JIM-Studie 2025: Jugend, Information, Medien

Key insights

7 takeaways

01
Smartphone screen time averages 231 minutes per day among respondents who can read it from their device, rising with age from 166 minutes for 12- to 13-year-olds to 278 minutes for 18- to 19-year-olds.See it on page 27
02
ChatGPT has become the most important AI application among 12- to 19-year-olds, with 84 percent having used it and half using it at least several times a week.See it on page 63
03
Two-thirds of young people report encountering fake news in the last month, up from 61 percent in 2024.See it on page 74
04
Sixty-eight percent say they often spend more time on their phone than they had planned, and 29 percent often feel tired in the morning from late-night phone use.See it on page 31
05
Sport has overtaken meeting friends as the most common regular non-media leisure activity for the first time since the study began in 1998.See it on page 12
06
Among 12- to 19-year-olds, 84 percent say they open a book at least occasionally, and daily reading time on weekdays fell to 49 minutes from 61 minutes in 2024.See it on page 20
07
Across all respondents, gaming averages 88 minutes on a weekday, and 94 percent of respondents are at least occasional gamers.See it on page 54

Summary

The JIM-Studie 2025 (Jugend, Information, Medien) is a basic study of media use among 12- to 19-year-olds in Germany, published by the Medienpädagogischer Forschungsverbund Südwest (mpfs) and dated Stuttgart, November 2025. It surveyed 1,200 young people between 2 June and 12 July 2025 using a mixed-mode design of telephone (CATI) and online (CAWI) interviews at a 50/50 split, weighted by age, sex and federal state. This year's focus was AI and news consumption, and screen time on smartphones replaced the previous online-time measure.

The study reports that smartphones are owned by 95 percent of respondents, and that 98 percent use one regularly. Average daily smartphone screen time, among those who can read it from their device, is 231 minutes, rising from 166 minutes for 12- to 13-year-olds to 278 minutes for 18- to 19-year-olds. WhatsApp remains the most used app at 96 percent regular use, followed by Instagram at 63 percent and Snapchat at 56 percent.

Sixty-seven percent of young people said they had encountered fake news in the last month, and 64 percent reported insults online. ChatGPT is the most important AI application among 12- to 19-year-olds, with 84 percent having used it and half using it at least several times a week. Ninety-one percent report using at least one AI application, and 74 percent of these users cite homework and learning as a reason.