Ireland survey finds rising digital fatigue & detox

Almost one in four people in Ireland have set screen time limits on their devices, according to Deloitte Ireland's latest Digital Consumer Trends survey. It also found that 70% of respondents believe they spend too much time on their phones.

The findings point to growing digital fatigue alongside continued heavy smartphone use. Deloitte surveyed 1,000 people in Ireland aged 18 to 75 in November and December 2025.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents, or 65%, said they had switched off all notifications from one or more apps in the past year. The survey also found that 21% had stopped using a digital wearable, 19% had stopped using a digital device, and 17% had stopped reading e-books on digital devices.

Social media use showed a similar pattern of engagement and pullback. Nearly half of Gen Z respondents, defined in the survey as those aged 18 to 29, said they had joined a social media app in the past year, while 32% said they had deleted an existing app from their device.

The reasons for deleting apps varied. The most cited was needing a break, at 27%, while 25% said they deleted an app because they no longer used it.

Another 23% said the app was taking up too much of their time, while the same share said they were seeing too many adverts or sponsored posts. Misinformation was cited by 22%, negative effects on mental health by 18%, and boring content by 16%.

Phone habits

Frequent phone checking remains common across age groups. Some 82% of respondents said they check their smartphone at least 10 times a day, while 59% said they do so at least 25 times a day.

More intensive use was also evident. Over a third, or 34%, said they check their phone at least 50 times a day, and 15% said they do so at least 100 times.

For many, phone use begins early in the day. The survey found that 60% of phone owners look at their device within 15 minutes of waking, down from 65% a year earlier.

Late-night use also remains widespread. More than half of respondents, or 54%, said they stay awake later than planned because they are using their mobile phone.

Younger adults were more likely to say they spend too much time on their devices. That view was shared by 77% of Gen Z respondents, 78% of Millennials, 73% of Gen X, and 48% of Boomers.

Children and limits

The study also examined attitudes to children's access to smartphones and social media. A large majority, 82%, said they would support social media platforms introducing usage limits for those under 18.

More than half said they would strongly favour tighter controls. Some 57% strongly supported age verification when registering for social media, while 56% strongly supported usage limits for under-18s.

Even so, most adults said children should receive their first smartphone before the age of 16. In total, 58% said the appropriate age was between 12 and 15.

That included 32% who said 12 to 13 years old and 26% who said 14 to 15. A further 22% said children should be 16 or older before receiving a smartphone, while 4% said under-18s should not be given one at all.

Views on social media access were somewhat stricter. Nearly half of respondents, or 43%, said a teenager should be 16 or older before gaining access to social media.

Another 24% said access should begin at 14 to 15 years of age, while 16% said 12 to 13. Only 4% supported access for 10 to 11-year-olds, and 8% said social media should not be available to anyone under 18.

News sources

The survey found a generational divide in how people prefer to follow current affairs. Nearly half of Gen Z respondents, 47%, said they prefer to get their news from social media, while 34% preferred television.

Older age groups showed the opposite pattern. TV was the preferred news source for 44% of Millennials, 65% of Gen X, and 75% of Boomers.

Radio was also more popular with older respondents. It was the preferred option for 54% of Boomers and 47% of Gen X, compared with 29% of Millennials and 19% of Gen Z.

Podcasts remained a niche source, especially among older adults. Just 2% of Boomers said they preferred podcasts, compared with 14% across the other three generations surveyed.

At the same time, concern about false information online continued to rise. Some 59% of respondents said they are seeing fake information online more regularly, up from 53% in 2024 and 46% in 2023.

John Kehoe, partner at Deloitte Ireland, said the findings suggest people are reassessing how they use connected devices in everyday life.

"With 60% of us looking at our phones within minutes of waking up, it's clear that our smartphones continue to play a crucial role in our modern-day lives," he said.

"But the number of respondents who say they either need a break from social media, are turning their notifications off, or setting screen time limits shows that how we engage with our devices is changing. The findings from Deloitte's Digital Consumer Trends Survey pose the question: are we entering the age of the digital detox?"