A new study from J.D. Power shows that Generation Z uses their smartphones more than 300 minutes per day on average. By comparison, pre-boomers use their phones on average about 58 minutes per day.
Not surprisingly, Gen Z is also using their smartphones much more for gaming and streaming than other generations.
“Younger generations, particularly Gen Z, are very demanding of their wireless networks,” said Carl Lepper, senior director of technology, media and telecom at J.D. Power. “Not only do they heavily rely on their devices, but they also stream and game at higher rates than older generations and have less tolerance for data-related issues. As wireless users get younger, network speed and reliability must remain at the forefront for providers to retain and attract customers."
According to the J.D. Power study, the telecoms with the highest problems per 100 uses was AT&T and Verizon in a tie in the mid-Atlantic and North Central regions. Verizon rank highest among issues in the Northeast region, T-Mobile and Verizon had the highest problems in the Southeast region and in the Southwest region, Verizon ranked the highest with the most issues.
Gen Z loves streaming
Also unsurprisingly, a different study conducted by Horowitz Research found that smartphones were the most coveted portable devices used to stream content and play games.
The most popular genres include movies, animated cartoons, dramas and music-related content. However, the Horowitz study also found that Gen Z audiences are heavily engaged with professional, full-length TV content.
The study found that Gen Z audiences are just as likely to watch this type of content as they are to watch TV content that is not professional such as video game live streams, videos on social media or short clips.
