A study by Portugal's Institute for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (ICAD) has found that 18-year-olds are spending more time on the internet, especially on social media.

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The findings are based on a survey of young people taking part in the 2025 National Defence Day.

Most young people (60%) use the internet for an average of four or more hours a day, with intensive use (five hours or more) on the rise compared with previous years.

"In itself, this indicator is not necessarily a sign of problems, but rather of a life lived both physically and virtually, often intertwined, with new ways of behaving, acting and being," the study concludes.

Social networks are the platforms most used by young people, who prefer to access them via their mobile phone. But most of those surveyed, almost 45%, say they spend around two to three hours on platforms such as TikTok, Facebook and Instagram. Thirteen percent of young people said they spend around six or more hours on social media.

Besides social media, online searches - for reading or studying - gaming (including betting) and watching films, videos and tutorials are other reasons contributing to the increase in the time young people spend on the internet.

It was also striking that in 2025, 99% of young respondents said they had started using the internet before the age of 16 and 39% said they started before the age of 10.

This is a particularly important figure, as this proportion has been increasing, showing that the internet is entering people's lives at an ever earlier age. The study stresses that this rise is slightly more marked among young women than among young men.

Young women seem to spend more time on social media or searching online, while young men appear to spend more time gaming.

In the case of online gambling, the level of use among young people also seems striking: 17% of 18-year-olds (30% of young men and 5% of young women) place bets online.

Problems linked to internet use

Excessive internet use is associated with a range of problems, especially among adolescents. ICAD's study therefore set out to find out whether its sample had already experienced any of these, such as poor performance at school or work; health problems requiring medical care; behavioural problems at home; financial difficulties; incidents of violence or disorderly conduct; unprotected sex; and episodes of emotional distress.

Overall, 35% of young people said they had experienced at least one of these seven problems in the 12 months prior to the survey.

The most frequently mentioned problem (20%) was emotional distress (lack of motivation, sadness, dissatisfaction, loneliness, anxiety), followed by poorer performance at school or work (17%).

This study ties in with one of the big issues being debated in EU policymaking on young people's and children's use of social media.

A World Health Organization (WHO) report published at the start of last year identified the dominance of the digital world in young people's lives as one of the main drivers of loneliness worldwide.

Excessive screen time has been linked to lower levels of physical activity and poorer sleep, as well as anxiety, depression, stress and social isolation.

The United Kingdom's plans to ban teenagers from accessing social media have reignited a debate that is playing out across Europe. Countries such as France, Spain, Austria, Greece and Denmark are discussing measures to restrict minors' access, amid concerns ranging from cyberbullying and the addictive design of platforms to tragedies such as suicide and self-harm.