Millennials suffer ‘load rage’ when download speeds are longer than minute

'Younger generations are surrounded by technology and are telling us that they need a break'

Olivia Petter
Friday 02 August 2019 02:59 EDT
Comments
(Getty/iStock)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

It seems that millennials might be losing their patience with technology, as a new study claims it takes less than a minute for young people to get annoyed while waiting for content to download on their phones.

A survey of more than 2,000 smartphone users of all ages, conducted by Chinese phone manufacturer OnePlus, found that people aged 16 to 34 are five times more likely to lose their temper due to slow download speeds compared to older users.

Respondents were also asked to name the elements of their life that they find most frustrating. For those aged 16 to 24, the most common response was having no wi-fi available in their location. This was followed by a delivery not arriving on time.

But the survey claims that our digital tech-heavy lives are taking a mental toll, with two-fifths of millennials reporting symptoms of burnout, such as anxiety and insomnia, due to the amount of time spent on smartphones.

It’s something that people want to combat, the research found, with nearly half of those aged 16 to 24 saying they would like to reduce their screen time. Meanwhile, 32 per cent of all respondents said they worried about how much we rely on technology today.

Kate Parkyn, OnePlus UK’s head of EU strategy and UK marketing, said: “Younger generations are surrounded by technology and are telling us that they need a break.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in