With 94 per cent of French households having a broadband connection, Internet usage is more than ever a part of life. According to the The Internet Year 2024 (L’Année Internet 2024) survey from Médiamétrie, 48.5 million French people went online every day last year, 1.1 million more than in 2023.

Digital consumption has continued to evolve, driven by mobile devices, social networks and the rise of AI tools. Time spent online has hit an average of 2 hours and 40 minutes daily – a 27 per cent increase over the last five years. 

Internet access is largely dominated by mobile, with smartphones the main connection device. It represents 80 per cent of time spent online, and 94 per cent of navigation is carried out via mobile apps. In terms of frequency of connections, Médiamétrie finds French users have an average of 20 Internet sessions per day, each one lasting an average of eleven minutes. Usage is higher more among 15-24 year olds who spend 4 hours and 21 minutes online per day (up 23 per cent compared to 2019). 

“The Internet continues to grow: more equipment, more connections and more time spent online,” observes Médiamétrie, pointing out that growth is partly explained by the diversification of usages, between video and audio streaming, online commerce and news consumption.

News, for instance, play a key role in the increase of Internet usages. In 2024, the Olympic Games generated a peak in visits to sport sites and apps (7.7 million unique visitors). Online news was also boosted by the general elections in France as well as the US elections and the cyclone in Mayotte.  

The influence of social networks remains central, as 60 per cent of young people’s  time is devoted to those platforms. However, in November and December 2024, X saw a drop of 8 per cent in time spent on the platform. Video is establishing as one of the dominant formats, totaling 25 per cent of the time spent on a screen. Some 52.5 million French people watch online videos each month.  

An emerging trend ganing major usage is conversational AI. In December 2024, one in five French individuals – 12.2 million people – had adopted such tools. “Young people are on the front lines of this revolution, with 54 per cent of 15-24 year olds using an AI chatbot every month,” notes Médiamétrie. With 10.9 million unique visitors, ChatGPT is dominating the market but French Mistral AI is also proving popular.  

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Categories: AI, Articles, Companion devices, Consumer Behaviour, Mobile, Research, Social Media

Tags: AI, france, Médiamétrie, mobile, social media