"In fact, Gen Z might just be the most risk-averse generation on record. Fewer Gen Zers got a driver’s license, drank alcohol, or had sex as teenagers than their parents did. The same young adults now report skyrocketing rates of anxiety and other mental illnesses, with some estimates finding that as many as 1 in 5 18-to-24-year-olds have been diagnosed with depression. Timidity—not to mention self-conscious neuroticism—is increasingly the norm.
“An ongoing study from Montclair State University argues that some of this risk aversion is due to the current political climate—or perhaps young people’s perception of it. “Gen Z’s mental health has deteriorated due to a worldview that the society and environment around them are crumbling,” writes justice studies professor Gabriel Rubin. “Rights are being taken away, the Earth is burning, maniacs could kill you with a gun, and viruses could shut down society again.””
See also, for counterpoint: https://www.forbes.com/sites/markcperna/2024/06/18/gen-z-thriving-entrepreneurship/
I hate these articles that try to paint entire generations of people with the same brush.
I don’t think any article about generations is doing that when they point out percentages vs other generations. Groups exist, generations are a thing. It’s gonna be ok buddy.
I think there are some things we need to learn about people that grew up on the unregulated internet. I normally hate generation generalizations but Millenials (at least us 80s kids) were the last people who got to grow up without the internet being omnipresent in our lives before we hit puberty.
You make an excellent point.
That’s already a statement that doesn’t apply to me and other “Gen Z” people I know. Which doesn’t make it a false claim or an irrelevant point. The changes between milestones / turning points in the western world aren’t irrelevant, but people often take them as isolated pieces of information and then value them too much. It’s an important aspect about a human being, but it’s only one of many uncountable aspects that is superficial on its own.
Generational theory at best serves as a nice sentimental touch that encourages older rich people to feel less entitled and spoiled, because they “didn’t have the iPhone when they were twelve” (a product that wasn’t available when they were twelve).
All the pussies from that generation are too scared to be older than about 25. They’re all too lazy to be born before around 2000-something.