Smartphone or sports field?
Social media, sports clubs and creative hobbies: how young people in Germany spend their time.
Kim Berg,
19.08.2025 
What is life like for young people in Germany? Besides school and vocational training, one thing above all plays an important role: their leisure time. Whether they are online or offline, doing sport, voluntary work or relaxing - daily life for generations Z and Alpha is extremely varied.
Leisure time, in front of a screen or on the pitch
For most young people, life without digital media is impossible to imagine. According to the 2024 Shell Youth Study, 95 percent of 12- to 25-year-olds use messaging services on a daily basis, while 82 percent are active on social media every day. On average, young people spend 157 minutes on social media on weekdays. At weekends, this figure rises to 227 minutes. This is what was found by the 2023/24 DAK Health Study. For many young people, it’s not just about entertainment - it’s an important social anchor: they form their identity, feel a sense of belonging and get information online.
All the same, German youngsters don’t spend all their time in front of a screen. The 2024 Social Report published by the Federal Agency for Civic Education reveals that nearly two thirds of young people regularly do sport. Football and basketball are particularly popular, as are on-trend sports such as skateboarding or parkour. According to a study conducted by the German Olympic Sports Confederation, more than ten million children and young people in Germany are members of a sports club.
Creative hobbies such as painting, photography and writing are especially popular among queer young people - with an above-average figure of around 50 percent engaging in these pastimes. Around a third of heterosexual young people said that they pursued creative hobbies.
Friends and family are an important anchor
The 2024 Shell Youth Study makes it clear that stable friendships, family and mutual respect are an absolute priority for young people. For over 90 percent of young people, “good friends who acknowledge and accept you”, “a trustworthy partner” or “a good family life” are particularly important.
