Faith in the internet is fading among young Brits

"The questions were part of annual research carried out in the summer by pollster YouGov with 7,340 adults of all ages for Ofcom's Annual Online Nation report. Despite their increasing negativity, young adults in the UK spend significantly more time online than older age groups, averaging six hours and 20 minutes a day on personal (rather than work) devices, up ten minutes over the prior 12 months and much higher than the four hours and 30 minutes for all adults."

"So why are many of these digital natives, born between Sir Tim Berners-Lee's creation of the first web browser and server in 1990 and Apple's launch of the first iPhone in 2007, losing faith in the internet? One reason may be that their online experiences differ significantly from those of their elders, including more material chosen by algorithms than actively selected by users."

"The UK's communications regulator found that in June 2025, just a third of those aged 18-34 agreed the internet is good for society, down from 42 percent a year earlier. While this fell for older age groups as well, it did so less sharply (34 percent versus 38 percent in 2024), meaning those aged 55 and above are proportionately more positive than younger people about the internet's impact on civilization."

In June 2025 only a third of 18–34-year-olds agreed the internet is good for society, down from 42 percent a year earlier. The drop for older age groups was smaller, leaving those aged 55 and above comparatively more positive. More young adults disagreed than agreed that being online has a positive effect on emotional wellbeing (35 percent disagreeing versus 31 percent agreeing in June 2025). Young adults average six hours and 20 minutes daily on personal devices, exceeding other adults. Younger users report more algorithm-driven content and are most likely to encounter harmful experiences on Instagram and TikTok.

Read at Theregister