The boys are into Instagram

The laptop and PC are becoming less important for Internet use, especially among young people. In the meantime, the smartphone has almost the same significance for them as a PC or laptop.

While just under one-third of the total population accesses movies on their smartphones, more than twice as many boys do so.

For almost two-thirds of young people, the smartphone is the preferred device for reading the news, while for 68 percent of the total population it is still the PC or laptop. This development is shown by the IGEM Digimonitor, which was conducted in cooperation with Wemf.

Young people use smartphones daily

According to this latest survey, the smartphone is the number one information and communication device for young people. Since 2014, more than 90 percent of 15- to 24-year-olds have continued to use their smartphone at least once a day. The overall population is also catching up and has reached two-thirds. At home, more than 90 percent of young people use their smartphone at least occasionally. In the overall population, the figure is just under 70 percent. Even when on the move, more than three-quarters of boys are connected to the world via smartphone, while this is the case for around half of the population as a whole.

When it comes to television, the TV set remains the favorite

Interestingly, when it comes to television, however, the smartphone plays only a secondary role for young people. Only 18 percent say they watch live TV on their smartphones at least occasionally, and slightly fewer do so time-shifted. Across all devices, more and more people are watching TV programs time-shifted. In the overall population, almost one in two (46 percent) do so at least weekly, and among young people, the figure is well over half (54 percent). With time-shifted use, the potential for advertising rejection also increases. However, this is even more drastically the case with adblockers on the Internet, which consistently hide advertising. Already, 16 percent of the total population and even 26 percent of young people have such software installed on at least one device. However, the refusal is not consistently enforced: only 5 percent have an adblocker installed on all the devices they use.

Netflix used primarily by boys

Via the classic TV set, 44 percent watch TV at least daily and 77 percent at least weekly. The corresponding figures for the overall population are significantly higher, at 63 percent daily use. If several devices with TV reception are available, two-thirds of the young but 84 percent of the total population prefer the classic TV set. The much-cited Netflix finds its audience primarily among the young. A good quarter of them use this service at least occasionally. That's a remarkable 70 percent more than a year ago. Among the population as a whole, usage has doubled to around ten percent. Conversely, the use of digital devices alongside television has declined significantly among boys. Two years ago, 40 percent did so at least occasionally, but now only 27 percent do so.

Streaming services on trend, radio stable

When it comes to listening to music, streaming services like Spotify are very popular among young people. Around half use such a service at least occasionally. In the population as a whole, the figure is just 18 percent. Radio use remains stable. Only on-the-go use in the car or on foot has fallen by over a quarter since 2014, especially among young people. Also, only around two-thirds of young people still listen to the radio via a conventional device. That is 10 percentage points less than two years ago. In the population as a whole, the figure is consistently over 80 percent.

Instagram almost as popular with boys as Facebook

There are also major differences between the behavior of boys and the population as a whole when it comes to social media use. While Facebook's user share among the population as a whole has remained constant at around 45 percent since 2014, it has fallen from over 80 percent to just under 70 percent among boys. Among boys, Facebook is now only just ahead of Instagram, which has jumped from 43 percent to 66 percent within three years.

The IGEM Digimonitor was developed by the electronic media interest group IGEM together with the AG für Werbemedienforschung WEMF and is surveyed by telephone each August by the Link Institute in Lucerne. It is the only study with this specific content that is representative of the entire population in German- and French-speaking Switzerland. The study results are available to IGEM members free of charge in the form of a standard report. Non-members can obtain the study at a price of 5000 Swiss francs from the IGEM office. More info on Igem.ch.