Addictive behaviours at 18 - Internet use 2024

Out of 10 18-year-olds, 9 to 10 used social networks online, 8 read/studied online, 6 played online games and 1 to 2 gambledonline. The majority used the internet for 4 hours or more a day.

These are the figures revealed by the report "Additive Behaviours at 18: Internet use - survey of young people taking part in National Defence Day 2024".

Also according to this document, 38 per cent of young people started using the internet before the age of 10, a percentage that has been increasing (in 2017 this age was mentioned by 31 per cent), but with fluctuations depending on the year, having decreased between 2023 and 2024. With regard to problems associated with internet use, 36 per cent of young people mentioned having experienced at least one of seven problems in the 12 months prior to the survey. The type of problem most mentioned by young people in 2024 is emotional distress (21% of young people), followed by problems with performance at school/work (18%).

Comparing boys and girls, there is a higher percentage of the former in online gaming, and of the latter in social networks, reading and studying, and experiencing any problem associated with using the internet.

Additive Behaviours at 18 is a project to research and monitor addictive behaviours and dependencies among 18-year-olds taking part in National Defence Day, in partnership with the Directorate General for National Defence Resources, through a nationwide survey. It has been carried out every year since 2015, with an interruption in 2020 due to the constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.