Digital overhead is an increasingly serious item in the family budget

Digital expenses are now a “basic expense” in the family budget. Nowadays, it is completely natural for most high school students to access all kinds of digital content with just a few clicks: video and music subscriptions, cloud storage, games and applications, not to mention mobile and home internet. K&H draws attention to the fact that although these costs may seem small at first glance, they can be significant in total. With many types of subscriptions, the monthly load can easily reach tens of thousands of forints.

Focus on young people

This is also worth paying attention to because, according to the latest survey by the National Media and Communications Authority, published in mid-2025, roughly one in four households has a subscription to a paid video service, and internet usage research also shows that 16-35 year-olds continue to be the largest consumers of online audiovisual content. Nearly four-fifths of them use a paid video service or a download-based solution at least once a month. An interesting development is that compared to recent years, the balance is shifting dramatically towards legal, subscription-based services among the youngest: about one in two 16-20 year-olds now uses a subscription-based video service exclusively.

Of course, “digital overhead” is not just about streaming, it also includes smartphone subscriptions, mobile internet and home internet. According to recent data, household telecommunications spending has continued to grow: the average monthly expenditure per household was 23 thousand forints in 2024, which represented a 12 percent increase year-on-year. Nationally, total monthly spending amounts to nearly one hundred billion forints.

Tips for more conscious spending: you need to look around the market!

According to K&H, this is why it is worth families to review together from time to time exactly what services they use – especially since many fees are automatically renewed and can easily become “invisible” in monthly spending.

Making a conscious choice can also be helped if the family monitors the promotions and package offers of service providers and looks for what really gives the most for the money. In many cases, family subscriptions and plans that offer several services at once can be a more favorable solution. It is important to note that digital overheads increasingly include cloud-based storage and office software subscriptions – typically not only for entertainment, but also for learning, homework, and projects.

What is also essential

Since these services can typically be paid for by bank card, K&H also draws attention to the safe use of cards online. When using the Internet, strong transaction approval is of utmost importance and the customer only provides card details on trusted payment interfaces. In addition, the settings available on banking interfaces – such as online purchase confirmation, password/SMS approval – can also provide additional protection when managing everyday subscriptions.

Of course, the most affected young people can learn how to pay securely not only from their parents. The educational material prepared for the K&H Vigyázz, szét, pénz! quiz series, which has been held every school year for more than 15 years, guides young people along this path in a clear, logical and playful way. During the competition, each participant can gain knowledge that will be useful even in their older years. Primary and secondary school students can enter the contest, in teams of 3-5 people, in the following categories: 3-4th graders, 5-6th graders, 7-8th graders, 9-11th graders. The entry deadline is January 23, 2026. All important details can be found on the competition website here: https://vigyazzkeszpenz.kh.hu/