Four and a half hours. That’s how long the average British adult spends online every day, according to the latest figures from Ofcom.
That’s 31 and a half hours a week, or more than 65 full days a year. And we’re spending even longer online than we were 12 months ago.
Of course, not all that time is wasted. We’re working, messaging friends, reading the news, shopping and looking things up. But there’s also a fair amount of scrolling through videos we won’t remember tomorrow, checking apps out of habit and wondering where the last half an hour went.
With so much of our lives now spent looking at screens, it’s worth asking: what are we actually getting back?
The endless scroll has become part of everyday life
Think about how often you pick up your phone without really knowing why. Maybe you’re waiting for the kettle to boil, sitting on the train or watching television. Before you know it, you’ve opened Instagram or TikTok and started scrolling.
It’s hardly surprising. Social media apps are built around keeping us interested, with a constant stream of videos, posts and recommendations based on what we’ve watched before.
Ofcom’s December 2025 research found that more than half of UK adults’ online time is spent using services owned by just two companies: Alphabet, which owns Google and YouTube, and Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
Yet our relationship with the internet isn’t entirely positive.
The same research found that only 33% of adults believe the internet is good for society, down from 40% the previous year. And while 65% still feel the personal benefits of being online outweigh the risks, that figure has fallen from 71% two years earlier.
We’re spending more time online, but we’re becoming less convinced about its benefits.
More people are using the internet to learn and get things done
There are signs that our online habits are changing, though.
Research published by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in July 2026 found that 56% of UK adults had improved their digital or online skills over the previous 12 months.
Artificial intelligence is also changing what we do online. The same research found that 59% of adults had used some form of generative AI in the previous three months, whether to find information, answer questions or help with everyday tasks.
Even the way we follow the news is changing. Ofcom’s September 2026 research found that 21% of UK adults had used an AI app or service to access news in the previous month.
These figures don’t mean we’re giving up social media. Far from it. But they do show how our phones and computers are being used for a much wider range of activities. And it’s not just work and learning, entertainment is changing, too.
Can you actually get rewarded for spending time online?
For years, the deal with most free online platforms has been fairly simple. We get access to content or entertainment, while companies make money through advertising, subscriptions or purchases.
But some platforms are taking a different approach, offering rewards for activities like completing surveys, trying new apps or playing games.
Reward-based gaming is one example. Depending on the platform, players may be able to collect points, vouchers or monetary rewards for completing certain activities or reaching milestones. Figures published by UK gaming trade body Ukie in April 2026 show that British consumers spent £2.07 billion on mobile games in 2025, an increase of 7.9% on the previous year.
And with games available on the smartphones people already own, there’s no need to invest in an expensive console to take part. Some gaming companies are now looking at how rewards could give people another reason to try new games.
A spokesperson at online gaming platform Prograd explains:
“People play games because they enjoy them, and that’s always going to be the main attraction. But rewards can add something extra to the experience. If someone is already spending time playing games on their phone, the chance to earn points, vouchers, money or other rewards along the way can make that time feel a little more worthwhile.”
Does every minute online need to be productive?
There’s another side to this conversation. Not everything we do online needs to teach us something, save us money or come with a reward.
Sometimes watching a funny video after work is exactly what we want to do. Playing a game can be a way to relax, and chatting with friends online has value even if there’s nothing tangible to show for it.
There’s also a difference between enjoying an activity and feeling pressured to spend more time on it because there’s a reward involved. The growing number of ways to use our screens gives us more choice, but it doesn’t necessarily mean we should spend longer looking at them.
Maybe the more useful question isn’t whether we’re getting something back from every minute online, but whether we’re happy with how we’re spending that time.
After all, four and a half hours is a considerable part of anyone’s day. Whether we’re learning something new, playing a game, earning a reward or catching up with friends, there’s plenty we can do with it. And if we’re going to spend 65 days a year online, we might as well enjoy them.