Belgians are embracing artificial intelligence (AI) at a rapid pace, while becoming increasingly protective of their online privacy. Yet, as digital habits evolve, traditional media such as television and radio continue to play a major role in everyday life, according to new survey.
The latest edition of CIM's Establishment Survey shows how digital media are becoming an increasingly integral part of daily life, while traditional media also retain their place in the Belgian media landscape.
Nearly nine in 10 Belgians (88.3%) go online every day, and only 5.6% don't use the internet at all. The question is no longer whether Belgians are online, but what they do there.
Two trends stand out this year: the rapid rise of AI, and growing concerns about privacy
AI: the biggest shift in the study
Two in five Belgians now use AI, making it the largest change in the entire report: since last year's survey, AI use has risen by 15 percentage points, from 25.4% to 40.4%.
Adoption grew in every age group, but not at the same pace. Young adults are leading the way, with 67.2% of 21 to 24-year-olds using AI, against 12.1% of Belgians aged 65 and over.
Education also plays a role. Among Belgians with a master's degree, AI-use climbed to 61%, compared with 24.3% among those with a primary school or no diploma. The gap between those two groups widened from 27 to 37 percentage points in one year.
This is particularly striking, as elsewhere in the report the digital divide is shrinking. Age differences in smartphone or a laptop ownership are narrowing.
Privacy
At the same time, Belgians are becoming more careful online: 95% of internet users say it is important to protect their privacy, and more of them are taking action.
The share of users who refuse at least some cookies rose to 57.9% (+8.3), while 50.5% refuse to share certain data (+7.6). The share of internet users who take no privacy measures at all dropped from 24.7% to 17.4%.
However, steps to protect privacy that require more effort barely changed: VPN use stayed at around 16%, and private browsing even fell to 14.1%.
Teenagers lag behind. Among internet users aged 12 to 17, nearly a quarter (22.7%) take no privacy measures, compared with 16.9% of adults. Among 12- to 14-year-olds, the figure rises to a third (33.7%), with no improvement since last year.
As the youngest group is small, CIM cautioned that these figures should be treated as an indication rather than a precise measurement, but the findings are notable signal for parents and schools.
Traditional media haven’t disappeared. Live television still reaches 69.3% of Belgians, rising to 84.7% when broadcaster apps such as VRT MAX and Auvio are included. FM radio remains the largest audio channel, reaching 44.2%.
