NordVPN Survey Reveals Japanese Spend 8 More Years of Their Lives Online Compared to 4 Years Ago, Highlighting Risks of "Short-Burst, Late-Night" Digital Life

NordVPN (Headquarters: Amsterdam, Netherlands; Japan Representative: Takuro Kohara), a provider of personal security services, has announced the results of its "Life online 2.0" survey conducted among internet users in 20 countries.

The survey reveals that the average person in Japan spends 19 years, 7 months, and 15 days of their life connected to the internet. This is a significant increase of over 8 years compared to the approximately 11 years and 5 months reported in a similar survey in 2021. The proliferation of technology and diversification of services have caused our digital lives to expand at this remarkable pace.

On the other hand, weekly online time is 38 hours and 37 minutes, the shortest among the 20 countries surveyed, and about 19 hours and 36 minutes less than the 20-country average of 58 hours and 13 minutes. Nevertheless, the lifetime accumulation reaches nearly 20 years as a result of small, daily increments over a long period. A distinct feature of Japan is that this usage extends late into the night. The average time for ending daily online activity is between 23:01 and 00:00, the latest among the surveyed countries, and Japan was the only one of the 20 countries to show a trend of usage continuing past midnight.

Key Survey Findings

Numerically, the digital life of a Japanese person can be summarized as short usage sessions that continue late into the night, resulting in spending a quarter of their life online.

- Lifetime online: 19 years, 7 months, 15 days (+8+ years since 2021) - Weekly usage: 38 hours, 37 minutes (shortest among 20 countries, ~19h 36m below average) - Daily start time: 9:01-10:00 (latest, tied with South Korea) - Daily end time: 23:01-00:00 (latest among 20 countries, only one to cross midnight) - Believe they should reduce online time: 21% (below 20-country average of 31%) - Worried about personal data being leaked/exposed unknowingly: 15% (below 20-country average of 28%)

What Are They Using It For? — Breakdown of Japanese Online Activities

A breakdown of the 38 hours and 37 minutes per week shows that the most time is spent watching videos (5 hours 29 minutes/week), followed by watching TV shows/movies (2 hours 57 minutes), scrolling through social media (2 hours 43 minutes), and listening to music (2 hours 9 minutes). This points to a content-consumption-centric online lifestyle. Additionally, AI chatbot usage has reached 30 minutes per week, indicating its establishment as a new daily tool.

What Are They Leaving Behind? — Personal Information Accumulated Online

Even with short usage times, personal information is steadily accumulating online. The survey identified date of birth (52%), full name (48%), address (42%), and occupation (42%) as personal information that Japanese people have shared online. Despite this, only 15% are concerned about data leaks or exposure, far below the 20-country average of 28%. This indicates a significant gap between the accumulated risk and the awareness of it.

The Heightened Risks of Short-Burst, Late-Night Usage

While Japanese online usage time is short, the log-off time is the latest. Using the internet until the 11 PM hour means more opportunities to interact with emails, social media, videos, news, and online shopping while tired or sleepy.

During these hours, it becomes easier to overlook phishing emails, unnatural URLs, overly attractive ads, and redirects to external sites that one would normally spot. Caution is particularly needed when navigating to external pages from social media or video platforms, or when opening emails disguised as sale notifications, delivery alerts, or account verifications.

Three Habits to Reconsider for Late-Night Internet Use

1. Have the option not to immediately open emails and notifications that arrive at night. Messages disguised as account verifications, delivery notices, payments, or sale information are more likely to cause misjudgment when you are in a hurry. If anything feels slightly off, confirm by opening the official app or website directly, not through links in the email.

2. Check the URL before moving to an external site from social media, videos, or ads. Links in social media posts, video descriptions, ads, and comment sections can lead to fake sites disguised as legitimate ones. It is crucial to check for anything unnatural in the URL, domain, and displayed content before entering login or payment information.

3. Protect your devices and accounts, even at night. Keep your OS and apps up to date and enable multi-factor authentication for major accounts. Using security tools that detect and block malicious websites, trackers, ads, and malware can also reduce risks during casual late-night use.

Comment from Marius Briedis, CTO of NordVPN

"Short online time does not necessarily mean less risk. What matters to cybercriminals is not how many hours a user spends online, but at what moment their guard is down. When checking emails, opening external links from social media, or shopping online before bed, fatigue and sleepiness can impair judgment. It is especially important to pause and check the URL and sender when asked for login or payment information. The last connection of the day is when the smallest bit of caution can prevent major damage."

Survey Overview

- Survey Name: Life online 2.0 (Lifetime online #2) - Survey Period: April 1-17, 2026 - Surveyed Countries: 20 countries including Japan, USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Lithuania, and Ireland. - Respondents: Internet users in each country (ages 18-74; Mexico and South Korea 18-64). - Sample Size: Total 20,054 participants. Generally ~1,000 per country, with Ireland, South Korea, Spain, and Switzerland at ~800 each. - Methodology: Online survey with a nationally representative sample, quota-based on age, gender, and place of residence. - Research Agencies: Cint, Syno International (Austria, Switzerland), Norstat (Lithuania, Poland).