People receive a phone notification every ten minutes on average

A new study by musicMagpie claims to reveal the growing incidence of phone anxiety, particularly among younger people. It highlights a constant barrage of notifications with the average person receiving a 146 notifications daily, translating to one notification every ten minutes. However, so-called Gen Zs and Millennials were found to be significantly more affected than their Gen X counterparts.

Based on iPhone data, Gen Zs were found to receive the most notifications, averaging 181 daily alerts, or one every 8 minutes. Thursdays were identified as the worst day for phone anxiety for both Gen Zs and Millennials, with Gen Zs receiving 208 notifications on average. Sundays, on the other hand, offered some respite, with Gen Zs averaging only 158 notifications. The study also claims the apps most responsible for notification overload. WhatsApp emerged as the top offender, plaguing over half of the participants. Other common culprits included iMessage, Instagram, Messenger, and Gmail.

Generational differences were also observed in app usage. iMessage topped the list for Gen Z, followed by WhatsApp, Instagram, and Mail. Millennials, on the other hand, were more susceptible to notifications from WhatsApp, Messenger, Mail, Instagram, and Snapchat. Their list also included Petcube, a pet camera app, and Slack, the business messaging app, reflecting their work-oriented lifestyles.

Gen X, while not immune, showed a more controlled notification environment. Their top notifiers were WhatsApp and iMessage, followed by BBC News, Home security apps, and Duolingo, a language learning app. The study found that Gen Zs had an average of 11,289 unread notifications on their phones, with one participant boasting 98,334 unopened emails. Millennials and Gen X, while not as overwhelmed, still averaged 175 and 49 unread notifications, respectively. The report claims that the constant barrage of notifications creates a sense of obligation and anxiety, particularly for younger people.