"Examining French Digital Usage: Insights Gleaned from the 2025 Digital Barometer"
In the ever-evolving digital landscape, French seniors are making a significant shift towards digital media consumption, according to the 2025 Digital Barometer. This trend, particularly among Baby Boomers (born between 1959 and 1970), is gaining momentum, driven largely by behaviour changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A key finding reveals that by 2024, French seniors will spend approximately 54.4% of their media time on online media, marking a substantial rise from 47% in 2020. This shift is mirrored globally, with people aged over 55 expected to spend a similar proportion of their media time online.
One area of growth is online streaming services, such as Netflix and YouTube, which are increasingly popular among French seniors. In fact, online TV streaming has grown by 195% over the past decade in this age group, with a significant amount of this consumption happening on connected TV screens.
Social media use among French seniors is also on the rise, although it remains less dominant compared to younger generations. By 2025, 55-64 year-olds in the US are forecasted to spend 93 daily minutes on social media, a 43% increase from 2015. This trend is likely to be mirrored in France.
However, concerns about the trustworthiness of online news persist, with approximately 46% of the population in Western Europe, including France, expressing worries about differentiating true from false news online. Despite this, seniors still tend to rely on trusted, traditional news sources for reliable information, suggesting a blend of old and new media in their digital habits.
Meanwhile, the use of AI in professional activities is also on the rise, with 17% of 40-59 year-olds using AI in their work in 2025, marking a 9-point increase from 2023.
In summary, French seniors are embracing digital content more than ever before, with significant growth in online TV and cautious but growing social media use. Their digital habits are evolving uniquely, balancing new digital platforms with a continued preference for trusted news sources, all amidst ongoing concerns about misinformation in the digital news landscape.
The 2025 Digital Barometer, conducted by CREDOC since 2008, studies the digital habits of the French, with collaborators including Arcom, Arcep, CGE, and ANCT. The findings provide valuable insights into the digital habits of French seniors and offer a glimpse into the future of digital media consumption in France.
- As more French seniors shift towards digital media, the focus on cybersecurity and data-and-cloud-computing becomes increasingly important to ensure the safety of sensitive information during this lifestyle change.
- The rise in online media consumption among French seniors opens up prospects for technology companies, particularly in the area of artificial-intelligence, which could be utilised to personalise user experiences and provide tailored content for the growing demographic.
- With a growing number of French seniors engaging in digital media, there is an opportunity for education-and-self-development platforms to offer courses on digital literacy skills, thus fostering personal-growth and enhancing their ability to navigate the digital landscape effectively.
