Nearly half of Saudis spend over seven hours online daily

Dubai: Nearly half of Saudi Arabia’s internet users, approximately 48.6 percent, spend seven hours or more online each day, according to the Saudi Internet 2024 report released by the Kingdom’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission last week.

The report highlights a sharp rise in the consumption of digital content and e-services, driven by the country’s broader digital transformation agenda.

The data shows that peak internet usage occurs between 9pm and 11pm, with March recording the highest overall usage levels throughout the year. Saturdays were found to be the most internet-active day of the week.

Home remains the primary location for internet use, with 87.9 percent of users logging on from their residences. This is followed by internet use during travel, at 79.3 percent, and the workplace, where 41.7 percent of users reported being connected.

In terms of devices, mobile phones dominate the digital landscape, with 99.4 percent of users accessing the internet via smartphones. Computers came in second at 50.7 percent, followed by tablets at 37.5 percent.

Android holds the lion’s share of mobile operating systems, accounting for 55 percent of usage, compared to 45 percent for iOS. Meanwhile, Windows remains the dominant platform for computers, used by 91.1 percent of users, far outpacing Macintosh (7.5 percent) and Linux (1.4 percent).

Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE