As of June 2025, two-thirds (68%) of internet users sought information online on physical health, such as about flu symptoms, high blood pressure, pain medication, etc. while 29% sought information on mental health, such as burnout, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or reducing stress.
Some 85% of younger females aged 16 to 29 years sought information about their physical health online, more than double that of males in the same age group (40%).
A greater number (65%) of younger females aged 16 to 29 years looked up information on mental health related issues such as anxiety, eating disorders, depression, etc., compared with 9% of males of a similar age.
In 2025, 22% of internet users bought medicines or dietary supplements online.
Social networking (user profiles, posting messages or other contributions to Facebook, X, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads, etc.) increased in 2025 to 75%, up two percentage points on 2024.
Use of internet banking or mobile banking (including PayPal, Revolut, Apple Pay, etc.) rose in 2025 to 94%, up seven percentage points on 2024.
Internet users in households with children had a greater tendency to order ready-made food (takeaways, catering etc.) online at 52% compared with 41% in households with no children.
The number of internet users streaming films, series, or sports services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, GAA+, and Sky Sports grew from 69% in 2024 to 71% in 2025.
This release is the second of four releases presenting the results of the annual Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Household Survey, which was carried out in the second quarter of 2025. The first release, Internet Coverage and Usage in Ireland 2025, was published on 07 November 2025 and covered household internet access, and individuals’ frequency of internet usage. Two further releases will be published: Household Internet Security 2025, which will provide results on internet security and the measures taken by individuals to safeguard their privacy and protect their personal data when using the internet. The fourth release in the series, Digital Interactions with Public Services 2025, will focus on individuals use of online services provided by public services and authorities via website or app, and their use of electronic identification eID in accessing services online.
Please note the data presented in this release relates to individuals aged 16 years and over who used the internet in the three months prior to completing the survey.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (05 December 2025) released Household Digital Consumer Behaviour 2025, which is the second of a series of releases presenting the results of the annual Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Household Survey (See Editor’s Note below for more details).
The 2025 ICT Household Survey was carried out in the second quarter of 2025. The data in this release relates to the experience of people who access the internet. This release focuses on the internet usage of people aged 16 years and over who used the internet within the previous three months of the survey and examines their digital consumer behaviour. It also covers individuals’ use of e-commerce including internet activities, purchase of goods and services online, and online learning.
Commenting on the results, Maureen Delamere, Statistician in the Social Analysis Division, said:
"As of June 2025, we were online and relying on technology and digital services more than ever. Overall, more than nine in ten (95%) people aged 16 years and older used the internet within the previous three months (from when they took part in the survey). Just 1% had used the internet but not recently (not within the previous three months), and only 5% had never used the internet. Figures on the frequency of internet usage were published in our first release of this year’s series Internet Coverage and Usage in Ireland 2025 published 07 November 2025.
In 2025, email regained its top spot position (95%) as most popular internet activity having lost out to finding information about goods or services in 2024. Internet banking or mobile banking (including PayPal, Revolut, Apple Pay, etc.), moved into second place at 94%, up seven percentage points on 2024. More than seven in ten internet users aged 75 years or over used internet banking, with similar usage for males (71%) and females (73%).
Finding information on goods and services now resides in third position at 92% in 2025. Internet users were also seeking health-related information online with nearly seven in ten (68%) using online resources to inform themselves, which was unchanged from 2024. However, in the 2025 survey, respondents were asked if they were going online seeking information on physical health (such as flu symptoms, high blood pressure, pain medication, surgical procedures, nutrition, health-promoting measures, etc.) and/or on mental health (including burnout, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, reducing stress, etc.). Females (77%) were far more likely than males (55%) to go online to look up information on physical health related issues. With regard to those going online to look up information on mental health related issues such as anxiety, eating disorders, burnout, depression, etc. it was predominantly younger females (65%) aged 16 to 29 years who sought this information compared with 9% of males in the same age group. For males seeking information on mental health-related issues online, those aged 45 to 59 years were most likely to look up mental health related issues (31%).
Buying Goods and Services Online
Shopping online remained buoyant at 85%, unchanged from when the survey was last carried out in 2024, with little difference between the number of males (84%) and females (86%) purchasing online.
The online purchases of clothes (including sports clothing), shoes, or accessories (including bags, jewellery, etc.) remained the most popular purchases at 70% of internet users in 2025, although this was down seven percentage points when compared with 2024. There was a notable difference between the number of males and females buying clothes, shoes, or accessories online at 83% of females compared with 56% of males. Males were far more likely to buy sports goods online at 27% compared with 21% of females.
Use of streaming services for films, series, or sports (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, GAA+, and Sky Sports, etc.) increased in 2025 with 71% using these services, up two percentage points on 2024.
When it comes to ordering ready-made food online such as takeaways, its prevalence marginally decreased with 45% of internet users ordering ready-made food online in 2025 (46% in 2024). Ordering of meal-kits, recipe boxes, and groceries online remained unchanged at 14%. Households with children were more likely to order takeaways (52%), and meal-kits, recipe boxes, groceries (18%) online in 2025 than households with no children.
Online Communications
Social networking, communicating via WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, X, etc., continued to increase in 2025, with 75% of internet users communicating in this way, up from 73% in 2024, and 71% in 2023. More than three in ten (31%) older internet users aged 75 years or over were using social networking sites to some degree, particularly so for older females in this age group. Some 36% of females aged 75 years or over were using social networking sites compared with 26% of males of similar age.
Females were also more likely to use instant messaging such as Skype, Messenger, Viber, etc. in 2025, at 90% compared with 87% of males.
The use of internet telephoning/video calls (WhatsApp, FaceTime, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom, etc.) remained high in 2025 at 84%, up from 81% in 2024 and 76% in 2023.
New questions on the use of generative AI (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, etc., used to create content like text, images, programming code, or videos, were introduced for the first time to the survey in 2025. More than four in ten (42%) of internet users had used GenAI in some form during the three months prior to completing the survey. This was more prevalent for younger people aged 16 to 29 years as 65% of this age group used GenAI tools compared with 15% of internet users aged 60 to 74 years, and just 6% aged 75 years and over.
Online Booking of Travel and Events
The booking of travel and events online decreased in 2025. Almost six in ten (57%) internet users had booked tickets online to events including concerts, cinema, sports events, fairs, etc. down from 59% in 2024. More than six in ten (61%) of internet users had booked travel tickets online including air travel, bus, rail, and taxi in 2025, compared with 66% in 2024, while 48% had booked accommodation online though a travel agent, a booking website, or direct with a hotel or accommodation provider website (51% in 2024). Meanwhile, 18% of internet users booked accommodation online from private individuals such as Airbnb, CouchSurfing, and RoomShare, up from 10% in 2023 when questions on sharing economy (person-to-person) were last asked.”