Ninety-nine percent of young people in Germany are online; 27 percent even say they are practically never offline. This is according to the U25 study by the German Institute for Trust and Security on the Internet (DIVSI). But what effect does the omnipresence of the internet have on the younger generation? According to DIVSI Director Matthias Kammer, the great online euphoria of earlier years is certainly over: "Despite a generally opportunity-oriented attitude towards the digital world, 14- to 24-year-olds increasingly perceive online risks and feel a latent insecurity when using the internet." As the graphic shows, 27 percent of those surveyed fear being "internet addicted." Almost two-thirds admit to often wasting their time online. Nearly half of the study participants wish that people would spend less time online in the future. At the same time, the vast majority cannot imagine a life without the internet and go so far as to say that the internet makes them happy.
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