People in parts of the UK now spend more than five hours a day online, according to the first research of its kind to mark 25 years of home broadband. Openreach has combined its own data with consumer research to map UK cities by their online activity.
The results show that the city where the average family spends the most overall time online is Sheffield – with a third saying they spend more than five hours online per day compared to 11% in Brighton, the city with the lowest overall time online.
The busiest hour of the day for internet usage in the UK in 2025 is between 8-9pm, followed by 9-10pm and then 7-8pm. And the highest peak of the year so far was on 14 January at 9pm – when a major Fortnite download coincided with four live Premier League fixtures on streaming services.
The survey found that more than six in 10 people spend time online between 11pm and 6am – with YouTube emerging as the most common internet usage during these times, followed by internet shopping.
Only a third of UK adults don’t engage with any online activities during off-peak hours, meaning two thirds do. Checking e-mails was the most common online activity for UK adults, with 66% placing this in their “top 5 most common online activities” outside of work.
This was followed by general browsing, which was in the top five for 59% of people, using WhatsApp or other messaging apps (55%), and online shopping (49%).
The survey showed that 43% of people feel they waste time online, and 37% are concerned about the amount of time they spend “doom-scrolling.”
A quarter of people (26%) say that faster internet speeds help in cutting down their time online – enabling them to ‘speed up to slow down’, with 34% saying if they spent less hours using devices and connected technology at home, they’d be able to communicate better with their families.
And 33% said they’d feel more relaxed if they spent less time online.
Katie Milligan, Deputy CEO of Openreach, said: “It’s fascinating to see how different parts of the UK are embracing the online world and adapting to it in unique ways. At the same time, it’s encouraging that many recognise the importance of taking time away from devices and digital connectivity.”
