Chronically online, anxious, lonely, sensitive and entitled generation — is that what Gen Z is described as to you?
We are at the peak of onlineness, and the future of technology is still on the rise, with a new iPhone coming annually, AI drones taking a big role in military service and widespread use of health tech. Everyone uses these innovations, yet Generation Z (1997-2012) is still the most anxious generation, which is no surprise at all, considering how times have changed.
Studies from research by the APA (American Psychological Association) show that over 80% of Gen Z actually agrees that their generation is the most stressed, with even higher reports on burnout, anxiety and loneliness, especially considering the current events that take place almost every day in our country, let alone internationally.
“75 percent of Gen Z members said that mass shootings are a significant source of stress,” according to a 2018 survey by The Harris Poll on behalf of APA among 3,458 adults and 300 15- to 17-year-olds. Even with this data being older, tragically, the statistics are around the same.
You can call us chronically online and sensitive — call us entitled too while you’re at it — fingers are easy to point, but that doesn’t hide the statistics. The simple truth is we grew up with Artificial Intelligence, school lockdown drills, life-altering decisions about future jobs, dream colleges and debt growing every day in this country.
Big choices and constant uncertainty leaves 40% of us (Gen Z) on the edge daily. Anxiety was never our identity, but it is the cost of living in this timeline.
