The younger generation of web 2.0 addicts would consider leaving their job if personal internet use was banned at work, a survey has revealed.

The survey of 1,000 office workers, by solutions provider Telindus, found that nearly 80% of 18-24 year olds log onto social networking sites, 63% download music, and 58% watch videos on YouTube during working hours.

In further worrying news for bosses, 39% of this age group would contemplate leaving the company if a restriction or ban on personal internet usage was introduced, and a further 21% would be 'annoyed'. The results differ for older generations, with just 16% of 25-65 year olds admitting they would quit if there was a ban or restriction policy.

Mark Hutchinson, managing director of Telindus, said: "An outright ban on personal internet usage is clearly not the right approach to tackle a sluggish corporate network. However, the challenge is to achieve the right balance between allowing employees personal internet time without jeopardising the bandwidth required for business applications."

Nearly half of the office workers polled said that it would be better to restrict personal internet usage to lunch or out-of-work hours, rather than apply a complete ban.