Smartphone use remains deeply woven into the daily lives of people of all ages in Ireland, but levels of digital fatigue are increasing, Deloitte’s latest Digital Consumer Trends survey reveals.
In the last year, almost one-quarter of respondents (24%) have set screen time limits on their phones.
Needing a break was the top reason respondents gave for deleting a social media app (27%), and one-quarter did it because they stopped using the app.
23% said the app they deleted was consuming too much of their time and the same amount said they were getting too many ads or sponsored posts.
Misinformation (22%), a negative impact on mental health (18%), and content being boring (16%) were the other top reasons for deleting an app.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents (65%) switched off all notifications from one or more apps in the past year, 21% stopped using a digital wearable, 19% stopped using a digital device, and 17% stopped reading e-books on digital devices.
Nearly half of Gen Zs joined a social media app (46%) but nearly one-in-three (32%) said they had deleted an existing app from their device. The joining and deleting of social media apps is lower amongst other generations.
| Joined a social media app | Deleted a social media app | |
| Millennials | 27% | 29% |
| Gen X | 16% | 26% |
| Boomers | 12% | 18% |
70% of respondents said they tend to spend too much time on their phone. This breaks down to 77% of Gen Zs, 78% of Millennials, 73% of Gen X and 48% of Boomers.
82% of those surveyed said they check their smartphone at least 10 times a day and 59% said at least 25 times. Over a third (34%) said they check their phone at least 50 times a day and 15% said they do so at least 100 times.
60% of phone owners look at their phone within 15 minutes or less after waking up, which is down from 65% in 2024. More than half (54%) stay awake later than planned due to using their mobile phone.
Majority of adults say children are ready for smartphones by 12-15, but also favour social media usage limits for those under 18
82% of people in Ireland said they would support social media platforms introducing usage limitations for those under 18.
More than half (57%) would ‘strongly favour’ social media platforms requiring age verification when registering and (56%) would ‘strongly favour’ introducing usage limitations for people under the age of 18.
Despite this, most adults (58%) feel the appropriate age for a first smartphone is between 12 to 15 years old.
Nearly one-in-three (32%) believe children should get their first smartphone at 12-13 years of age and more than a quarter (26%) believe they should be 14-15. Only 4% believe the devices should not be given to under 18s and 22% believe they should be given to those aged 16 or older.
Nearly half (43%) of respondents think a teenager should be 16 or older to have access to social media.
Close to one-quarter (24%) think those with social media access should be 14-15, while 16% said 12-13 years of age. Just 4% said 10-11 years and only 8% believe social media should not be available to those aged under 18.
Gen Zs prefer to get their news from social media, but more people are reporting an increase in misinformation
The survey shows misinformation continues to rise as 59% now say they more regularly see fake information online – up from 53% in 2024 and 46% in 2023
Despite such concerns, nearly half of Gen Zs (47%) say they prefer to get their news from social media and only 34% of this generation say the same for TV. This compares to 44% of Millennials, 65% of Gen X and 75% of Boomers saying their preferred source for news is TV.
54% of Boomers and 47% of Gen X prefer to stay updated on news and current events using radio, in contrast to 29% of Millennials and 19% of Gen Z.
Just 2% of Boomers prefer podcasts, while this figure is 14% across the three other generations surveyed.
Commenting on the Digital Consumer Trends findings, John Kehoe, a Deloitte Ireland partner who has worked on the Digital Consumer Trends report for seven years, said: “With 60% of us looking at our phones within minutes of waking up, it’s clear that our smartphones continue to play a crucial role in our modern-day lives. But the number of respondents who say they either need a break from social media, are turning their notifications off, or setting screen time limits, shows that how we engage with our devices is changing. The fascinating findings of Deloitte’s Digital Consumer Trends Survey poses the question – are we entering the age of the digital detox?”
