After years of growth: Internet usage in Germany is falling noticeably

Internet usage among people in Germany has declined noticeably compared to the previous year. As the current and representative “Postbank Digital Study 2026” shows, the population still spends an average of 67.4 hours per week online. This corresponds to a decrease of around five hours compared to 2025. The main reason for this development is the changed usage behavior of those under 40, who are deliberately reducing their online activities, especially on smartphones.

The smartphone remains by far the most important gateway to the digital world – 86 percent of the population uses it to access the Internet. But screen time is declining here too: weekly mobile usage fell from 25.7 to 23.9 hours.

Digital natives crave offline mode

Digital exhaustion is particularly noticeable among those under 40, the generation that is often considered “always-on”. Although they are still the top intensive users with over 80 hours of weekly internet time, it is precisely for them that the pure smartphone time fell by three hours compared to the previous year to 31 hours per week.

Almost one in three people under 40 (31 percent) plan to further restrict their private Internet use in the next twelve months. Across all age groups, 17 percent feel the desire to cut back on offline time. David Dommel, head of digital performance marketing at Postbank, explains this development: “Going online on a mobile device is an integral part of Germans’ daily routine. But young people in particular want to be offline sometimes. This is especially true for cell phones because they are available everywhere.”

Less social media, more time for real life

But what do people want to use the time they have gained? The answers show a deep longing for the analogue. 41 percent of those who want to reduce their online time simply want to have more time for other things such as family, friends or hobbies. For 38 percent, the main thing is the desire to be less distracted in everyday life. Negative health effects (36 percent) and the desire for more concentration (33 percent) are also central motives for digital withdrawal.

“People in Germany differentiate more consciously between necessary and unnecessary online activities,” said Dommel. While useful everyday helpers such as online banking remain stable with over 50 percent usage, time wasters are losing their appeal. The regular use of social media channels such as Instagram or TikTok fell significantly from 71 percent in the previous year to 64 percent now. Messenger services and watching YouTube videos are also declining slightly.

Artificial intelligence as a new magnet

Despite the falling usage figures, the Postbank study cannot identify a definitive swan song for the Internet. The Internet remains indispensable, especially at work, where working people spend an average of 2.8 hours a day online, primarily via notebooks and desktop PCs. And there’s a new driver that has the potential to push screen time back up: artificial intelligence.

Despite the need for more balance, openness to new technologies remains high. Among those surveyed who want to use the Internet more in the future, AI is by far the most important reason for more intensive use at 56 percent. Today, 38 percent of Germans already use AI tools such as ChatGPT for targeted information searches.

3,050 people were surveyed between April and May of this year for the “Postbank Digital Study 2026”. In order to represent a structure that is representative of the population, the sample was weighted according to federal state, age and gender. The 2022 microcensus from the Federal Statistical Office was used as a reference for comparison.