Young Australian consumers are increasingly switching off the Internet and reining in their spending in favour of more traditional pastimes, a study from Lifelounge shows.

The annual Urban Market Research report, which analyses the lifestyle choices of 18 to 30-year-olds in Australia, has revealed that the age group’s overall consumer spending dropped AU$5 billion year-on-year to AU$42.4bn.

Entertainment spending was the most affected by the financial downturn, falling AU$7.3bn to $19.4bn, but travel spending was buoyant, increasing AU$4.4bn to $9.3bn.

The study shows that Internet usage has fallen in the past 12 months – users now spend an average of 8.6 hours a week on the web, down 30 minutes on last year. The average amount of time spent in online chatrooms has fallen an hour, down to 2.3 hours, and TV viewing has dropped by 1.3 hours to 4.4 hours.

But it was surprisingly good news for newpapers – with time spent reading publications increasing by half an hour to 1.9 hours a week.

Dion Appel, CEO of Lifelounge Group, said: “Young adults are steering away from the consumerist culture that previously characterised their spending and lifestyle habits. The ‘digital natives’ have grown up online but are increasingly seeking to balance their online world with offline contact. They’re starting to question the authenticity of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. They want technology to assist – rather than dominate – the way they communicate.”