The Internet Year 2025

The year 2025 will see three major trends on the Internet: the emergence and growth of AI, which will change usage patterns; the massive dominance of mobile devices; and ever-increasing consumption across all generations.

"In an uncertain global context, marked by economic tensions, sovereignty issues, and new European regulations, the Internet is entering a new era. While the number of Internet users is stabilizing, usage patterns are undergoing profound changes, becoming increasingly mobile and social."

Julien Rosanvallon, Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Internet: ever more intense and ever more mobile use

Avec 48,6 millions d’internautes quotidiens, la France atteint un plateau en termes de couverture, mais la consommation s’accroît : les Français passent désormais plus de 3h par jour en ligne, un record, et près de 5h pour les 15-24 ans.
Le mobile s’impose massivement ; il représente 80 % du temps passé sur Internet (et plus de 90 % chez les 15-24 ans). Cette dynamique s’observe à tous les âges, faisant du smartphone le premier écran du quotidien.

Conversational AI: a turning point in usage

2025 marks a real step up for conversational AI, with 44% of French people interacting with a chatbot every month, representing 28.1 million users. Daily use has increased by almost 3.5 times in one year, involving 7.1 million internet users.

This growth affects all generations, but 15-24 year olds are still the strongest users: 78% of them use AI every month.

The emergence of French solutions such as Mistral AI, which became the country's first decacorn in 2025, illustrates the rapid structuring of the market.

Faced with AI, Search holds its rank.

However, in the age of conversational, Search remains the most powerful use and still attracts nearly 40 million daily visitors, which is nearly six times the daily audience of conversational AI. Among young people, the gap between LLMs* and search engines remains significant but is narrowing, particularly in terms of time spent.

Information and media: a major democratic issue

Online information remains a mainstay: 44.3 million French people visit news websites and apps every month.

Media groups continue to hold considerable power: the top 20 attract more than three-quarters of French people (77.2%) every month.

All social media addicts?

Nearly 7 out of 10 French people check their social media and instant messaging every day, representing 43.9 million individuals. This represents 68% of the population as a whole, and 84% of 15-24 year olds.

The time spent on social media seems to have reached a level, with 39% of daily internet use. Among younger people, the figures are considerable: 15-24 year olds spend 61% of their internet time on social media and messaging, and this figure rises to 63% for 11-14 year olds.

Entertainment: content consumption is becoming increasingly digital

"Audio, video, games... French people are huge consumers of online entertainment. 51% of total Audio consumption corresponds to listening on mobile devices, computers, and tablets, and 31% of total video consumption takes place on these three digital screens"

Catherine Poullet, Director of Internet Audience Measurement

The year was also marked by several major sporting events, which boosted digital audiences: Roland-Garros, the Champions League, and the GP Explorer, which enabled Twitch to record a peak attendance of 2.5 million unique visitors on October 5, 2025.

E-commerce: a tense but record-breaking year

Online shopping remains unavoidable: 8 out of 10 French people visit at least one of the top 20 e-commerce brands every month.

Second-hand, ultra-discount, and physical discount stores continue to grow, despite increasing regulatory and societal pressures (anti-fast fashion law, upcoming taxation of small parcels, etc.). The records set on Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025 confirm the power of these key events, with more than 27 million unique visitors to generalist retail websites on Black Friday itself.

* LLM : Large Language Model