The Italian internet is aging. In just two years, the share of web users aged 35 and older climbed from 49.3% to 55%, a 5.7 percentage point increase driven largely by middle-aged demographics. Concurrently, the younger online population is shrinking. These findings come from Sevendata’s ShinyStat Observatory, a data-driven firm analyzing the evolution of Italians' online interests between the first half of 2024 and the first half of 2026.
This "adultification" of the audience is giving rise to what researchers call a "Web of Choice." Over the past two years, browsing tied to consumer decisions grew from 13.5% to 17%, while the Entertainment and Media sector dropped from 41.3% to 37.8%. The automotive category saw the most dramatic growth, doubling its share from 1.8% to 3.7%. Business and Industry also climbed (8.4% to 9.8%), alongside Hobbies and Leisure (2.1% to 3.2%). The Observatory noted modest but positive trends for other purchase-driven categories, including Shopping (+0.6 percentage points) and Travel (+0.8 points). Overall, the data points to a structural shift in online priorities, moving away from casual entertainment and toward practical searches related to professional interests, commerce, and major life decisions.