IPA Research Reveals Almost Half of Brits Plan to Digitally Detox This Christmas

Nearly half of all British adults plan to limit their screen time this festive period, according to a new IPA Christmas survey, published today (24th July 2025).

The IPA Insight report, ‘The 2025 Christmas Consumer’, which is based on a survey of 2,000 UK adults and carried out by Opinium, reveals that 47% of all British adults intend to spend less time on screens this festive period. This figure is being driven by Gen Z (those aged 18-27) for which 64% say they plan to cut their Christmas screen time, and by Millennials (those aged 28-43) at 57%. Coupled with this, 37% of all British adults, including 51% of gen z and 44% of millennials, say that they intend to take a break from social media over Christmas.

When exploring the reasons behind their festive digital detox ambitions, 62% say that too much screen time takes away from what Christmas should really be about and nearly two thirds (65%) of all Britons say that Christmas is a time to put the phone away and be more present.

This latest research follows the publication of the IPA TouchPoints survey (June 2025) that revealed that, when all screen-based activities are combined, including mobile phones, TV sets, laptops, tablets, and games consoles, British adults now spend an average of 7 hours and 27 minutes per day consuming screen-based media. This represents an increase from six hours and 36 minutes in 2015.

In addition to outlining consumers’ views on tech at Christmas, the comprehensive IPA Christmas publication explores: consumers’ Christmas plans including what, when and how they intend to spend their money at Christmas; whether recent global conflict and unrest has affected consumers’ festive feelings and Christmas plans; which Christmas traditions matter most to consumers; and what consumers are looking for from this year’s Christmas ads.

Additional highlights from The 2025 Christmas Consumer report:

Shopping habits

- November and the first week in December remain the peak Christmas gift-buying periods, with 53% of all UK adults doing the majority of their Christmas shopping during this time. On the opposing ends of the spectrum, 3% of Brits have already done all their Christmas shopping by June, and 1% intend to do it in the last week of Christmas.

- This November time frame coincides with Black Friday, during which an increasing percentage of people intend to do most of their festive shopping, rising from 13% in 2022, to 16% in 2023 and now standing at 17%.

- Almost half (47%) of Brits now split their shopping between online and in-store, with a further third (31%) now mostly and/or exclusively, shopping online.

Christmas ads preference

- When it comes to Christmas advertisements, the most sought-after features are a Christmas setting (40%), nostalgic feeling (37%), humour (34%) and an engaging story (29%). Consumers appear to place less importance on brand characters (15%), on the products and services themselves (15%) and on celebrity cameos (9%).

Christmas Day company

- While nearly three-quarters (74%) of British adults will spend Christmas Day with family, 16% are spending it with friends and 8% will spend it alone.

Christmas traditions

- Over three-quarters (78%) of Brits either agree or strongly agree that traditions are an important and integral part of Christmas

Conflict and charity at Christmas

- Despite 43% of people saying they may feel more financially anxious this Christmas due to rising costs linked to global unrest and international trade issues, over a fifth (22%) say they will be donating more this year to overseas charity appeals this year than previously (e.g. Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan).

Says Eric Kreis, insight manager IPA, “As revealed in the recent IPA TouchPoints 2025 data, the extent of screen dependence among UK consumers is striking, with Brits spending an average of seven-and-a-half hours per day on digital devices. In the context of our 'always-on' culture, it's perhaps no surprise that this latest report shows a desire among consumers to switch off over the Christmas period.

“In an environment where capturing attention may therefore prove more difficult, brands will have to work even harder to stand out through relevant, resonant and emotionally engaging advertising, for which these latest insights point to a clear opportunity.

“Consumers are actively seeking festive campaigns that go beyond product promotion with ads that evoke nostalgia, celebrate tradition, deliver humour and tell heartfelt stories. For brands navigating the upcoming restrictions on Less Healthy Food advertising, these findings may prove pertinent.”

‘The 2025 Christmas Consumer’ is available is available to download for IPA members and costs £150 for non-members (from Thursday 24th July). The 2022, 2023 and 2024 IPA Christmas reports are also available from the IPA website.