New Zealanders Spending More Time Online Than Ever - InternetNZ

A study commissioned by InternetNZ found that New Zealanders are spending more time online than ever, with 50% of respondents spending four or more hours of their leisure time on the Internet each day.

Internet Insights is an annual survey of New Zealanders' habits, concerns and awareness of the online world, and has seen a steady increase in the amount of time we spend online.

On average New Zealanders spend three hours a day on the internet for personal use. 67% of 18-29 year olds spend four or more hours online in their free time, making them the demographic that is the most wired into the web.

Vivien Maidaborn, CEO of InternetNZ, attributes the increasing trend of time spent online to several factors, including immediacy, convenience and the addictive nature of many mobile apps.

"The appeal of apps, streaming services, and the accessibility of news and online tools have contributed to an unprecedented level of connectivity in 2025. These statistics may prompt people in Aotearoa to evaluate their online/offline balance but many will see the amount of time they spend online as normal."

The study also revealed that 53% of individuals aged 30-39 spend four or more hours online daily, making them the second-highest demographic in terms of time spent online. The most popular online activities for this group were social media, email, streaming TV shows, and reading news online. Facebook was the most frequented social media platform, with 58% of respondents checking it at least once per day.

"The amount of time we’re spending online highlights the need to ensure that information we’re consuming is safe, fair, and accurate. Governments and civil society need to keep holding the gatekeepers to account and demanding change when it's needed."

The top ten most popular online activities also include messaging friends, using search engines, online shopping, paying bills, gaming, and personal reading and research.

The survey found that women spend more time on social media and messaging than men. Women spend 52% of their online time on social media and 32% on messaging, while men spend 41% and 16% of their time online on social media and messaging, respectively.

The study also collected data on New Zealanders' views on the most worrisome aspects of the internet, such as children accessing harmful content online, misinformation, scams, and how we feel about the rise of Artificial Intelligence.

Maidaborn views the research as a crucial yearly indicator of how society utilises the Internet, and what that reveals about the connection between our lives and the online world.

"The internet has transformed from a rarity to an everyday essential in the past 25 years. As it continues to grow, understanding how New Zealanders use it is crucial to addressing the challenges."

The full findings of the Internet Insights research are available on the InternetNZ website here: https://internetnz.nz/internet-insights

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