Declining enthusiasm for offline entertainment as German internet addiction escalates
Germans Embrace Digital Leisure but Seek Balance with Offline Activities
According to the "Leisure Monitor 2025" study by the Foundation for Future Issues in Hamburg, Germans have significantly increased their online leisure activities, with 98% of those surveyed using the internet at least once a week [1][2]. This figure represents a doubling since 2010.
The internet has become a primary leisure activity, used not only for active engagement but also as background noise or distraction. However, this increase in online leisure has negatively impacted offline activities such as meaningful conversations, spending time with partners, or simply relaxing. Many Germans express a desire to engage more in these offline social or leisurely activities but often do not make enough time for them [1].
The study underscores the importance of finding a good balance between online and offline activities for higher satisfaction in daily life. Balance should also be maintained between activity and passivity, and between individuality and community. Women and older people tend to manage this balance better than men and younger people and therefore experience their free time more positively and emotionally [1].
The rediscovery of sports by Germans is a surprising finding of the "Leisure Monitor". More than half of Germans (51%) engage in sports at least once a week, an increase from 31% in 2010 [1]. Offline activities like talking about important things, spending time with a partner, having coffee and cake, and being lazy are regular leisure activities for about two-thirds of respondents. Physical closeness, including eroticism and sex, is the second most preferred leisure activity (70%) [1].
Hobbies, time in nature and with animals, eating out, shared activities with children, and going out with friends are also popular leisure activities. Reading a book remains a regular activity for about a third of respondents. Spontaneous activities and "sleeping in" are popular leisure activities, each preferred by 68% of respondents [1].
Interestingly, smartphones, the internet, TV, and the like only appear in the middle to lower range of the fun factor satisfaction ranking [1]. Thinking about things is done at least once a week by 73% of respondents. Spending time with a partner (74%) is the most preferred leisure activity among respondents [1].
In Germany, 4% of 16- to 74-year-olds had never been online in 2024, which corresponds to around 2.8 million people [1]. The "Leisure Monitor" suggests that finding a balance between online and offline activities could lead to more satisfying leisure time for citizens. The older the people, the more "offliners" there are [1].
This balance issue has implications for overall well-being, suggesting that leisure time quality can improve if Germans deliberately allocate time toward offline, community, and relationship-building activities alongside their extensive online engagement.
[1] Leisure Monitor 2025, Foundation for Future Issues, Hamburg, Germany [2] Statista, Online Activities in Germany, 2010-2024
Sports and home-and-garden activities are offline pursuits that Germans have started to rediscover, with 51% and 64% of respondents engaging in sports and offline leisure activities like talking about important things, spending time with a partner, or simply relaxing at least once a week.
Relationships and hobbies are key components of German's offline leisure time, with spending time with a partner being the most preferred leisure activity. Older people and women tend to strike a better balance between online and offline activities, finding more satisfaction in their leisure time as a result.
