirements of the Act. After the age checks became mandatory, the survey said VPN use more than doubled, rising from roughly 650,000 daily users before July and peaking at over 1.4 million in mid-August But it also found the number had since declined to around 900,000 in November.

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