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One in Four German Users Plans Short New-Year Digital Detox, Survey Finds

The poll indicates brief, targeted breaks rather than going fully offline.

Overview

  • About 27% of regular users in Germany say they will take a New Year break from digital devices and services, down from 36% in 2025 and 41% in 2024, according to a Bitkom survey of 1,002 people conducted in October and November.
  • Planned breaks are brief, averaging three days, with roughly half of respondents limiting the pause to a single day.
  • Only 5% of those intending a digital break plan complete abstention from all devices and applications.
  • Participants most often intend to skip games and gaming apps (55%), followed by social networks (48%), online shopping (42%), streaming services (32%), and private email (6%).
  • Younger adults aged 16 to 29 are especially likely to step back from social networks, with 61% in that group planning a pause.