#GenZ is different from previous generations. #shorts

Generation Z, born from 1995 onwards, has been raised with “moral dependency,” argues social psychologist Jonathan Haidt. As the first generation to get social media at age 13, Gen Z has been denied the independence that previous generations enjoyed — the “free play,” the time spent off devices.

[lfthnd]

Can't be because we've made independent life unaffordable to them. Cars, dating, education, and going to places all cost money while wages have remained stagnate. If Gen Z wants to know what their future is, they just have to look at how millennials are treated.

[coolbreeze]

I'm on the Milennial/ Gen X cusp and the things he's listing aren't specifically Gen Z things. It's a youth thing. When I was in my teens and early 20s, I liked staying home and playing video games too. So did many other people in my generation. There were also others in my age group who liked going out. Many people in my generation are still bad problem solvers. Generations aren't monoliths. I'm sure when Gen Z'ers reach their 30s and 40s, we'll see most will be able to adapt and think to the same capacity as the older generations, maybe even better. It's not fair to judge a generation while they are still going through their formative years.

[StAjoraGames]

"Every generation loves to complain about the previous generations."

As a millennial who has been blamed for pretty much everything since I was a teenager from the boomers, I think we earned the privilege of being able to fire back at those blowhards at every given opportunity. I love GenZ and their attitude. "Quiet quitting" for example, makes me laugh so damned hard whenever I hear someone whine about how it's a bad thing to pay people for the work they do.

[KAI-fnqk]

It doesn’t matter what generation you are from, the main thing is how you were raised

[EyeLean]

Long-time teacher here. Gen Z kids are great, and I want everyone to know that. Yes, they have challenges we didn't because their tech environment is so new, but they're good people, they're smart, they're concerned about the world. I love working with them.

[Alexander-mwek]

I’m on the old end of Gen Z. I can remember playing video games basically as early as it was physically possible (age 3 onwards), and using the internet by age 4. At the same time, I read a lot as a kid, and I think that a very large group of people exist and have existed since books became widely available who were probably equally “denied their opportunity for independent play” by having their nose in books constantly. At the same time, I have lived outside the US and I find that the architecture of Germany gives children much more independence and freedom since they can walk and play freely without worrying about crossing large roads, navigating massive expanses of parking lots, or accidentally trespassing and getting into grave danger because of it. The “problem” being espoused here is certainly a global one but not a worldwide one, and moreover, one which I don’t see a big difference between with my gen vs earlier ones. What is actually a huge difference is access to info, which people older than me struggle with. It seems that they can’t tell how to get good info using the internet and so often fall victim to misinformation at much higher rates. Not to say it never happens with us in GenZ, but I think we are notably better at separating fact from fiction deriving from the internet.

[halfredp]

had me in the first half not gonna lie. nobody needs to be injured to get stronger, there is a better way which is more conducive to adult happiness: encouraging and teaching children a variety of skills and giving them lots of resources. by placing more value in education, kinesthetic skills, and emotional intelligence like appreciation and empathy we can decrease the amount kids want to be on their phone. they’re cultivating they’re own reality because ours is so poor. we can start by pointing the finger at ourselves.

[argoneonoble]

No one calls high school 'the best years of their life' except for the very lame. Your best years are coming after college. Life gets better.

[Gottsnus]

This is a gross generalization. I study alongside multiple people from Gen Z, many of them are open minded, independent and arguably more social than older generations

[chillydawgg]

As a Gen X I have high hopes for the younger generations. The boomers had the best economic conditions of anyone, anywhere, ever, but somehow managed to vote most of it away starting in the "greed is good" 80s, & now there isn't hardly anything left for the younger generations. I think the kids today see the injustices & greed that got us here & will not perpetuate them when they are the ones in charge. Hope I'm around to see it.

[kimberknutson]

This makes a lot of sense. My daughter happens to be 23, and she and her friends are not like this, but they certainly know what you are saying. We have had the great fortune of living in Hawaii for the past 13 years where there is a lot of ethnic diversity. All of Lily's close friends came from homes with strong families where there was a lot of love, although the parents were overcoming hardships that sometimes, unfortunately, spilled over onto the kids. The kids eventually forgave us all of our trespasses, though, because they understood that we were trying to transcend our own difficult pasts and do right by them. Finally, I wholly agree with what you say about not white-washing difficult things. Bruno Bettleheim (sp?) wrote a book about the importance of fairy tales and how the harsh things that happen in, say, Grimm's fairy tales afford children an opportunity to experience hardship vicariously by relating to the heroes and heroines while they face and overcome various difficulties. Monsters are sometimes real, and in my experience, they are always human. This is great. I will pass this along to Lily and see whether she agrees. Thank you. : )

[NoshuHyena]

Protecting kids from insults and teasing? This man clearly has never been on the internet.

[moongoddess]

Oh okay. My 20 year old just told me about how she’s giving up sugar, staying off socials, reading books and getting more fresh air. But tell me again how GenZ has so many problems!

[Kitty_bandida]

As a gen z, the school system gave up on us they don’t even teach us how to pay bills or taxes the fuck ?

[sxt]

Considering the traumas we’ve had to witness and deal with as a generation (Post 9/11 America, The Iraq War, Katrina, The 2007-2009 Recession and Housing Crisis, The Trump Presidency, Covid-19, etcetera) we are far from “weak.” We are pretty resilient considering that the oldest members of my Generation Z aren’t even 30 yet.

[scarlettandrews]

Wrong. Only boomers complain about the next generation. Gen x, millennials, and gen z are coming together.

[varsiynipon]

I think we are all tired of being told that are only purpose in life is to make money. Of course we need money to survive. But what's the pointing of working if you barely have time to live your life. The greatest lie we were told is that our worth is dependent on how useful we are.

[nfbconnect]

Bc kids born after 1995 are traumatized. Parents can't parent to meet their needs or teach them necessary skills. There has been a sharp change for any American kid since 1995. The environment is more deadly. It's not about them needing independence. Give independence in the age of fentanyl and you'll have an addicted teen dead by twenty. Give them structure, knowledge of trauma, moral guidance, healthy fuel for the body, DBT, CBT, meditation and other PTSD coping skills so they can take care of themselves enough to show up in the world and feel safe. Their nervous systems are not the same nervous systems of those born before the 70s.

[DerekMakerFitness]

I was actually a huge fan of Jonathan Haidt before he wrote The Coddling Of The American Mind. Reading all his books twice. I'm 41 and even I can see his research and conclusions are uncharacteristically poor in this book. Yes some people are too sensitive and their voices are much louder (in social media ironically) but the majority of Gen Z is concerned with social justice and treating people with respect. I'm actually proud of them. I think this channel can explore how social media has changed us without jumping to "an entire generation is weak because they seriously demanding better behavior from people."

[puzzellp]

I think this clearly needs context. You can't just say "leave your kid alone with it's problems so it will grow stronger." Even tho this might be true for some situations and is needed to make them become more adulecent, it's the mothers and fathers job to decide when and how they are goint to help thier children. If it gets picked on in elementary school, it's important to support the child as much as you can. If it gets picked on in middle school, you should still help with it if it gets too much out of hand. If it still gets picked on in highschool, then you should be there for advice and help them with your experience, but let them fix it thier selfs.