In a society that is notable for its hypermobility and immediacy of exchanges, digital uses set the tempo for the daily lives of French people. Whether they are political, economic, social or trendsetting, the Internet is becoming a veritable world of influences where 47.4 million French people log in every day, or 1.8 million more people than in 2022.

Just like at the height of the health crisis, French people also spent more time on the Internet every day, with an average daily surfing time of 2 hours 24 minutes, which continues to increase (+6 minutes vs. 2022, +50 minutes in 5 years).

Younger people remain very active on the Internet, with 15-24 year olds spending almost 4 hours online per day.

At the same time, older people aged 65 and over are taking their revenge and becoming a driving force behind this growth. In 2023, in fact, over 8 out of 10 (81%) connected to the Internet every month, i.e. 5 times more than 15 years ago. And for the first time this year, older people are favouring smartphones to connect to the Internet, thereby confirming the dominance of mobile phones in uses. In fact, 79% of time spent on the Internet is done on a mobile phone for all Internet users.

 "At a time when almost all homes (93%) have Internet access and the population aged 15 to 65 is almost entirely connected to the Internet, we are now seeing a homogenisation of digital uses that extends to all generations. In this context, older people stand out as an undeniable source of growth."

Catherine Poullet, Director of Internet Audience Measurement

2 out of 3 French people use social media and messaging services every day

"In 2023, social media websites and messaging services confirmed their power of influence on the web. 2 out of 3 French people checked them daily, which gives a percentage up 4 points in one year. And the proliferation of players did not lessen Internet users’ interest in social media, since they checked an average of 3.5 social media websites and messaging services per day. Amongst 15-24 year olds, this figure even rises to 4.4."

Bertrand Krug, Digital & Press Director

Similarly, the time spent on these social media websites and messaging services continues to grow and now accounts for 39% of the daily surfing time of French people (+3 points vs. 2022); 59% amongst 15-24 year olds. So, while the average Internet user spends 56 minutes per day on social media, 15-24 year olds spend 2 hours 24 minutes per day on social media websites and messaging services.

However, daily social media audiences are becoming more mature, bringing together a community of Internet users aged 44 years on average, compared to 41 years in 2018.

Finally, for the first time ever, French people are using instant messaging services more than emails, which despite everything remain a major mode of communication.

Although community uses are making progress on the web, Internet users haven’t lost their taste for potential in-person meetings. The audience for dating websites and apps increased by 9% in 2023. Dating websites and apps were visited by 2.3 million unique daily visitors.

Content is the centre of attention

As an audience hub that remains powerful, media content continues to attract a large audience.

The news brings people together. Almost 7 in 10 French people (69%) and nearly 2 thirds of 15-24 year olds (64%) get news from dedicated websites and apps every month. Furthermore, with 40.3 million readers on mobile phones each month, press brands achieved huge audiences, driven by digital technology. As for online sport, which was boosted by the Rugby World Cup, it confirmed this trend by attracting 25.4 million fans in October 2023.

All forms of digital audio technology also support these findings. The audience for streaming websites and apps such as radio stations has increased by 4% in 1 year and podcasts attract almost 20 million French people each month.

Finally, Internet video has become an essential format and attracts 52.4 million enthusiasts to dedicated websites and apps (video, VoD, TV). And 79% of Internet users visit AVoD* websites at least once a month.

The Internet is accelerating trends

In a context of inflation and economic and environmental crisis, consumer trends are permeating society and accelerating on the Internet.

Mirroring the financial concerns of French people, websites offering good deals to maximise spending power are popular. Buying guides and price comparison websites, for example, are used by 32% of French people each month and anti-waste websites have an audience two-and-a-half times larger than that of 5 years ago.

In the same vein, ultra discount websites welcomed 29.4 million visitors every month, while second-hand websites attracted 33.3 million Internet users, or more than half of French people, over the same period.

Finally, generative AI tools are gaining momentum and becoming more and more mainstream with almost 5 million monthly users.

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