A televised breaking point
When Dan reached the limit of his patience with his smart television, he picked up a rock and threw it through the screen. The 71-year-old from Illinois, who holds a master’s degree in computer science and has worked in telecommunications, said the decision followed repeated software updates and constant prompts to subscribe to paid services.
"It drove me crazy with what seemed like daily software updates that never fixed anything and ‘features’ that never seemed to work," Dan said. "And of course, constantly trying to push me to subscribe to paid-for services when all I wanted to do was watch over-the-air TV, play a DVD or stream something from my computer." He added that the experience felt "increasingly enshittified."
Broader frustration with 'smart' features
Dan’s outburst reflects a wider frustration among some consumers about the behaviour of internet-connected televisions. Viewers report annoyance at frequent background updates, aggressive prompts to sign up for streaming services and targeted advertising that can feel intrusive inside a private home. Some also worry their sets are listening to conversations or collecting data without clear consent.
Those grievances sit at the intersection of convenience and privacy. Smart TVs offer on-demand streaming, app ecosystems and personalised recommendations, but critics say those benefits are sometimes accompanied by opaque data-collection practices and software that changes the user experience without consent.
Consumer responses and questions for regulators
Owners dissatisfied with their sets take a variety of actions, from disabling features and changing settings to replacing devices or, in extreme cases, destroying them. The accounts underline questions about how much control consumers have over connected devices and how transparent manufacturers are about updates, advertising and data use.
The debate over smart TVs highlights wider tensions as everyday appliances become increasingly networked and software-driven. For many users, the promise of smarter home technology is being undermined by persistent prompts, unstable software and concerns about privacy, prompting renewed calls for clearer user controls and greater transparency from manufacturers.