:en:Generation Z

The name Generation Z is a reference to the fact that it is the second generation after Generation X, continuing the alphabetical sequence from Generation Y (Millennials).{{cite book|last=Shapiro|first=Jordan|title=The New Childhood: Raising Kids to Thrive in a Connected World|year=2018|publisher=Little, Brown}}{{cite web|website=Lexico|url=https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/generation_z|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817140603/https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/generation_z|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 17, 2019|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=May 19, 2021|title=Generation Z}}

Other proposed names for the generation included iGeneration,{{cite news|last=Horovitz|first=Bruce|date=May 4, 2012|title=After Gen X, Millennials, what should next generation be?|newspaper=USA Today|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Business/gen-millennials-generation/story?id=16275187|access-date=November 24, 2012|archive-date=October 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028125342/https://abcnews.go.com/Business/gen-millennials-generation/story?id=16275187|url-status=live}} Homeland Generation,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilhowe/2014/10/27/introducing-the-homeland-generation-part-1-of-2/|title=Introducing the Homeland Generation (Part 1 of 2)|last1=Howe|first1=Neil|date=October 27, 2014|access-date=May 2, 2016|magazine=Forbes|archive-date=August 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823025922/https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilhowe/2014/10/27/introducing-the-homeland-generation-part-1-of-2/|url-status=live}} Net Gen, Digital Natives, Neo-Digital Natives,{{cite news|last1=Takahashi|first1=Toshie T|title=Japanese Youth and Mobile Media|url=https://www.academia.edu/350038|access-date=May 10, 2016|publisher=Rikkyo University|archive-date=September 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926151426/https://www.academia.edu/350038/Japanese_Youth_and_Mobile_Media|url-status=live}} Pluralist Generation, Internet Generation,{{cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/98-311-x/98-311-x2011003_2-eng.cfm|title=Generations in Canada|website=www12.statcan.gc.ca|access-date=November 3, 2015|archive-date=September 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922235402/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/98-311-x/98-311-x2011003_2-eng.cfm|url-status=live}} and Centennials.{{Cite web |last=Capatides |first=Christina |title=Meet Generation Z |date=September 22, 2015 |publisher=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/meet-generation-z/6/ |quote=Generation Z is also hugely synonymous with technology because Centennials grew up in the era of smartphones. In fact, most of today's youth can't even remember a time before social media. |access-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121020616/https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/meet-generation-z/6/ |url-status=live }}

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| quote = "While there is no scientific process for deciding when a name has stuck, the momentum is clearly behind Gen Z."

| author = Michael Dimmock, Pew Research Center

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The rapper MC Lars used the term iGeneration as early as 2003, as a song title.{{cite web|url=https://www.ascap.com/playback/2005/winter/radar/mc_lars.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211172637/https://www.ascap.com/playback/2005/winter/radar/mc_lars.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 11, 2008|title=Talking 'Bout iGeneration - MC Lars|website=ascap.com}} Psychology professor and author Jean Twenge also used the term, intending it as the title of her 2006 book about Millennials but changing the title to Generation Me at the insistence of her publisher. Twenge later used the term for her 2017 book iGen. Others also claim to have coined the name.

Author Neil Howe coined the term Homeland Generation in 2014, as a continuation of the Strauss–Howe generational theory with William Strauss. The term Homeland refers to being the first generation to enter childhood after protective surveillance state measures, like the Department of Homeland Security, were put into effect following the September 11 attacks.

The Pew Research Center surveyed the various names for this cohort on Google Trends in 2019 and found that in the U.S., the term Generation Z was overwhelmingly the most popular, from then on calling it Gen Z in their research.{{Cite web |last=Dimock |first=Michael |title=Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/ |access-date=April 28, 2023 |website=Pew Research Center |date=January 17, 2019 |language=en-US}} The Merriam-Webster and Oxford dictionaries both have official entries for Generation Z.{{cite web|last=Dimmock|first=Michael|date=January 17, 2019|title=Defining generations: Where Millennials end and post-Millennials begin|url=http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/01/defining-generations-where-millennials-end-and-post-millennials-begin/|access-date=December 21, 2019|publisher=Pew Research Center|archive-date=January 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190117042517/http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/01/defining-generations-where-millennials-end-and-post-millennials-begin/|url-status=live}}

In Japan, the cohort is described as neo-digital natives, a step beyond the previous cohort described as digital natives. Digital natives primarily communicate by text or voice, while neo-digital natives use video, video-telephony, and movies. This emphasizes the shift from PC to mobile and text to video among the neo-digital population.

Zoomer is an informal term used to refer to members of Generation Z. It combines the shorthand boomer, referring to baby boomers, with the "Z" from Generation Z. Zoomer in its current incarnation skyrocketed in popularity in 2018, when it was used in a 4chan internet meme mocking Gen Z adolescents via a Wojak caricature dubbed a "Zoomer".{{Cite web|last=Tiffany|first=Kaitlyn|date=February 3, 2020|title=The Misogynistic Joke That Became a Goth-Meme Fairy Tale|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/02/doomer-girl-meme-4chan-tumblr-wojak-history/605764/|website=The Atlantic|access-date=June 11, 2020|archive-date=June 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604012415/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/02/doomer-girl-meme-4chan-tumblr-wojak-history/605764/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=January 21, 2020|title=ᐅ Zoomers – Meaning & origin of the term|url=https://www.slanglang.net/zoomers/|website=SlangLang|access-date=June 11, 2020|archive-date=June 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611011635/https://www.slanglang.net/zoomers/|url-status=dead}} Merriam-Webster's records suggest the use of the term zoomer in the sense of Generation Z dates back at least as far as 2016. It was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in October 2021 and to Dictionary.com in January 2020.{{Cite web |title=Is Zoomer The Real Name For Gen Z? |url=https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/zoomer/ |access-date=April 28, 2023 |website=Dictionary.com |date=January 16, 2020 |language=en-US}} Prior to this, zoomer was occasionally used to describe particularly active baby boomers.

Researchers and popular media have used the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 2010s as ending birth years to define Generation Z.

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines Generation Z as "the generation of people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s."{{cite encyclopedia |title=Definition of Generation Z |dictionary=Merriam-Webster |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Generation%20Z |access-date=March 18, 2019 |archive-date=January 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127155952/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Generation%20Z |url-status=live }} The Oxford Dictionaries define Generation Z as "the group of people who were born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s, who are regarded as being very familiar with the internet."{{Cite web |title=Definition of Generation Z noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary |url=https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/generation-z?q=generation+z |website=Oxford Learner's Dictionaries}} Encyclopedia Britannica defines Generation Z as "the term used to describe Americans born during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Some sources give the specific year range of 1997–2012, although the years spanned are sometimes contested or debated because generations and their zeitgeists are difficult to delineate."{{Cite web |date=March 5, 2024 |title=Gen Z {{!}} Years, Age Range, Meaning, & Characteristics {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Generation-Z |access-date=March 5, 2024 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}

The Pew Research Center has defined 1997 as the starting birth year for Generation Z, basing this on "different formative experiences", such as new technological and socioeconomic developments, as well as growing up in a world after the September 11 attacks.{{cite web |last=Dimmock |first=Michael |date=January 17, 2019 |title=Defining generations: Where Millennials end and post-Millennials begin |url=http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/01/defining-generations-where-millennials-end-and-post-millennials-begin/ |access-date=December 21, 2019 |publisher=Pew Research Center |archive-date=January 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190117042517/http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/01/defining-generations-where-millennials-end-and-post-millennials-begin/ |url-status=live }} Pew has not specified an endpoint for Generation Z, but used 2012 as a tentative endpoint for their 2019 report. Numerous news outlets use a starting birth year of 1997, often citing Pew Research Center.{{efn|Major news outlets using 1997 as a starting year include:

• The Wall Street Journal, citing Pew{{Cite news |last=Zimmer |first=Ben |date=February 1, 2019 |title='Z' Is for the Post-Millennial Generation |language=en-US |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/z-is-for-the-post-millennial-generation-11549045923 |access-date=July 23, 2021 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=August 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801010510/https://www.wsj.com/articles/z-is-for-the-post-millennial-generation-11549045923 |url-status=live }}
• PBS{{Cite web |date=October 31, 2020 |title=How new Gen Z voters could shape the election |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/how-new-gen-z-voters-could-shape-the-election |access-date=July 23, 2021 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us |archive-date=February 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211125932/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/how-new-gen-z-voters-could-shape-the-election |url-status=live }}
• NBC News, citing Pew{{Cite web |title=Gen Z group seeks to flood anti-abortion websites after draft opinion overturning Roe |date=May 3, 2022 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/gen-z-organization-enlisting-people-flood-anti-abortion-websites-leak-rcna27117 |access-date=May 20, 2022 |publisher=NBC News |language=en |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520010447/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/gen-z-organization-enlisting-people-flood-anti-abortion-websites-leak-rcna27117 |url-status=live }}
• NPR, citing Pew{{Cite web |title=The first Gen Z candidates are running for Congress — and running against compromise |website=NPR.org |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/07/06/1109193929/the-first-gen-z-candidates-are-running-for-congress-and-running-against-compromi |access-date=July 28, 2022 |publisher=NPR |language=en |archive-date=July 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220728221227/https://www.npr.org/2022/07/06/1109193929/the-first-gen-z-candidates-are-running-for-congress-and-running-against-compromi |url-status=live }}
• The New York Times{{Cite news |last=Astor |first=Maggie |date=November 9, 2022 |title=25-Year-Old Florida Democrat Secures Generation Z's First House Seat |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/08/us/politics/maxwell-frost-florida-house.html |access-date=December 12, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203075822/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/08/us/politics/maxwell-frost-florida-house.html |url-status=live }}
• The Washington Post{{Cite news |title=Gen Z women are breaking into the venture-capital boys club |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/04/23/gen-z-venture-capital/ |access-date=January 28, 2022 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=February 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216224347/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/04/23/gen-z-venture-capital |url-status=live }}
• CNBC{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Ashton |date=June 15, 2022 |title=These are Gen Z's top work priorities—and remote isn't one of them |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/15/new-report-finds-the-top-work-preferences-amongst-gen-z-talent-.html |access-date=July 12, 2022 |publisher=CNBC |language=en |archive-date=July 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712172404/https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/15/new-report-finds-the-top-work-preferences-amongst-gen-z-talent-.html |url-status=live }}
• Bruce Tulgan writing for Forbes{{Cite web |last=Tulgan |first=Bruce |title=Council Post: How Gen Zers Are Choosing Their Financial Services Provider And Why This Matters |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucetulgan/2023/02/23/what-makes-gen-z-different-and-not-so-different-from-older-employees/ |access-date=March 18, 2023 |website=Forbes |language=en |archive-date=March 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318235905/https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucetulgan/2023/02/23/what-makes-gen-z-different-and-not-so-different-from-older-employees/ |url-status=live }}
• Time Magazine{{Cite magazine |date=August 5, 2022 |title=Homeownership May Seem Out of Reach for Generation Z. How You Can Prepare Now |url=https://time.com/nextadvisor/mortgages/mortgage-news/homeownership-may-seem-out-of-reach-for-generation-z-how-you-can-prepare-now/ |magazine=Time |language=en-US |issn=0040-781X |access-date=August 6, 2022 |archive-date=August 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220806014210/https://time.com/nextadvisor/mortgages/mortgage-news/homeownership-may-seem-out-of-reach-for-generation-z-how-you-can-prepare-now/ |url-status=live }}
• Associated Press, citing Brookings Institution{{Cite web |date=April 20, 2021 |title=Sorry, boomers: millennials and younger are new US majority |url=https://apnews.com/article/seniors-baby-boomers-millennials-featured-u-s-news-757359e85c4d9f555469848b21df3ab4 |access-date=May 19, 2022 |website=AP NEWS |language=en |archive-date=April 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424162917/https://apnews.com/article/seniors-baby-boomers-millennials-featured-u-s-news-757359e85c4d9f555469848b21df3ab4 |url-status=live }}
• USA Today, citing Pew{{Cite web |last=Hecht |first=Evan |title=What years are Gen X? What about baby boomers? When each generation was born. |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/09/02/what-years-gen-x-millennials-baby-boomers-gen-z/10303085002/ |access-date=September 6, 2022 |website=USA Today |language=en-US |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203075825/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/09/02/what-years-gen-x-millennials-baby-boomers-gen-z/10303085002/ |url-status=live }}|name=1997news}} Various think tanks and analytics companies also have set a 1997 start date,{{efn|Think tanks and analytics companies that use 1997 as their start date include:
• Gallup{{Cite web |date=August 26, 2020 |title=Create a Culture That Inspires: Generational Differences at Work |url=https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/318161/create-culture-that-inspires-generational-differences-work.aspx |access-date=June 21, 2021 |website=Gallup.com |language=en |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204714/https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/318161/create-culture-that-inspires-generational-differences-work.aspx |url-status=live }}
• William H. Frey of the Brookings Institution{{Cite web |last=Frey |first=William H. |date=July 30, 2020 |title=Now, more than half of Americans are millennials or younger |url=https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/07/30/now-more-than-half-of-americans-are-millennials-or-younger/ |access-date=January 28, 2022 |website=Brookings |language=en-US |archive-date=August 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820183459/https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/07/30/now-more-than-half-of-americans-are-millennials-or-younger/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Frey |first=William H. |date=January 11, 2021 |title=What the 2020 census will reveal about America: Stagnating growth, an aging population, and youthful diversity |url=https://www.brookings.edu/research/what-the-2020-census-will-reveal-about-america-stagnating-growth-an-aging-population-and-youthful-diversity/ |access-date=January 28, 2022 |website=Brookings |language=en-US |archive-date=January 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128160803/https://www.brookings.edu/research/what-the-2020-census-will-reveal-about-america-stagnating-growth-an-aging-population-and-youthful-diversity/ |url-status=live }}|name=1997tanks}} as do various management and consulting firms.{{Efn|Management and consulting firms citing 1997 include:
• Accenture{{Cite web |last=Scislowicz |first=Chris |date=September 8, 2022 |title=How banks can embrace a Gen Z workforce |url=https://bankingblog.accenture.com/how-can-banks-embrace-a-growing-gen-z-workforce |access-date=April 15, 2023 |website=Accenture Banking Blog |language=en-US}}
• Deloitte{{cite web |last1=Dunlop |first1=Amelia |last2=Pankowski |first2=Michael |title=Hey bosses: Here's what Gen Z actually wants at work |url=https://www.deloittedigital.com/us/en/blog-list/2023/gen-z-research-report.html |website=www.deloittedigital.com |access-date=April 15, 2023}}
• Ogilvy{{cite web |last1=Buell Hirsch |first1=Peter |title=The Light at the End of the Tunnel: Marketing to Seniors {{!}} Ogilvy |url=https://www.ogilvy.com/ideas/light-end-tunnel-marketing-seniors |website=www.ogilvy.com |date=March 30, 2023 |access-date=April 15, 2023 |language=en}}|name=1997firms}} In a 2022 report, the U.S. Census designates Generation Z as "the youngest generation with adult members (born 1997 to 2013)."{{Cite web |last1=Bennett |first1=Neil |last2=Hays |first2=Donald |last3=Sullivan |first3=Briana |date=August 1, 2022 |title=2019 Data Show Baby Boomers Nearly 9 Times Wealthier Than Millennials |url=https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/08/wealth-inequality-by-household-type.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220801180726/https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/08/wealth-inequality-by-household-type.html |access-date=March 8, 2021 |website=United States Census Bureau |language=EN-US |archive-date=August 1, 2022 |url-status=live }} Statistics Canada used 1997 to 2012, citing Pew Research Center, in a 2022 publication analyzing their 2021 census.{{cite news |year=2022 |title=A generational portrait of Canada's aging population |publisher=Statistics Canada |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/as-sa/98-200-X/2021003/98-200-X2021003-eng.cfm |access-date=April 27, 2022 |archive-date=April 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427124705/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/as-sa/98-200-X/2021003/98-200-X2021003-eng.cfm |url-status=live }} The Library of Congress uses 1997 to 2012, citing Pew Research as well.{{Cite web |last=Burclaff |first=Natalie |title=Research Guides: Doing Consumer Research: A Resource Guide: Generations |url=https://guides.loc.gov/consumer-research/market-segments/generations |access-date=March 5, 2024 |website=guides.loc.gov |language=en}}

The Collins Dictionary define Generation Z as "members of the generation of people born between the mid-1990s and mid-2010s.{{cite web |title=Generation Z |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/generation-z |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017210453/https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/generation-z |archive-date=October 17, 2023 |access-date=October 17, 2023 |website=Collins}} In her book iGen (2017), psychologist Jean Twenge defines the "iGeneration" as the cohort born between 1995 and 2012.{{cite news |last=Twenge |first=Jean |date=August 15, 2017 |title=What generation do I belong to? What are the birth year cutoffs? |url=http://www.jeantwenge.com/faq-items/generation-belong-birth-year-cutoffs/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210330181643/http://www.jeantwenge.com/faq-items/generation-belong-birth-year-cutoffs/ |archive-date=March 30, 2021 |access-date=March 27, 2023 |work=Dr. Jean Twenge}} Other news outlets occasionally use 1995 as the starting birth year of Generation Z,{{efn|News outlets using 1995 as the starting birth year include:

• United Press International{{Cite web |last=Waldmeir |first=Patti |title=Gen Z isn't all that into lab-grown meat, according to new study |url=https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2020/09/08/Gen-Z-isnt-all-that-into-lab-grown-meat-according-to-new-study/1671599589912/ |access-date=October 17, 2020 |website=United Press International |language=en-US}}
• Financial Times{{Cite web |last=Tringham |first=Melanie |title=Advising generation Z |url=https://www.ftadviser.com/investments/2020/05/28/advising-generation-z/ |access-date=October 17, 2020 |website=Financial Times |language=en-US |archive-date=October 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021125946/https://www.ftadviser.com/investments/2020/05/28/advising-generation-z/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Hays |first=Brooks |date=August 18, 2020 |title=Youngest American voters dislike the choice in front of them |language=en-US |website=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/1b9d29f9-6115-4230-a78c-125aad4eb0e1 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221211/https://www.ft.com/content/1b9d29f9-6115-4230-a78c-125aad4eb0e1 |archive-date=December 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=October 17, 2020}}
• Fortune, citing Deloitte{{Cite web |title=Are employers just paying lip service mental health? Many Gen Z and millennial workers think so. |url=https://fortune.com/2022/05/18/many-gen-z-and-millennial-workers-feel-employers-only-pay-lip-service-mental-health/ |access-date=May 19, 2022 |website=Fortune |language=en |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518124745/https://fortune.com/2022/05/18/many-gen-z-and-millennial-workers-feel-employers-only-pay-lip-service-mental-health/ |url-status=live }}
• CBS News{{Cite web |title=Meet Generation Z |date=September 22, 2015 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/meet-generation-z/ |access-date=May 20, 2022 |publisher=CBS News |language=en-US |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520010447/https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/meet-generation-z/ |url-status=live }}}} as do various management and consulting firms.{{efn|Management and consulting firms citing 1995 include:
• PricewaterhouseCoopers{{Cite web |title=Gen Z is Talking. Are you Listening? |url=https://www.pwc.de/de/handel-und-konsumguter/gen-z-is-talking-are-you-listening.pdf |access-date=May 20, 2022 |website=pwc.de |archive-date=June 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608062918/https://www.pwc.de/de/handel-und-konsumguter/gen-z-is-talking-are-you-listening.pdf |url-status=live }}
• McCrindle{{Cite web|date=February 2, 2015|title=Gen Z and Gen Alpha Infographic Update - McCrindle|url=https://mccrindle.com.au/article/topic/generation-z/gen-z-and-gen-alpha-infographic-update/|access-date=December 30, 2022|website=mccrindle.com.au|language=en-US|archive-date=February 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203075839/https://mccrindle.com.au/article/topic/generation-z/gen-z-and-gen-alpha-infographic-update/|url-status=live}}|name=1995firms}} The Australian Bureau of Statistics have used 1996 to 2010 to define Generation Z in a 2021 Census report.{{cite web |date=June 28, 2022 |title=2021 Census shows Millennials overtaking Boomers {{!}} Australian Bureau of Statistics |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/2021-census-shows-millennials-overtaking-boomers |website=www.abs.gov.au |language=en |access-date=December 11, 2022 |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201051428/https://www.abs.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/2021-census-shows-millennials-overtaking-boomers |url-status=live }} Similarly, various management and consulting firms have used 1996 as a starting date for Generation Z.{{efn|Management and consulting firms citing 1996 include:
• McKinsey{{Cite web |title=Generation Z characteristics and its implications for companies {{!}} McKinsey |url=https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-gen-z |access-date=March 28, 2023 |website=www.mckinsey.com |archive-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321224738/https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-gen-z |url-status=live }}
• Ipsos{{Cite web |title=Generation Z - do they exist and what influences them? {{!}} Ipsos |url=https://www.ipsos.com/en/generation-z-do-they-exist-and-what-influences-them|access-date=March 28, 2023 |website=www.ipsos.com |date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321224738/https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-gen-z |url-status=live }}
• Bain & Company{{cite web |title=How Brands Can Embrace the Sustainable Fashion Opportunity |url=https://www.bain.com/insights/how-brands-can-embrace-the-sustainable-fashion-opportunity/ |website=Bain & Company |date=October 21, 2022 |access-date=April 15, 2023}} |name=1996firms}}

Individuals born in the Millennial and Generation Z cusp years have been sometimes identified as a "microgeneration" with characteristics of both generations. The most common name given for these cuspers is Zillennials.{{Cite web |last1=Farren |first1=Maisy |date=August 20, 2020 |title='Zillennials' Are Haunted By Their Internet History |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/zillennials-are-haunted-by-their-internet-history/ |access-date=October 15, 2020 |website=Vice |language=en |archive-date=October 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016235756/https://www.vice.com/en/article/4ayp3g/zillennials-are-haunted-by-their-internet-history |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Pence |first1=Laura |date=May 26, 2021 |title=There's a New Term for People Who Aren't a Millennial or Gen Z |url=https://www.wfxb.com/2021/05/26/theres-a-new-term-for-people-who-arent-a-millennial-or-genz/ |publisher=WFXB |access-date=August 31, 2021 |archive-date=May 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527204927/https://www.wfxb.com/2021/05/26/theres-a-new-term-for-people-who-arent-a-millennial-or-genz/ |url-status=live }} Individuals born on the cusp of Generation Z and Generation Alpha have been referred to as Zalphas.{{Cite web |date=November 21, 2023 |title=What is a Zalpha? - McCrindle |url=https://mccrindle.com.au/article/what-is-a-zalpha/ |access-date=July 20, 2024 |website=mccrindle.com.au |language=en-US}}

File:Young People Net Happiness 2016.pngThe Economist has described Generation Z as a more educated, well-behaved, stressed and depressed generation in comparison to previous generations. In 2016, the Varkey Foundation and Populus conducted an international study examining the attitudes of over 20,000 people aged 15 to 21 in twenty countries and that 59% of Gen Z youth were happy overall with the states of affairs in their personal lives. The most unhappy young people were from South Korea (29%) and Japan (28%) while the happiest were from Indonesia (90%) and Nigeria (78%).

The best sources of happiness were being physically and mentally healthy (94%), having a good relationship with family (92%), and with friends (91%). In general, respondents who were younger and male tended to be happier. Religious faith was purportedly the least happiness-inducing.

The top reasons for anxiety and stress were money (51%) and school (46%); social media and having access to basic resources (such as food and water) finished the list, both at 10%. Concerns over food and water were most serious in China (19%), India (16%), and Indonesia (16%); young Indians were also more likely than average to report stress due to social media (19%).{{cite news|last1=Broadbent|first1=Emma|last2=Gougoulis|first2=John|last3=Lui|first3=Nicole|last4=Pota|first4=Vikas|last5=Simons|first5=Jonathan|date=January 2017|title=Generation Z: Global Citizenship Survey|publisher=Varkey Foundation|url=https://www.varkeyfoundation.org/media/4487/global-young-people-report-single-pages-new.pdf|access-date=November 15, 2019|archive-date=August 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820230036/https://www.varkeyfoundation.org/media/4487/global-young-people-report-single-pages-new.pdf|url-status=live}}

Important personal values of Gen Z are their families and themselves get ahead in life (both 27%), followed by honesty (26%). Looking beyond their local communities came last at 6%. Familial values were especially strong in South America (34%) while individualism and the entrepreneurial spirit proved popular in Africa (37%). People who influenced youths the most were parents (89%), friends (79%), and teachers (70%). Celebrities (30%) and politicians (17%) came last. In general, young men were more likely to be influenced by athletes and politicians than young women, who preferred books and fictional characters. Celebrity culture was especially influential in China (60%) and Nigeria (71%) and particularly irrelevant in Argentina and Turkey (both 19%).

For young people, the most important factors for their current or future careers were the possibility of honing their skills (24%), and income (23%) while the most unimportant factors were fame (3%) and whether or not the organization they worked for made a positive impact on the world (13%). The most important factors for young people when thinking about their futures were their families (47%) and their health (21%); the welfare of the world at large (4%) and their local communities (1%) bottomed the list.

File:Selfie au Palais des Beaux-Arts.jpg at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille, France in 2016]]During the 2000s and especially the 2010s, youth subcultures that were as influential as what existed during the late 20th century became scarcer and quieter, at least in real life though not necessarily on the Internet, and more ridden with irony and self-consciousness due to the awareness of incessant peer surveillance. In Germany, for instance, youth appears more interested in a more mainstream lifestyle with goals such as finishing school, owning a home in the suburbs, maintaining friendships and family relationships, and stable employment, rather than popular culture, glamor, or consumerism.{{Cite news|date=July 24, 2020|title=Germany's youth 'have lost their sense of fun', study finds|work=The Local (Germany)|url=https://www.thelocal.de/20200724/german-youth-have-lost-their-sense-of-fun-study-finds|access-date=January 4, 2021|archive-date=January 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106174407/https://www.thelocal.de/20200724/german-youth-have-lost-their-sense-of-fun-study-finds|url-status=live}}

Boundaries between the different youth subcultures appear to have been blurred, and nostalgic sentiments have risen.{{Cite news|last=Petridis|first=Alexis|date=March 20, 2014|title=Youth subcultures: what are they now?|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/mar/20/youth-subcultures-where-have-they-gone|access-date=January 4, 2021|archive-date=November 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122160414/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/mar/20/youth-subcultures-where-have-they-gone|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Watts|first=Peter|date=April 10, 2017|title=Is Youth Culture A Thing of the Past?|work=Apollo|url=https://www.apollo-magazine.com/is-youth-culture-a-thing-of-the-past/|access-date=January 4, 2021|archive-date=January 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107035622/https://www.apollo-magazine.com/is-youth-culture-a-thing-of-the-past/|url-status=live}} Although nostalgia is normally associated with the elderly, this sentiment is now commonplace among those who came of age during the 2010s and 2020s. Struggling with present realities, Millennials and Generation Z long for the past, when life seemed simpler and less stressful, even if they have themselves never experienced it.{{Cite news |last=Arana |first=Ixone |date=October 14, 2023 |title=Modern nostalgia: Why do young people ache for a past they never lived? |work=El Pais |department=Lifestyle |url=https://english.elpais.com/lifestyle/2023-10-14/modern-nostalgia-why-do-young-people-ache-for-a-past-they-never-lived.html |access-date=December 4, 2023}}

Aspirational nostalgia has been propagated through various social media networks, especially during the mass lockdowns imposed to combat the spread of COVID-19.{{cite web|author=Amelia Hall|date=April 15, 2020|title=Why is 'cottagecore' booming? Because being outside is now the ultimate taboo: The visual and lifestyle movement is designed to fetishise the wholesome purity of the outdoors|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/15/why-is-cottagecore-booming-because-being-outside-is-now-the-ultimate-taboo|work=The Guardian|location=London|access-date=April 23, 2020|archive-date=March 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318160644/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/15/why-is-cottagecore-booming-because-being-outside-is-now-the-ultimate-taboo|url-status=live}} It is a form of escapism{{cite web |last=Frey |first=Angelica |date=November 11, 2020 |title=Cottagecore debuted 2300 years ago |url=https://daily.jstor.org/cottagecore-debuted-2300-years-ago/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205094328/https://daily.jstor.org/cottagecore-debuted-2300-years-ago/ |archive-date=December 5, 2020 |access-date=May 6, 2021 |website=JSTOR daily}} and aspirational nostalgia.{{cite web|author=Isabel Slone|date=March 10, 2020|title=Escape Into Cottagecore, Calming Ethos for Our Febrile Moment|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/style/cottagecore.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200310092146/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/style/cottagecore.html |archive-date=March 10, 2020 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 23, 2020}} Nostalgic sentiments surged during and after the COVID pandemic.{{Cite news |last=Carroll |first=Leah |date=December 18, 2023 |title=Nostalgia marketing is powerful. 'Nowstalgia' might be even more compelling. |url=https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20231215-nostalgia-marketing-is-powerful-nowstalgia-might-be-even-more-compelling |access-date=October 15, 2024 |work=BBC Worklife}} Vintage fashion grew in vogue among Millennial and Generation Z consumers.{{Cite news |last=Jacobs |first=Bel |date=November 26, 2020 |title=Why buying vintage clothes is 'the new luxury' |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20201113-why-gen-z-and-millennials-go-wild-for-vintage-clothes |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117004250/https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20201113-why-gen-z-and-millennials-go-wild-for-vintage-clothes |archive-date=November 17, 2020 |access-date=January 5, 2021 |work=BBC Culture}} Nevertheless, large shares of Generation Z have never visited museums or heritage sites, preferring instead to watch television or browse social media.{{Cite web |last=Rowland |first=Miles |date=December 10, 2018 |title=Museums are most popular heritage attraction among young people |url=https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2018/12/10122018-fifth-young-people-never-visit-museums/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127175920/https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2018/12/10122018-fifth-young-people-never-visit-museums/ |archive-date=November 27, 2020 |access-date=December 4, 2020 |website=Museum Association}}

Spotify consumer data from 2022 suggests that Generation Z is most nostalgic for the 1980s. The Netflix science-fiction horror series Stranger Things (2016–2025) is a major example of using and evoking nostalgia for the 1980s, enabling Generation Z to learn what their Generation X parents experienced in their youth during that decade.{{Cite web |last1=Orazi |first1=Davide Christian |last2=Laer |first2=Tom van |title=It's not nostalgia. Stranger Things is fuelling a pseudo-nostalgia of the 1980s |url=http://theconversation.com/its-not-nostalgia-stranger-things-is-fuelling-a-pseudo-nostalgia-of-the-1980s-186389 |access-date=August 23, 2022 |website=The Conversation |date=July 10, 2022 |language=en}} 1980s songs featured in the Stranger Things soundtracks that became popular among Generation Z included "Running Up That Hill" (1985) by Kate Bush, which has appeared in many TikTok videos.{{Cite news |last=Beaumont-Thomas |first=Ben |date=June 22, 2022 |title='The whole world's gone mad!' Kate Bush on Running Up That Hill's success |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jun/22/the-whole-worlds-gone-mad-kate-bush-on-running-up-that-hills-success |access-date=November 4, 2023 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} There is also evidence that Generation Z is also nostalgic for the Y2K era (the late 1990s and early 2000s), given the popularity of the Y2K aesthetic among this cohort.[https://www.thevibes.com/articles/lifestyles/95040/why-are-gen-zers-so-obsessed-with-the-2000s-a-decade-they-barely-knew Why are Gen Zers so obsessed with the 2000s, a decade they barely knew?]. The Vibes. June 20, 2023.[https://mashable.com/article/gen-z-flip-phones-trend Is Gen Z bringing flip phones back?]. Mashable. November 10, 2021.[https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/gen-z-y2k-millennial-90s-fashion-nostalgia Why is Gen Z So Obsessed with Y2K Fashion?]. L'Officiel. April 16, 2024. In Japan, Generation Z has Shōwa nostalgia[https://dot.asahi.com/articles/-/230525?page=1 復刻した「昭和レトロ」にZ世代も昭和世代もメロメロ！その理由は？]. AERA dot. September 21, 2024.[https://mainichi.jp/articles/20211029/k00/00m/040/113000c たまごっち、写ルンです... 昭和から平成、レトロを楽しむZ世代]. Mainichi Shimbun. October 30, 2021. and the Shōwa-era music of Akina Nakamori, Seiko Matsuda and Yōko Oginome is popular with them.[https://www.jprime.jp/articles/-/33348?display=b 松田聖子、中森明菜、松原みき、Z世代＆海外でも話題の「昭和歌謡」令和の時代に刺さるこれだけの理由]. 週刊女性Prime. September 12, 2024.[https://gendai.media/articles/-/110099?imp=0 映画の上映に熱狂の声続出…伝説のアイドル「中森明菜」が令和の若者にも支持されている理由]. 現代ビジネス. June 23, 2023. 1970s and 1980s city pop music, such as that of Mariya Takeuchi, is also popular with Generation Z, both in and outside of Japan.[https://www.lifestyleasia.com/ind/entertainment/what-is-city-pop-is-the-japanese-musical-genre-that-harry-styles-loves/ What exactly is City Pop, the Japanese music genre Harry Styles loves]. Lifestyle Asia, via AFP. May 31, 2022.[https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/11/how-old-ambient-japanese-music-became-a-smash-hit-on-youtube/ How old, ambient Japanese music became a smash hit on YouTube]. Ars Technica. November 26, 2020.

Other trends of fashion and lifestyles among Generation Z include VSCO girl, E-girl and E-boy, and Barbiecore, among many others, made popular by TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, influencers and celebrities.{{cite web |last1=Ahmad |first1=Nawaz |last2=Salman |first2=Atif |last3=Ashiq |first3=Rubab |date=April 30, 2015 |title=The Impact of Social Media on Fashion Industry: Empirical Investigation from Karachiites |url=https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=2603275 |via=papers.ssrn.com |ssrn=2603275}}{{cite web |last=Marvar |first=Alexandra |date=July 28, 2021 |title=The teen tycoons of Depop |url=https://www.theverge.com/22580446/depop-online-vintage-sales-business-algorithm-dangers |access-date=November 25, 2021 |website=The Verge |language=en}}

File:The Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond.jpg (as Amy Pond) and Matt Smith (the Eleventh Doctor) on set for Doctor Who (Series 5). Popular franchises such as Doctor Who have inspired numerous fan fiction stories written mostly by young female authors.]]Viewership of children's cable television channels such as Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon have continued their steady decline since the early 2010s, with little to no alleviating effects due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many parents and their children to stay at home. Disney Channel in particular lost a third of their viewers in 2020, leading to closures in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Southeast Asia. On the other hand, streaming services saw healthy growth.{{Cite news|last=Low|first=Elaine|date=April 9, 2020|title=Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and other kids cable channels see viewership declines as streaming grows|work=Chicago Tribune|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-ent-cartoon-network-nickelodeon-see-viewership-declines-20200409-sa5z5zzrlzchzpxx34ejv77fe4-story.html|access-date=December 19, 2020|archive-date=January 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107170801/https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-ent-cartoon-network-nickelodeon-see-viewership-declines-20200409-sa5z5zzrlzchzpxx34ejv77fe4-story.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=December 29, 2020|title=Disney Channels Lose 33% Of Its Audience In 2020|work=What's on Disney Plus|url=https://whatsondisneyplus.com/disney-channels-loses-33-of-its-audience-in-2020/|access-date=January 1, 2021|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101005804/https://whatsondisneyplus.com/disney-channels-loses-33-of-its-audience-in-2020/|url-status=live}} In the United Kingdom, for instance, a majority of children and teenagers watched a film or series on Netflix rather than on television, according to a 2019 report by Childwise.{{Cite news |last=Coughlan |first=Sean |date=January 30, 2019 |title=The one about Friends still being most popular |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/education-47043831 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107232933/https://www.bbc.com/news/education-47043831 |archive-date=November 7, 2020 |access-date=December 4, 2020 |work=BBC News}} Generation Z continues to enjoy comfort television shows that first aired between the 1990s and early 2000s, such as The Office (2005–2013) and Friends (1994–2004).{{Cite web |title=These Are Gen Z & Millennials' 17 Favorite TV Shows Right Now |url=https://www.ypulse.com/article/2020/05/26/these-are-gen-z-millennials-17-favorite-tv-shows-right-now/ |access-date=December 27, 2022 |website=YPulse}} Meanwhile, the animated series Bluey (2018–present), though made for preschool children, has been surprisingly well-received among teenagers and young adults because it portrays family life positively and makes them feel nostalgic.{{Cite news |last=Mumphrey |first=Cheyanne |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Not a toddler, not a parent, but still love ‘Bluey’? You’re not alone |url=https://apnews.com/article/bluey-show-popularity-5271981ec52b9ce3b730ac70b0542947 |access-date=May 5, 2025 |work=Associated Press}}{{Cite news |last=Balanzategui |first=Jessica |last2=Baker |first2=Djoymi |date=May 1, 2024 |title=Why are adults without kids hooked on Bluey? And should we still be calling it a ‘kids’ show’? |url=https://theconversation.com/why-are-adults-without-kids-hooked-on-bluey-and-should-we-still-be-calling-it-a-kids-show-228610 |access-date=May 5, 2024 |work=The Conversation}} It also helps many Millennials and members of Generation Z heal emotional wounds from their childhoods.{{Cite news |last=Tait |first=Amelia |date=January 23, 2023 |title=The Internet Is Breeding Hordes of Adult Bluey Fans |url=https://www.wired.com/story/bluey-internet-fandom/ |access-date=May 8, 2025 |work=Wired}}{{Cite news |last=Geordie |first=Gray |last2=Andrew |first2=McMillen |date=March 22, 2024 |title=We’ve seen the Bluey movie and yes it will make you cry |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/weekend-australian-magazine/weve-seen-the-bluey-movie-and-yes-it-will-make-you-cry/news-story/c28f1107bde2bc838ab3e5b2773c6e2d?amp&nk=19cc24f69343f9676f77afc147ea4945-1711101137 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/faqZe |archive-date=March 22, 2024 |access-date=May 13, 2025 |work=The Australian}}

During the first two decades of the 21st century, writing and reading fan fiction and creating fandoms of fictional works became a prevalent activity worldwide. Demographic data from various depositories revealed that those who read and wrote fan fiction were overwhelmingly young, in their teens and twenties, and female.{{Cite news|last=Anderson|first=Porter|date=October 25, 2017|title=YA Reading and Writing Trends from Wattpad's 60 Million Users|work=Publishing Perspectives|url=https://publishingperspectives.com/2017/10/watpad-ya-trends-publishing-insights-millennials/|access-date=December 29, 2020|archive-date=January 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107084418/https://publishingperspectives.com/2017/10/watpad-ya-trends-publishing-insights-millennials/|url-status=live}}{{Cite news |last=Clements |first=Mikaella |date=August 8, 2018 |title=From Star Trek to Fifty Shades: how fanfiction went mainstream |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/aug/08/fanfiction-fifty-shades-star-trek-harry-potter |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129083051/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/aug/08/fanfiction-fifty-shades-star-trek-harry-potter |archive-date=January 29, 2021 |access-date=December 29, 2020 |work=The Guardian}}{{Cite news|last=Aragon|first=Cecilia|date=December 27, 2019|title=What I learned from studying billions of words of online fan fiction|work=MIT Technology Review|url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/12/27/131111/online-fan-fiction-learning-communities/|access-date=December 29, 2020|archive-date=December 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215165430/https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/12/27/131111/online-fan-fiction-learning-communities/|url-status=live}} For example, an analysis published in 2019 by data scientists Cecilia Aragon and Katie Davis of the site FanFiction.Net showed that some 60 billion words of contents were added during the previous 20 years by 10 million English-speaking people whose median age was 15{{frac|1|2}} years. Fan fiction writers base their work on various internationally popular cultural phenomena such as K-pop, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Twilight, Doctor Who, and My Little Pony, known as 'canon', as well as other things they considered important to their lives, like natural disasters. Much of fan fiction concerns the romantic pairing of fictional characters of interest, or 'shipping'.{{Cite news|last=Knorr|first=Catharine|date=July 5, 2017|title=Inside the racy, nerdy world of fanfiction|publisher=CNN|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/05/health/kids-teens-fanfiction-partner/index.html|access-date=January 4, 2021|archive-date=January 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107211231/https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/05/health/kids-teens-fanfiction-partner/index.html|url-status=live}} Aragon and Davis argued that writing fan fiction stories could help young people combat social isolation and hone their writing skills outside of school in an environment of like-minded people where they can receive (anonymous) constructive feedback, what they call 'distributed mentoring'. Informatics specialist Rebecca Black added that fan fiction writing could also be a useful resource for English-language learners. Indeed, the analysis of Aragon and Davis showed that for every 650 reviews a fan fiction writer receives, their vocabulary improved by one year of age, though this may not generalize to older cohorts.{{Cite news|last=Beck|first=Julia|date=October 1, 2019|title=What Fan Fiction Teaches That the Classroom Doesn't|work=The Atlantic|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/10/how-fanfiction-improves-writing/599197/|access-date=January 4, 2021|archive-date=January 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104211916/https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/10/how-fanfiction-improves-writing/599197/|url-status=live}} On the other hand, children browsing fan fiction contents might be exposed to cyberbullying, crude comments, and other inappropriate materials.

File:‘LG Q7 BTS 에디션’ 예약 판매 시작 (42773472410) (cropped).jpg have gained popularity among members of Generation Z.]]

Generation Z has a plethora of options when it comes to music consumption, allowing for a highly personalized experience.{{Cite journal|last1=ter Bogt|first1=Tom|last2=Canale|first2=Natale|last3=Lenzi|first3=Michela|last4=Vieno|first4=Alessio|last5=van den Eijnden|first5=Regina|date=June 9, 2019|title=Sad music depresses sad adolescents: A listener's profile|journal=Psychology of Music|volume=49|issue=2|pages=257–272|doi=10.1177/0305735619849622|s2cid=197727325|doi-access=free|hdl=11577/3309842|hdl-access=free}} Spotify and terrestrial radio are the top choices for music listening{{cite news |last1=Hodak |first1=Brittany |title=New Study Spotlights Gen Z's Unique Music Consumption Habits |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/brittanyhodak/2018/03/06/new-study-spotlights-gen-zs-unique-music-consumption-habits/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901114550/https://www.forbes.com/sites/brittanyhodak/2018/03/06/new-study-spotlights-gen-zs-unique-music-consumption-habits/ |archive-date=September 1, 2018 |access-date=March 6, 2018 |work=Forbes}} while YouTube is the preferred platform for music discovery. In mid-2023, Spotify reported more growth than expected in the number of subscribers among Generation Z.{{Cite news |last=Carman |first=Ashley |date=July 25, 2023 |title=Spotify Users Top Expectations Thanks to Gen Z Listeners |work=Bloomberg |url=https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/spotify-users-top-expectations-thanks-to-gen-z-listeners-1.1950239 |access-date=July 30, 2023}} Additional research showed that within the past few decades, popular music has gotten slower; that majorities of listeners young and old preferred older songs rather than keeping up with new ones; that the language of popular songs was becoming more negative psychologically; and that lyrics were becoming simpler and more repetitive, approaching one-word sheets, something measurable by observing how efficiently lossless compression algorithms (such as the LZ algorithm) handled them.{{Cite web|last=McAlpine|first=Fraser|date=February 12, 2018|title=Has pop music lost its fun?|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/fb84bf19-29c9-4ed3-b6b6-953e8a083334|access-date=December 29, 2020|publisher=BBC|archive-date=February 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211083725/https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/fb84bf19-29c9-4ed3-b6b6-953e8a083334|url-status=live}} On the other hand, texture and rhythm are becoming more complex.{{Cite journal |last=Leffer |first=Lauren |date=March 28, 2024 |title=Song Lyrics Really Are Getting Simpler and More Repetitive, Study Finds |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/song-lyrics-really-are-getting-simpler-and-more-repetitive-study-finds/ |journal=Scientific American |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401073137/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/song-lyrics-really-are-getting-simpler-and-more-repetitive-study-finds/ |archive-date=April 1, 2024}} Streaming services have made it extremely easy for listeners to sample songs, creating pressure on musicians to compose songs that are as easy to process and have as many hooks as possible. Sad music is quite popular among adolescents, though it can dampen their moods, especially among girls.

Mobile-friendly websites and social-media engagements are both important to Gen Z.{{Cite news|last=McCarthy|first=Daniel|date=December 9, 2020|title=5 Things Travel Advisors Need to Know About Generation Z|work=Travel Market Report|url=https://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/5-Things-Travel-Advisors-Need-to-Know-About-Generation-Z|access-date=December 27, 2020|archive-date=February 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203075833/https://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/5-Things-Travel-Advisors-Need-to-Know-About-Generation-Z|url-status=live}} In the United Kingdom, teenagers now prefer to get their news from social-media networks such as Instagram and TikTok and the video-sharing site YouTube rather than more traditional media, such as radio or television.{{Cite news |last=Carnegie |first=Megan |date=August 8, 2022 |title=Gen Z: How young people are changing activism |url=https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220803-gen-z-how-young-people-are-changing-activism |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203075814/https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220803-gen-z-how-young-people-are-changing-activism |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |access-date=August 22, 2022 |work=BBC Worklife}}

File:US Army 53394 BOOK OF RHYMES.jpg

According to a 2019 OECD survey, members of Generation Z were spending more time on electronic devices and less time reading books than before,{{Cite news|last=Thomas|first=Leigh|date=December 3, 2019|title=Education levels stagnating despite higher spending: OECD survey|work=Reuters|department=World News|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oecd-education/education-levels-stagnating-despite-higher-spending-oecd-survey-idUSKBN1Y70Q8|access-date=February 5, 2020|archive-date=February 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200205193120/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oecd-education/education-levels-stagnating-despite-higher-spending-oecd-survey-idUSKBN1Y70Q8|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Sliwa|first=Jim|date=August 20, 2018|title=Teens Today Spend More Time on Digital Media, Less Time Reading|work=American Psychological Association|url=https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2018/08/teenagers-read-book|access-date=November 8, 2020|archive-date=November 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101124343/https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2018/08/teenagers-read-book|url-status=live}} with implications for their attention spans,{{cite web |url=https://5210.psu.edu/too-much-screen-time/ |title=Too Much Screen Time? |website=Penn State University |access-date=March 31, 2021 |archive-date=April 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417173522/https://5210.psu.edu/too-much-screen-time/ |url-status=live }} vocabulary,{{Cite news|last=Adams|first=Richard|date=April 19, 2018|title=Teachers in UK report growing 'vocabulary deficiency'|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/apr/19/teachers-in-uk-report-growing-vocabulary-deficiency|access-date=November 11, 2020|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112033525/https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/apr/19/teachers-in-uk-report-growing-vocabulary-deficiency|url-status=live}} academic performance,{{Cite news|last=Busby|first=Eleanor|date=April 19, 2018|title=Children's grades at risk because they have narrow vocabulary, finds report|work=The Independent|department=Education|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/child-vocabulary-literacy-reading-word-primary-schools-a8311676.html|access-date=November 22, 2020|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109024047/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/child-vocabulary-literacy-reading-word-primary-schools-a8311676.html|url-status=live}} and future economic contributions. More recent research suggests that members of Generation Z read often, averaging two books a month. Readers from this cohort prefer print books to electronic ones.{{cite web |last1=Berens |first1=Kathi |last2=Noorda |first2=Rachel |title=Gen Z and millennials have an unlikely love affair with their local libraries |url=https://theconversation.com/gen-z-and-millennials-have-an-unlikely-love-affair-with-their-local-libraries-220632 |website=The Conversation |date=January 12, 2024 |access-date=January 5, 2025}} BookTok, a community on Tiktok, has many members from Generation Z.{{cite web |last1=Mathis |first1=Joel |title=Gen Z is bringing back reading |url=https://theweek.com/culture-life/books/gen-z-reading-book-club-booktok |website=The Week |date=February 14, 2024 |access-date=January 5, 2025}}

In New Zealand, child development psychologist Tom Nicholson noted a marked decline in vocabulary usage and reading among schoolchildren, many of whom are reluctant to use the dictionary. According to a 2008 survey{{needs update|date=March 2024}} by the National Education Monitoring Project, about one in five four-year and eight-year pupils read books as a hobby, a ten-percent drop from 2000.{{Cite news|last=Massey University|date=September 20, 2010|title=Vocabulary on decline due to fewer books|work=Phys.org|department=Social Sciences|url=https://phys.org/news/2010-09-vocabulary-decline-due.html|access-date=November 7, 2020|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126181459/https://phys.org/news/2010-09-vocabulary-decline-due.html|url-status=live}}

In the United Kingdom, a survey of 2,000 parents and children from 2013 by Nielsen Book found that 36% of children read books for pleasure on a daily basis, 60% on a weekly basis, and 72% were read to by their parents at least once per week. Among British children, the most popular leisure activities were watching television (36%), reading (32%), social networking (20%), watching YouTube videos (17%), and playing games on mobile phones (16%). Between 2012 and 2013, children reported spending more time with video games, YouTube, and texting but less time reading (down eight percent). Among children between the ages of 11 and 17, the share of non-readers grew from 13% to 27% between 2012 and 2013, those who read once to thrice a month (occasional readers) dropped from 45% to 38%, those who read for no more than an average of 15 minutes per week (light readers) rose from 23% to 27%, those who read between 15 and 45 minutes per week (medium readers) declined from 23% to 17%, and those who read at least 45 minutes a week (heavy readers) grew slightly from 15% to 16%.{{Cite news|last=Dredge|first=Stuart|date=September 26, 2013|title=Children's reading shrinking due to apps, games and YouTube|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/appsblog/2013/sep/26/children-reading-less-apps-games|access-date=November 7, 2020|archive-date=November 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106214929/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/appsblog/2013/sep/26/children-reading-less-apps-games|url-status=live}} In 2022, generation Z accounted for 80% of book purchases from 2021 to 2022 in the United Kingdom.{{cite web |last1=Mac Donnell |first1=Chloe |title=This article is more than 10 months old 'Reading is so sexy': gen Z turns to physical books and libraries |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/feb/09/reading-is-so-sexy-gen-z-turns-to-physical-books-and-libraries |website=The Guardian |date=February 9, 2024 |access-date=January 5, 2025}}

A survey by the National Literacy Trust from 2019 showed that only 26% of people below the age of 18 spent at least some time each day reading, the lowest level since records began in 2005. Interest in reading for pleasure declined with age, with five- to eight-year-olds being twice as likely to say they enjoyed reading compared to fourteen- to sixteen-year-olds. There was a significant gender gap in voluntary reading, with only 47% of boys compared to 60% of girls said they read for pleasure. One in three children reported having trouble finding something interesting to read.{{Cite news|last=Ferguson|first=Donna|date=February 29, 2020|title=Children are reading less than ever before, research reveals|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/feb/29/children-reading-less-says-new-research|access-date=November 7, 2020|archive-date=November 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101045021/https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/feb/29/children-reading-less-says-new-research|url-status=live}} The aforementioned Nielsen Book survey found that the share of British households with at least one electronic tablet rose from 24% to 50% between 2012 and 2013. According to a 2020 Childwise report based on interviews with 2,200 British children between the ages of five and sixteen, young people today are highly dependent on their mobile phones. Most now get their first device at the age of seven. By the age of eleven, having a cell phone became almost universal. Among those aged seven to sixteen, the average time spent on the phone each day is three and a third hours. 57% said they went to bed with their phones beside them and 44% told the interviewers they felt "uncomfortable" in the absence of their phones. Due to the nature of this technology—cell phones are personal and private devices—it can be difficult for parents to monitor their children's activities and shield them from inappropriate content.{{Cite news|last=Coughlan|first=Sean|date=January 30, 2020|title=Most children sleep with mobile phone beside bed|work=BBC News|department=Education|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/education-51296197|access-date=October 14, 2020|archive-date=November 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107145136/https://www.bbc.com/news/education-51296197|url-status=live}}

According to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), fourth graders in 2016 were markedly less enthusiastic about reading than their predecessors in 2001 in 13 out of 20 countries and territories surveyed while their parents were even less keen on reading than they were.{{Cite news |last=Barshay |first=Jill |date=May 17, 2021 |title=PROOF POINTS: Why reading comprehension is deteriorating |work=Hechinger Report |url=https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-why-reading-comprehension-is-deteriorating/ |access-date=August 7, 2023}}

File:2017 world map, median age by country.svg|Median age by country in years in 2017. The youth bulge is evident in parts of Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

File:World population pyramid (2018).jpg|Population pyramid of the world in 2018

Although many countries have aging populations and declining birth rates, Generation Z is currently the largest generation alive.{{Cite web|date=January 25, 2020|title=Generation Z is bigger than millennials — and they're out to change the world|url=https://nypost.com/2020/01/25/generation-z-is-bigger-than-millennials-and-theyre-out-to-change-the-world/|access-date=September 1, 2021|website=New York Post|language=en-US|archive-date=February 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203075848/https://nypost.com/2020/01/25/generation-z-is-bigger-than-millennials-and-theyre-out-to-change-the-world/|url-status=live}} Bloomberg's analysis of United Nations data predicted that, in 2019, members of Generation Z accounted for 2.47 billion (32%) of the 7.7 billion inhabitants of Earth, surpassing the Millennial population of 2.43 billion. The generational cutoff of Generation Z and Millennials for this analysis was placed at 2000 to 2001.{{Cite web|last1=Miller|first1=Lee|last2=Lu|first2=Wei|date=August 20, 2018|title=Gen Z Is Set to Outnumber Millennials Within a Year|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-20/gen-z-to-outnumber-millennials-within-a-year-demographic-trends|access-date=August 31, 2021|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|archive-date=September 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907135420/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-20/gen-z-to-outnumber-millennials-within-a-year-demographic-trends|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Forum|first=World Economic|date=August 27, 2018|title=Generation Z will outnumber Millennials by 2019|url=https://europeansting.com/2018/08/27/generation-z-will-outnumber-millennials-by-2019/|access-date=August 31, 2021|website=The European Sting - Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology|language=en|archive-date=August 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831234538/https://europeansting.com/2018/08/27/generation-z-will-outnumber-millennials-by-2019/|url-status=live}}

Generation Z currently comprises the majority of the population of Africa.{{Cite web|date=March 9, 2018|title=African Millennials: The Myths, The Reality|url=https://www.geopoll.com/blog/african-millennials-myths-reality/|access-date=September 1, 2021|website=GeoPoll|language=en-US|archive-date=September 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901005328/https://www.geopoll.com/blog/african-millennials-myths-reality/|url-status=live}} In 2017, 60% of the 1.2 billion people living in Africa fell below the age of 25.{{Cite web|title=Africa's growing youthful population: reflections on a continent at a tipping point|url=http://mo.ibrahim.foundation/news/2017/africas-growing-youthful-population-reflections-continent-tipping-point|access-date=September 1, 2021|website=Mo Ibrahim Foundation|language=en|archive-date=September 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901012352/https://mo.ibrahim.foundation/news/2017/africas-growing-youthful-population-reflections-continent-tipping-point|url-status=live}}

In 2019, 46% of the South African population, or 27.5 million people, are members of Generation Z.{{Cite web|date=July 1, 2020|title=Gen Z population credit-active has reached 10% in Africa [Partnered Content]|url=https://ventureburn.com/2020/07/gen-z-population-credit-active-has-reached-10-in-africa/|access-date=September 1, 2021|website=Ventureburn|language=en-ZA|archive-date=September 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901005328/https://ventureburn.com/2020/07/gen-z-population-credit-active-has-reached-10-in-africa/|url-status=live}}

Statistical projections from the United Nations in 2019 suggest that, in 2020, the people of Niger had a median age of 15.2, Mali 16.3, Chad 16.6, Somalia, Uganda, and Angola all 16.7, the Democratic Republic of the Congo 17.0, Burundi 17.3, Mozambique and Zambia both 17.6. This means that more than half of their populations were born in the first two decades of the 21st century. These are the world's youngest countries by median age.{{Cite news|last=Myers|first=Joe|date=August 30, 2019|title=19 of the world's 20 youngest countries are in Africa|work=World Economic Forum|url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/08/youngest-populations-africa/|access-date=December 6, 2019|archive-date=December 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207031815/https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/08/youngest-populations-africa/|url-status=live}}

According to a 2022 McKinsey & Company insight, Generation Z will account for a quarter of the population of the Asia-Pacific region by 2025, and possess a global spending power of approximately US$140bn by 2030.{{Cite web |date=June 7, 2022 |title=Mind the Gap: What do Gen Zers in Asia want? |url=https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/email/genz/2022/06/07/2022-06-07b.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129230054/https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/email/genz/2022/06/07/2022-06-07b.html |archive-date=January 29, 2023 |access-date=May 20, 2023 |website=www.mckinsey.com |language=en}}

As a result of cultural ideals, government policy, and modern medicine, there have been severe gender population imbalances in China and India. According to the United Nations, in 2018, there were 112 Chinese males for every hundred females ages 15 to 29; in India, there were 111 males for every hundred females in that age group. China had a total of 34 million excess males and India 37 million, more than the entire population of Malaysia. Together, China and India had a combined 50 million excess males under the age of 20. Such a discrepancy fuels loneliness epidemics, human trafficking (from elsewhere in Asia, such as Cambodia and Vietnam), and prostitution, among other societal problems.{{Cite news|last1=Deyner|first1=Simon|last2=Gowen|first2=Annie|date=April 24, 2018|title=Too many men: China and India battle with the consequences of gender imbalance|work=South China Morning Post|url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2142658/too-many-men-china-and-india-battle-consequences|access-date=December 6, 2019|archive-date=September 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926151041/https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2142658/too-many-men-china-and-india-battle-consequences|url-status=live}}

File:Population pyramid of China 2016.png

File:Population pyramid of India 2016.png

File:Population pyramid of Japan 2016.png

File:Population pyramid of Singapore 2016.png

Out of the approximately 66.8 million people of the UK in 2019, there were approximately 12.6 million people (18.8%) in Generation Z, if defined as those born from 1997 to 2012.{{Cite web|title=UK generation population 2019|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/528577/uk-population-by-generation/|access-date=2021-09-01|website=Statista|language=en|archive-date=September 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901005327/https://www.statista.com/statistics/528577/uk-population-by-generation/|url-status=live}}

Generation Z is the most diverse generation in the European Union in regards to national origin.{{Cite web|date=December 2020|title=Next generation or lost generation? Children, young people and the pandemic|url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2020/659404/EPRS_BRI(2020)659404_EN.pdf|access-date=August 31, 2021|website=European Parliament|archive-date=August 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831234538/https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2020/659404/EPRS_BRI(2020)659404_EN.pdf|url-status=live}} In Europe generally, 13.9% of those ages 14 and younger in 2019 (which includes older Generation Alpha) were born in another EU Member State, and 6.6% were born outside the EU. In Luxembourg, 20.5% were born in another country, largely within the EU (6.6% outside the EU compared to 13.9% in another member state); in Ireland, 12.0% were born in another country; in Sweden, 9.4% were born in another country, largely outside the EU (7.8% outside the EU compared to 1.6% in another member state). In Finland, 4.5% of people aged 14 and younger were born abroad and 10.6% had a foreign-background in 2021.{{Cite web|url=https://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_11rt.px/|title=Väestö 31.12. Muuttujina Maakunta, Taustamaa, Sukupuoli, Ikä, Syntyperä, Vuosi ja Tiedot|access-date=March 30, 2022|archive-date=April 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415184307/https://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_11rt.px/|url-status=dead}} However, Gen Z from eastern Europe is much more homogeneous: in Croatia, only 0.7% of those aged 14 and younger were foreign-born; in the Czech Republic, 1.1% aged 14 and younger were foreign-born.

Higher portions of those ages 15 to 29 in 2019 (which includes younger Millennials) were foreign born in Europe. Luxembourg had the highest share of young people (41.9%) born in a foreign country. More than 20% of this age group were foreign-born in Cyprus, Malta, Austria and Sweden. The highest shares of non-EU born young adults were found in Sweden, Spain and Luxemburg. Like with those under age 14, countries in eastern Europe generally have much smaller populations of foreign-born young adults. Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Latvia had the lowest shares of foreign-born young people, at 1.4 to 2.5% of the total age group.

Population pyramid of France 2016.png

Population pyramid of Greece 2016.png

Population pyramid of Russia 2016.png

{{See also|Aging of Canada|Aging of the United States}}

Data from Statistics Canada published in 2017 showed that Generation Z comprised 17.6% of the Canadian population.{{Cite news|last=Patel|first=Arti|date=June 18, 2018|title=Generation Z: Make room for Canada's connected, open and optimistic generation|work=Global News|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4211788/generation-z/|access-date=December 24, 2019|archive-date=December 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224195046/https://globalnews.ca/news/4211788/generation-z/|url-status=live}}File:Ethnic Composition of US Cohorts.pngA report by demographer William Frey of the Brookings Institution stated that in the United States, the Millennials are a bridge between the largely white pre-Millennials (Generation X and their predecessors) and the more diverse post-Millennials (Generation Z and their successors).{{cite web|last=Frey|first=William H.|date=January 2018|title=The millennial generation: A demographic bridge to America's diverse future|url=https://www.brookings.edu/research/millennials/|access-date=September 9, 2019|website=The Brookings Institution|archive-date=August 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810104201/https://www.brookings.edu/research/millennials/|url-status=live}} Frey's analysis of U.S. Census data suggests that as of 2019, 50.9% of Generation Z is white, 13.8% is black, 25.0% Hispanic, and 5.3% Asian.{{Cite web|last=Frey|first=William|date=June 24, 2019|title=Less than half of US children under 15 are white, census shows|url=https://www.brookings.edu/research/less-than-half-of-us-children-under-15-are-white-census-shows/|access-date=December 4, 2020|website=Brookings Institution|archive-date=December 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206090259/https://www.brookings.edu/research/less-than-half-of-us-children-under-15-are-white-census-shows/|url-status=live}} 29% of Generation Z are children of immigrants or immigrants themselves, compared to 23% of Millennials when they were at the same age.{{Cite news|last=Kight|first=Stef W.|date=December 14, 2019|title=Immigration is shaping the youngest generation of voters|work=Axios|url=https://www.axios.com/immigration-gen-z-voters-2020-presidential-election-33ee50d5-2863-4ab3-b9e5-3444a2926e8b.html|access-date=December 24, 2019|archive-date=December 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224214420/https://www.axios.com/immigration-gen-z-voters-2020-presidential-election-33ee50d5-2863-4ab3-b9e5-3444a2926e8b.html|url-status=live}}

Members of Generation Z are slightly less likely to be foreign-born than Millennials;{{cite web|date=November 15, 2018|title=Early Benchmarks Show 'Post-Millennials' on Track to Be Most Diverse, Best-Educated Generation Yet|url=https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018/11/15/early-benchmarks-show-post-millennials-on-track-to-be-most-diverse-best-educated-generation-yet/|access-date=May 11, 2019|website=Pew Research Center|archive-date=May 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510072915/https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018/11/15/early-benchmarks-show-post-millennials-on-track-to-be-most-diverse-best-educated-generation-yet/|url-status=live}} the fact that more American Latinos were born in the U.S. rather than abroad plays a role in making the first wave of Generation Z appear better educated than their predecessors. However, researchers warn that this trend could be altered by changing immigration patterns and the younger members of Generation Z choosing alternate educational paths.{{Cite news|last=Wang|first=Hansi|date=November 15, 2018|title=Generation Z Is The Most Racially And Ethnically Diverse Yet|publisher=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/11/15/668106376/generation-z-is-the-most-racially-and-ethnically-diverse-yet|access-date=August 6, 2019|archive-date=August 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806165523/https://www.npr.org/2018/11/15/668106376/generation-z-is-the-most-racially-and-ethnically-diverse-yet|url-status=live}} As a demographic cohort, Generation Z is smaller than the baby boomers and their children, the Millennials.{{Cite news|last=Kight|first=Stef W.|date=December 14, 2019|title=Young people are outnumbered and outvoted by older generations|work=Axios|url=https://www.axios.com/2020-election-youth-vote-gen-z-895c7c4b-3ee2-4068-8b83-96178249d3f0.html|access-date=December 24, 2019|archive-date=December 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224214437/https://www.axios.com/2020-election-youth-vote-gen-z-895c7c4b-3ee2-4068-8b83-96178249d3f0.html|url-status=live}} According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Generation Z makes up about one quarter of the U.S. population, as of 2015.{{cite web|last=Dill|first=Kathryn|date=November 6, 2015|title=7 Things Employers Should Know About The Gen Z Workforce|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathryndill/2015/11/06/7-things-employers-should-know-about-the-gen-z-workforce/|access-date=May 11, 2019|website=Forbes|archive-date=June 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605221717/https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathryndill/2015/11/06/7-things-employers-should-know-about-the-gen-z-workforce/|url-status=live}} There was an 'echo boom' in the 2000s, which certainly increased the absolute number of future young adults, but did not significantly change the relative sizes of this cohort compared to their parents.{{Cite news|last=Macunovich|first=Diane J.|date=September 8, 2015|title=Baby booms and busts: how population growth spurts affect the economy|work=The Conversation|url=https://theconversation.com/baby-booms-and-busts-how-population-growth-spurts-affect-the-economy-46056|access-date=November 14, 2020|archive-date=November 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114162256/https://theconversation.com/baby-booms-and-busts-how-population-growth-spurts-affect-the-economy-46056|url-status=live}}

According to a 2022 Gallup survey, 20.8%, or about one in five members of Gen Z identify as LGBTQ+.{{Cite web|date=February 17, 2022|title=LGBT Identification in U.S. Ticks Up to 7.1%|url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/389792/lgbt-identification-ticks-up.aspx|access-date=February 20, 2022|website=Gallup.com|language=en|archive-date=February 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220112440/https://news.gallup.com/poll/389792/lgbt-identification-ticks-up.aspx|url-status=live}}

File:Population pyramid of Canada 2016.png

File:Population pyramid of the United States 2016.png

File:Population pyramid of Mexico 2016.png

{{Clear}}

As consumers, members of Generation Z are typically reliant on the Internet to research their options and to place orders. They tend to be skeptical and will shun firms whose actions and values are contradictory.{{Cite news |date=January 19, 2023 |title=How to sell to the young |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/01/19/how-to-sell-to-the-young |access-date=January 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230122104027/https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/01/19/how-to-sell-to-the-young |archive-date=January 22, 2023}}{{Cite news |date=January 16, 2023 |title=How the young spend their money |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/business/2023/01/16/how-the-young-spend-their-money |access-date=January 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230128084943/https://www.economist.com/business/2023/01/16/how-the-young-spend-their-money |archive-date=January 28, 2023}} Their purchases are heavily influenced by trends promoted by "influencers" on social media,{{Cite news |last=Reice |first=Alex |date=December 1, 2021 |title=The most eco-conscious generation? Gen Z's fashion fixation suggests otherwise. |work=The Week |url=https://theweek.com/culture/1007212/gen-zs-fast-fashion-hypocrisy |access-date=January 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230129224124/https://theweek.com/culture/1007212/gen-zs-fast-fashion-hypocrisy |archive-date=January 29, 2023}}{{Cite news |last=Kale |first=Sirin |date=October 6, 2021 |title=Out of style: Will Gen Z ever give up its dangerous love of fast fashion? |work=The Guardian |department=Fashion |url=https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/oct/06/out-of-style-will-gen-z-ever-give-up-its-dangerous-love-of-fast-fashion |access-date=May 7, 2023}} as well as the fear of missing out (FOMO) and peer pressure.{{Cite news |last=Lovejoy |first=Ben |date=February 21, 2023 |title=Gen Z is key to Apple's dominance, due to their fear of green bubbles |work=9to5Mac |url=https://9to5mac.com/2023/02/21/gen-z-apple/ |access-date=May 7, 2023}} The need to be "trendy" is a prime motivator. Due to their relatively high income, Generation Z have higher spending habits. According to new research, they rely on social media to make purchasing decisions, with health and beauty products being the most consumed category on these platforms.{{Cite web |last=Roman |first=Edwin |date=2024-07-15 |title=Gen Z is projected to become the largest, wealthiest generation, according to report |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gen-z-is-projected-to-become-the-largest-wealthiest-generation-according-to-report-185059231.html |access-date=2024-07-16 |website=Yahoo Finance |language=en-US}}

In the West, while majorities might signal their support for certain ideals such as "environmental consciousness" to pollsters, actual purchases do not reflect their stated views, as can be seen from their high demand for cheap but not durable clothing ("fast fashion"), or preference for rapid delivery. Despite their socially progressive views, large numbers are still willing to purchase these items when human rights abuses in the developing countries that produce them are brought up. However, young Western consumers of this cohort are less likely to pay a premium for what they want compared to their counterparts from emerging economies. In the United Kingdom, Generation Z's general avoidance of alcohol and tobacco has noticeably reduced government revenue in the form of the 'sin tax'.{{Cite news |last=Rees |first=Tom |date=March 25, 2023 |title=Gen Z's Clean Living Means £14 Billion in Lost 'Sin Tax' for UK |work=Bloomberg |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-25/gen-z-s-clean-living-means-14-billion-in-lost-sin-tax-for-uk |access-date=March 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230325083952/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-25/gen-z-s-clean-living-means-14-billion-in-lost-sin-tax-for-uk |archive-date=March 25, 2023}} Indeed, many young Britons remain dependent on their parents to pay their bills in a stagnant economy and about a quarter spends virtually nothing on luxuries.{{Cite news |last=Borrett |first=Amy |date=November 4, 2024 |title=Does Gen Z have it tougher than previous generations? |url=https://www.ft.com/content/db076232-b674-485b-8693-a575caae4f06 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241104055704/https://www.ft.com/content/db076232-b674-485b-8693-a575caae4f06 |archive-date=November 4, 2024 |access-date=November 10, 2024 |work=Financial Times}}

According to the International Labor Organization (ILA), the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified youth unemployment, but unevenly. By 2022, youth unemployment stood at 12.7% in Africa, 20.5% in Latin America, and 8.3% in North America.{{Cite news |last=Schlein |first=Lisa |date=August 11, 2022 |title=COVID-19 Wreaks Havoc on Youth Employment |work=VOA News |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/6697547.html |access-date=July 21, 2023}} In the early 2020s, Chinese youths find themselves struggling with job hunting. University education offers little help.{{Cite news |last=Tsoi |first=Grace |date=June 10, 2023 |title=Kong Yiji: The memes that lay bare China's youth disillusionment |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-65425941 |access-date=July 21, 2023}} In fact, due to the mismatch between education and the job market, those with no university qualifications are less likely to be unemployed.{{Cite news |date=May 31, 2023 |title=China's young want to work. For the government. |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/china/2023/05/31/chinas-young-want-to-work-for-the-government |access-date=July 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230531215259/https://www.economist.com/china/2023/05/31/chinas-young-want-to-work-for-the-government |archive-date=May 31, 2023}} By June 2023, China's unemployment rate for people aged 16 to 24 was about one fifth.{{Cite news |last1=Liang |first1=Annabelle |last2=Marsh |first2=Nick |date=July 17, 2023 |title=China youth unemployment hits high as recovery falters |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-66219007 |access-date=July 21, 2023}}

In Germany, some public officials are recommending shorter work weeks at the same salary levels in spite of the struggling German economy. The situation is similar in other European countries.{{Cite news |last=Fairless |first=Tom |date=July 17, 2023 |title=Europeans Are Becoming Poorer. 'Yes, We're All Worse Off.' |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/europeans-poorer-inflation-economy-255eb629 |access-date=July 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230717040441/https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/europeans-poorer-inflation-economy-255eb629 |archive-date=July 17, 2023}} In the United Kingdom, Generation Z is facing a gig economy with precarious prospects and stagnant wages. Many young Europeans with high skills are leaving their home countries for places that offer more job opportunities, higher salaries, and lower taxes; they typically choose another country in Europe with a stronger economy or the United States.{{Cite news |last=Garcia |first=Pedro |date=February 24, 2025 |title=Countries compete to keep skilled young workers |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj30xr1vy2lo |access-date=March 19, 2025 |work=BBC News}} In the United States, the youth unemployment rate (16–24) was 7.5% in May 2023, the lowest in 70 years.{{Cite news |last=Napolitano |first=Elizabeth |date=May 17, 2023 |title=The class of 2023 is entering the strongest job market in 70 years |work=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/youth-unemployment-70-year-low-epi-class-of-2023/ |access-date=July 21, 2023}} American high-school graduates could join the job market right away,{{Cite news |last=Moody |first=Josh |date=May 26, 2022 |title=A 5th Straight Semester of Enrollment Declines |work=Inside Higher Education |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/05/26/nsc-report-shows-total-enrollment-down-41-percent |access-date=August 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220817192456/https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/08/16/higher-ed-must-change-or-die-opinion |archive-date=August 17, 2022}} with employers offering them generous bonuses, high wages, and apprenticeship programs in order to offset the ongoing labor shortage.{{Cite news |last=Binkley |first=Collin |date=March 9, 2023 |title=Jaded with education, more Americans are skipping college |work=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/skipping-college-student-loans-trade-jobs-efc1f6d6067ab770f6e512b3f7719cc0 |access-date=March 9, 2023}} Generation Z in the United States are projected to be the wealthiest generation compared to previous generations at the same age. The average individual has an annual salary that is $40,000 higher than that of previous generations.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-15 |title=Gen Z is projected to become the largest, wealthiest generation, according to report |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gen-z-is-projected-to-become-the-largest-wealthiest-generation-according-to-report-185059231.html |access-date=2024-07-16 |website=Yahoo Finance |language=en-US}}

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Since the mid-20th century, enrollment rates in primary schools has increased significantly in developing countries.{{Cite journal|last1=Worthman|first1=Carol|last2=Trang|first2=Kathy|date=2018|title=Dynamics of body time, social time and life history at adolescence|journal=Nature|volume=554|issue=7693|pages=451–457|bibcode=2018Natur.554..451W|doi=10.1038/nature25750|pmid=29469099|s2cid=4407844}} In 2019, the OECD completed a study showing that while education spending was up 15% over the previous decade, academic performance had stagnated.{{Cite news |last=Chhor |first=Khatya |date=December 8, 2016 |title=French students rank last in EU for maths, study finds |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20161129-french-students-rank-last-europe-eu-maths-science-timss-study |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108130227/https://www.france24.com/en/20161129-french-students-rank-last-europe-eu-maths-science-timss-study |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |access-date=December 9, 2020 |work=France24}} Results from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2019 showed that the highest-scoring students in mathematics came from Asian polities and Russia. The OECD's Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests administered in 2022 unveiled the continuation of a long-term decline in reading and mathematical skills since the early 2010s. In other words, the COVID-19 pandemic was only one contributing factor.{{Cite news |last=Thomas |first=Leigh |date=December 5, 2023 |title=Mathematics, reading skills in unprecedented decline in teenagers |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/mathematics-reading-skills-unprecedented-decline-teenagers-oecd-survey-2023-12-05/ |access-date=October 2, 2024 |work=Reuters}} Even so, fifteen-year-old students (tenth graders) from Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan were largely unaffected or even saw an improvement. Once high-performing European countries—Iceland, Sweden, and Finland—continued their years-long decline. The U.S. national average remained behind those of other industrialized nations.{{Cite news |date=December 5, 2023 |title=OECD education survey shows 'unprecedented' drop in student performance |url=https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20231205-oecd-education-survey-shows-unprecedented-drop-in-student-performance |access-date=January 7, 2024 |work=France24}}{{Cite news |last=Saric |first=Ivana |date=December 5, 2023 |title=U.S. students' math scores plunge in global education assessment |url=https://www.axios.com/2023/12/05/us-students-pisa-global-assessment |access-date=January 7, 2024 |work=Axios}}

By 2024, many places around the world have decided to ban the use of mobile phones in the classroom to help their students concentrate better.{{Cite news |last1=Stechyson |first1=Natalie |last2=Fraser |first2=Ashley |date=August 29, 2024 |title=There are cellphone bans in schools around the world. Do any of them work? |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/cellphone-bans-schools-world-1.7304816 |access-date=October 26, 2024 |work=CBC News}}

Different nations and territories approach the question of how to nurture gifted students differently. During the 2000s and 2010s, whereas the Middle East and East Asia (especially China, Hong Kong, and South Korea) and Singapore actively sought them out and steered them towards top programs, Europe and the United States had in mind the goal of inclusion and chose to focus on helping struggling students. In 2010, for example, China unveiled a decade-long National Talent Development Plan to identify able students and guide them into STEM fields and careers in high demand; that same year, England dismantled its National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth and redirected the funds to help low-scoring students get admitted to elite universities. Developmental cognitive psychologist David Geary observed that Western educators remained "resistant" to the possibility that even the most talented of schoolchildren needed encouragement and support and tended to concentrate on low performers. In addition, even though it is commonly believed that past a certain IQ benchmark (typically 120), practice becomes much more important than cognitive abilities in mastering new knowledge, recently published research papers based on longitudinal studies, such as the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY) and the Duke University Talent Identification Program, suggest otherwise.

Since the early 2000s, the number of students from emerging economies going abroad for higher education has risen markedly. This was a golden age of growth for many Western universities admitting international students.{{Cite news |last=Birrell |first=Hamish |date=November 17, 2020 |title=A golden age for universities will come to an end |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2020/11/17/a-golden-age-for-universities-will-come-to-an-end |access-date=December 31, 2020 |archive-date=December 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230222009/https://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2020/11/17/a-golden-age-for-universities-will-come-to-an-end |url-status=live }} In the late 2010s, around five million students traveled abroad each year for higher education, with the developed world being the most popular destinations and China the biggest source of international students. In 2019, the United States was the most popular destination for international students, with 30% of its international student body coming from mainland China, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan.{{Cite news |last=Watanabe |first=Shin |date=November 4, 2020 |title=US visas for Chinese students tumble 99% as tensions rise |work=Nikkei Asia |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/US-visas-for-Chinese-students-tumble-99-as-tensions-rise2 |url-status=live |access-date=February 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206005858/https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/US-visas-for-Chinese-students-tumble-99-as-tensions-rise2 |archive-date=February 6, 2021}} Among children of the Chinese ruling class ("princelings"), attending elite institutions in the United States was commonplace and seen as a status symbol,{{Cite news |last1=Higgins |first1=Andrew |last2=Fan |first2=Maureen |date=May 19, 2012 |title=Chinese communist leaders denounce U.S. values but send children to U.S. colleges |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinese-communist-leaders-denounce-us-values-but-send-children-to-us-colleges/2012/05/18/gIQAiEidZU_story.html |access-date=May 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140325024706/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinese-communist-leaders-denounce-us-values-but-send-children-to-us-colleges/2012/05/18/gIQAiEidZU_story.html |archive-date=March 25, 2014}} but the deterioration of Sino-American relations as exemplified by President Donald Trump's entry restrictions on Chinese students in addition to the complications produced by the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the number of Chinese students enrolling in many American colleges and universities. But even before the pandemic, undergraduate and graduate enrollments of native-born American citizens have both been in decline,{{Cite news |last=Nadworny |first=Elissa |date=May 25, 2018 |title=Why Is Undergraduate College Enrollment Declining? |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/05/25/614315950/why-is-undergraduate-college-enrollment-declining |access-date=November 28, 2019 |work=NPR |department=Education}}{{Cite news |last=Moody |first=Josh |date=May 26, 2022 |title=A 5th Straight Semester of Enrollment Declines |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/05/26/nsc-report-shows-total-enrollment-down-41-percent |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220817192456/https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/08/16/higher-ed-must-change-or-die-opinion |archive-date=August 17, 2022 |access-date=August 21, 2022 |work=Inside Higher Education}} while trade schools continue to attract growing numbers of students due to a shortage of high-skilled blue-collar workers.{{Cite news |last1=Steinberg |first1=Anya |last2=Nadworny |first2=Elissa |date=March 28, 2022 |title=Community college enrollment is down, but skilled-trades programs are booming |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/03/28/1086454046/2-year-skilled-trades-programs-booming |access-date=May 2, 2023 |work=NPR}}{{Cite news |last=Sanchez |first=Olivia |date=April 17, 2023 |title=While some students skip college, trade programs are booming |url=https://apnews.com/article/community-college-trade-school-075d7e7e2b0dc659920a9be6d054c8b2 |access-date=April 17, 2023 |work=Associated Press}} Since the 2000s, numerous institutions of higher learning have permanently closed.{{Cite news |last=Barshay |first=Jill |date=November 21, 2022 |title=PROOF POINTS: 861 colleges and 9,499 campuses have closed down since 2004 |url=https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-861-colleges-and-9499-campuses-have-closed-down-since-2004/ |access-date=January 16, 2023 |work=Hechinger Report}}{{Cite news |last=Surjadi |first=Milla |date=August 19, 2024 |title=A New Problem With Four-Year Degrees: The Surge in College Closures |url=https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/a-new-problem-with-four-year-degrees-the-surge-in-college-closures-7f68c4aa |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240826224841/https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/a-new-problem-with-four-year-degrees-the-surge-in-college-closures-7f68c4aa |archive-date=August 26, 2024 |access-date=September 29, 2024 |work=The Wall Street Journal}} These trends have led to the speculation that the higher-education bubble in the United States might deflate.{{Cite news |date=August 8, 2020 |title=Covid-19 will be painful for universities, but also bring change |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/08/08/covid-19-will-be-painful-for-universities-but-also-bring-change |access-date=December 3, 2020 |archive-date=December 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203001722/https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/08/08/covid-19-will-be-painful-for-universities-but-also-bring-change |url-status=live }} But among the top colleges and universities, there is still growth in the number of applicants.{{Cite news |last=Dickler |first=Jessica |date=February 22, 2023 |title=More colleges set to close even as top schools experience application boom |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/22/more-colleges-to-close-even-as-top-schools-experience-application-boom.html |access-date=April 1, 2023 |work=CNBC}} This is due partly to students sending their applications to more schools for a chance of getting admitted{{Cite news |last=Kirshner |first=Jodie Adams |date=January 8, 2023 |title=Why Some Students Are Skipping College |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/student-college-debt-biden-cancellation-forgiveness/672655/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230108145739/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/student-college-debt-biden-cancellation-forgiveness/672655/ |archive-date=January 8, 2023 |access-date=May 26, 2023 |work=The Atlantic}} and because these institutions have not significantly expanded their capacities.{{Cite news |last1=Petrilli |first1=Michael J. |last2=Enamorado |first2=Pedro |date=March 24, 2020 |title=Yes, It Really Is Harder to Get into Highly Selective Colleges Today |url=https://www.educationnext.org/yes-it-really-is-harder-to-get-into-highly-selective-colleges-today-comparison-sat-scores-over-time/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024195730/https://www.educationnext.org/yes-it-really-is-harder-to-get-into-highly-selective-colleges-today-comparison-sat-scores-over-time/ |archive-date=October 24, 2020 |access-date=February 19, 2021 |work=Education Next}} Although international enrollments rebounded post-pandemic,{{Cite news |last=Thompson |first=Carolyn |date=March 25, 2025 |title=International students weigh new risks of pursuing higher education in the US under Trump |url=https://apnews.com/article/college-admissions-international-student-enrollment-trump-fd8b6b8f298629bbcc7339568b1c76f3 |access-date=May 5, 2025 |work=Associated Press}} with a surge of students coming from India and sub-Saharan Africa,{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=Nick |date=November 13, 2023 |title=With surge from India, international students flock to United States |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/11/13/us-colleges-international-students-increase-post-pandemic |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231114184703/https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/11/13/us-colleges-international-students-increase-post-pandemic/ |archive-date=November 14, 2023 |access-date=October 26, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} dependency on foreign students is a long-term liability for many American schools,{{Cite news |last=Seltzer |first=Rick |date=September 15, 2016 |title=The International Bubble |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/09/26/panelists-warn-international-student-bubble |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230517204723/https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/09/26/panelists-warn-international-student-bubble |archive-date=May 17, 2023 |access-date=May 17, 2023 |work=Inside Higher Education}} which now face a political zeitgeist that has turned against immigration. Meanwhile, in Canada, the government has cut the number of international student visas granted each year in response to growing public disapproval of current levels of immigration.{{Cite news |last1=Yousif |first1=Nadine |last2=Murphy |first2=Jessica |date=October 26, 2024 |title=How Canada soured on immigration |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp9z5rpgkyeo |access-date=October 26, 2024 |work=BBC News}} The same thing happened in Australia.{{Cite news |last=Turnbull |first=Tiffany |date=November 16, 2024 |title='Dreams quashed': Foreign students and universities fear Australia's visa cap |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c207kgd4l22o |access-date=May 7, 2025 |work=BBC News}}

Because China's expansion of higher education was done for political rather than economic reasons, the country is currently overproducing university graduates, who are struggling to find white-collar jobs that match their education.{{Cite news |last=Tong |first=Haoyu |date=July 19, 2023 |title=A Higher Education Bubble Stretches China's Blue-Collar Economy |url=https://thediplomat.com/2023/07/a-higher-education-bubble-stretches-chinas-blue-collar-economy/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230721052412/https://thediplomat.com/2023/07/a-higher-education-bubble-stretches-chinas-blue-collar-economy/ |archive-date=July 21, 2023 |access-date=July 21, 2023 |work=The Diplomat}} In 2023, as many as one in five Chinese graduates struggled to find gainful employment.{{Cite news |last=Tsoi |first=Grace |date=June 10, 2023 |title=Kong Yiji: The memes that lay bare China's youth disillusionment |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-65425941 |access-date=July 21, 2023 |work=BBC News}} Enrollment in higher education was just under 60% during the early 2020s, compared to around 40% in the United States. In response, the government has recommended that students and their families consider vocational training programs to fill factory jobs.{{Cite news |last=Liu |first=Lucille |date=April 2, 2025 |title=China Tells Kids to Study Manufacturing to Fill Factory Jobs |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-02/china-worker-shortage-has-xi-telling-kids-to-study-manufacturing |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250402040636/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-02/china-worker-shortage-has-xi-telling-kids-to-study-manufacturing |archive-date=April 2, 2025 |access-date=May 7, 2025 |work=Bloomberg}}

{{See also|Youth mental health crisis|Loneliness epidemic|Suicide contagion}}

In general, teenagers and young adults are especially vulnerable to depression and anxiety due to the changes to the brain during adolescence.{{Cite journal |last=Svoboda |first=Elizabeth |date=January 2024 |title=Intervention at an Early Age Can Help Hold Off the Onset of Depression |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/intervention-at-an-early-age-may-hold-off-the-onset-of-depression/ |journal=Scientific American |volume=330 |issue=1 |pages=50–57|doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0124-50 |pmid=39017378 }} While materially well off, young people today commonly perceive the world in which they live to be highly precarious, complex, and ambiguous, which has a negative effect on their mental well-being.{{Cite journal |last=Wright |first=Megan |date=January–February 2025 |title=When Do You Become Grown-up? |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/202501/what-it-means-to-be-an-adult-today |journal=Psychology Today |pages=27–29}} A 2020 meta-analysis found that the most common psychiatric disorders among adolescents were ADHD, anxiety disorders, behavioral disorders, and depression, consistent with a previous one from 2015. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) indicate that while the percentages of teenagers reporting mental-health issues (such as psychological distress and loneliness) remained approximately the same during the 2000s, they steadily increased during the 2010s.{{Cite book |last=Twenge |first=Jean |title=Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What The Mean for America's Future |publisher=Atria Books |year=2023 |isbn=978-1-9821-8161-1 |location=New York |chapter=Chapter 7: Generation Z}} While the COVID-19 pandemic has damaged the mental health of people of all ages, the increase was most noticeable for people aged 15 to 24. A 2021 UNICEF report stated that 13% of ten- to nineteen-year-olds around the world had a diagnosed mental health disorder whilst suicide was the fourth most common cause of death among fifteen- to nineteen-year-olds. It commented that "disruption to routines, education, recreation, as well as concern for family income, health and increase in stress and anxiety, [caused by the COVID-19 pandemic] is leaving many children and young people feeling afraid, angry and concerned for their future." It also noted that the pandemic had widely disrupted mental health services.{{Cite web |title=PREVENTING A LOST DECADE: Urgent action to reverse the devastating impact of COVID-19 on children and young people |url=https://www.unicef.org/media/112841/file/UNICEF%2075%20report.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203075812/https://www.unicef.org/media/112841/file/UNICEF%2075%20report.pdf |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |access-date=11 December 2021 |publisher=Unicef |page=24}} Anxiety over climate change has compounded the problem.{{Cite journal |last1=Hickman |first1=Caroline |last2=Mark |first2=Elizabeth |display-authors=1 |date=December 2021 |title=Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34895496/ |journal=Lancet Planet Health |volume=5 |issue=12 |pages=e863–e873 |doi=10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00278-3 |pmid=34895496 |s2cid=263447086 |hdl-access=free |hdl=10138/337441}} Though males remain more likely than females to commit suicide, the prevalence of suicide among teenage girls has risen significantly during the 2010s in many countries.{{Cite news |date=May 3, 2023 |title=Suicide rates for girls are rising. Are smartphones to blame? |url=https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/05/03/suicide-rates-for-girls-are-rising-are-smartphones-to-blame |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230504214521/https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/05/03/suicide-rates-for-girls-are-rising-are-smartphones-to-blame |archive-date=May 4, 2023 |access-date=May 5, 2023 |newspaper=The Economist}} For example, data from the British National Health Service (NHS) showed that in England, hospitalizations for self-harm doubled among teenage girls between 1997 and 2018, but there was no parallel development among boys.

In some Western countries—Australia, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and parts of the United States—intervention programs have been set up to prevent depression among teenagers. However, funding has been limited.

Sleep deprivation is on the rise among contemporary youths,{{Cite journal|last1=Lo|first1=June|last2=Chee|first2=Michael WL|date=June 2020|title=Cognitive effects of multi-night adolescent sleep restriction: current data and future possibilities|journal=Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences|volume=33|pages=34–41|doi=10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.12.005|doi-access=free}}{{Cite journal|last=Kansagra|first=Sujay|date=May 2020|title=Sleep Disorders in Adolescents|journal=Pediatrics|publisher=American Academy of Pediatrics|volume=145|issue=Supplement 2|pages=S204–S209|doi=10.1542/peds.2019-2056I|pmid=32358212|doi-access=free}} due to a combination of poor sleep hygiene, caffeine intake, beds that are too warm, a mismatch between biologically preferred sleep schedules at around puberty and social demands, insomnia, growing homework load, and having too many extracurricular activities.{{Cite news|last=University of Rochester|date=January 9, 2020|title=Parents aren't powerless when it comes to sleep-deprived teenagers|work=Science Daily|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200109130203.htm|access-date=January 1, 2021|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417175707/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200109130203.htm|url-status=live}} Consequences of sleep deprivation include low mood, worse emotional regulation, anxiety, depression, increased likelihood of self-harm, suicidal ideation, and impaired cognitive functioning. In addition, teenagers and young adults who prefer to stay up late tend to have high levels of anxiety, impulsivity, alcohol intake, and tobacco smoking.{{Cite news|last=University of Surrey|date=December 14, 2020|title=Young people who go to bed later drink and smoke more due to their impulsivity|work=Science Daily|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201214104708.htm|access-date=January 5, 2021|archive-date=February 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203075846/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201214104708.htm|url-status=live}} A study by Glasgow University found that the number of schoolchildren in Scotland reporting sleep difficulties increased from 23% in 2014 to 30% in 2018. 37% of teenagers were deemed to have low mood (33% males and 41% females), and 14% were at risk of depression (11% males and 17% females). Older girls faced high pressure from schoolwork, friendships, family, career preparation, maintaining a good body image and good health.{{Cite news|date=January 30, 2020|title=Sleep deprivation makes Scots teenage girls' anxiety worse|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-51302485|access-date=December 4, 2020|archive-date=February 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203075815/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-51302485|url-status=live}}

In Canada, teenagers sleep on average between 6.5 and 7.5 hours each night, much less than what the Canadian Paediatric Society recommends, 10 hours.{{Cite news|last=McCue|first=Duncan|date=January 29, 2019|title=Lack of sleep is 'epidemic' among Canadian teens. Here's why it has doctors worried|publisher=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/national-sleep-deprivation-teenagers-youth-learning-1.4929842|access-date=December 4, 2020|archive-date=February 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203075901/https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/national-sleep-deprivation-teenagers-youth-learning-1.4929842|url-status=live}} According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, only one out of five children who needed mental health services received it. In Ontario, for instance, the number of teenagers getting medical treatment for self-harm doubled in 2019 compared to ten years prior. The number of suicides has also gone up. Various factors that increased youth anxiety and depression include over-parenting,{{Cite journal|last1=Curran|first1=Thomas|last2=Hill|first2=Andrew P|date=July 2022|title=Young people's perceptions of their parents' expectations and criticism are increasing over time: Implications for perfectionism|journal=Psychological Bulletin|volume=148|issue=1–2 |pages=107–128|doi=10.1037/bul0000347|doi-access=free|pmid=35357848 }} perfectionism (especially with regards to schoolwork),{{Cite journal|last1=Curran|first1=Thomas|last2=Hill|first2=Andrew P|date=January 2019|title=Perfectionism Is Increasing Over Time: A Meta-Analysis of Birth Cohort Differences From 1989 to 2016|journal=Psychological Bulletin|volume=145|issue=4 |pages=410–429|doi=10.1037/bul0000138|doi-access=free|pmid=29283599 }} social isolation, social-media use, financial problems, housing worries, and concern over some global issues such as climate change.{{Cite news|last=CBC Radio|date=December 13, 2019|title=The mental health crisis among young Canadians|work=CBC Radio|department=Sunday Magazine|url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/sunday/the-sunday-edition-for-december-15-2019-1.5393079/the-mental-health-crisis-among-young-canadians-1.5393085|access-date=December 26, 2020|archive-date=February 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203075852/https://www.cbc.ca/radio/sunday/the-sunday-edition-for-december-15-2019-1.5393079/the-mental-health-crisis-among-young-canadians-1.5393085|url-status=live}}

A 2010 meta-analysis by an international team of mental health experts found that the worldwide prevalence of intellectual disability (ID) was around one percent. But the share of individuals with such a condition in low- to middle-income countries were up to twice as high as their wealthier counterparts. The researchers also found that ID was more common among children and adolescents than adults. A 2020 literature review and meta-analysis confirmed that the incidence of ID was indeed more common than estimates from the early 2000s.

In 2013, a team of neuroscientists from the University College London published a paper on how neurodevelopmental disorders can affect a child's educational outcome. They found that up to 10% of the human population have specific learning disabilities or about two to three children in a (Western) classroom. Such conditions include dyscalculia, dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder.{{Cite news|last=University College London|date=April 18, 2013|title=Learning disabilities affect up to 10 percent of children|work=Science Daily|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130418142309.htm|access-date=September 13, 2020|archive-date=March 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331050132/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130418142309.htm|url-status=live}}{{Cite journal|last1=Butterworth|first1=Brian|last2=Kovas|first2=Yulia|date=April 19, 2013|title=Understanding Neurocognitive Developmental Disorders Can Improve Education for All|url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1231022|journal=Science|volume=340|issue=6130|pages=300–305|bibcode=2013Sci...340..300B|doi=10.1126/science.1231022|pmid=23599478|s2cid=15050021}} A 2017 study from the Dominican Republic suggests that students from all sectors of the educational system utilize the Internet for academic purposes, yet those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds tend to rank the lowest in terms of reading comprehension skills.{{Cite journal|last1=Amiama-Espaillat|first1=Cristina|last2=Mayor-Ruiz|first2=Cristina|year=2017|title=Digital Reading and Reading Competence – The influence in the Z Generation from the Dominican Republic|journal=Comunicar|language=es|volume=25|issue=52|pages=105–114|doi=10.3916/c52-2017-10|issn=1134-3478|doi-access=free|hdl=10272/14092|hdl-access=free}}

A 2020 report by psychologist John Protzko analyzed over 30 studies and found that children have become better at delaying gratification over the previous 50 years, corresponding to an average increase of 0.18 standard deviations per decade on the IQ scale. This is contrary to the opinion of the majority of the 260 cognitive experts polled (84%), who thought this ability was deteriorating. Researchers test this ability using the Marshmallow Test. Children are offered treats: if they are willing to wait, they get two; if not, they only get one. The ability to delay gratification is associated with positive life outcomes, such as better academic performance, lower rates of substance use, and healthier body weights. Possible reasons for improvements in the delaying gratification include higher standards of living, better-educated parents, improved nutrition, higher preschool attendance rates, more test awareness, and environmental or genetic changes. Some other cognitive abilities, such as simple reaction time, color acuity, working memory, the complexity of vocabulary usage, and three-dimensional visuospatial reasoning have shown signs of secular decline.

In a 2018 paper, cognitive scientists James R. Flynn and Michael Shayer argued that the observed gains in IQ during the 20th century—commonly known as the Flynn effect—had either stagnated or reversed, as can be seen from a combination of IQ and Piagetian tests. In the Nordic nations, there was a clear decline in general intelligence starting in the 1990s, an average of 6.85 IQ points if projected over 30 years. In Australia and France, the data remained ambiguous; more research was needed. In the United Kingdom, young children experienced a decline in the ability to perceive weight and heaviness, with heavy losses among top scorers. In German-speaking countries, young people saw a fall in spatial reasoning ability but an increase in verbal reasoning skills. In the Netherlands, preschoolers and perhaps schoolchildren stagnated (but seniors gained) in cognitive skills. What this means is that people were gradually moving away from abstraction to concrete thought. On the other hand, the United States continued its historic march towards higher IQ, a rate of 0.38 per decade, at least up until 2014. South Korea saw its IQ scores growing at twice the average U.S. rate. The secular decline of cognitive abilities observed in many developed countries might be caused by diminishing marginal returns due to industrialization and to intellectually stimulating environments for preschoolers, the cultural shifts that led to frequent use of electronic devices, the fall in cognitively demanding tasks in the job market in contrast to the 20th century, and possibly dysgenic fertility.{{Cite journal|last1=Flynn|first1=James R.|last2=Shayer|first2=Michael|date=January–February 2018|title=IQ decline and Piaget: Does the rot start at the top?|url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2017.11.010|journal=Intelligence|volume=66|pages=112–121|doi=10.1016/j.intell.2017.11.010|access-date=September 29, 2020|archive-date=February 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203075830/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160289617302787?via%3Dihub|url-status=live}}

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A 2015 study found that the frequency of nearsightedness has doubled in the United Kingdom within the last 50 years. Ophthalmologist Steve Schallhorn, chairman of the Optical Express International Medical Advisory Board, noted that research has pointed to a link between the regular use of handheld electronic devices and eyestrain. The American Optometric Association sounded the alarm in a similar vein.{{Cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct-child-vision-problem-computer-balancing-20150716-column.html#nt=standard-embed|title=Too much screen time could be damaging kids' eyesight|last=Stevens|first=Heidi|date=July 16, 2015|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=September 8, 2019|archive-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219163818/https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct-child-vision-problem-computer-balancing-20150716-column.html#nt=standard-embed|url-status=live}} According to a spokeswoman, digital eyestrain, or computer vision syndrome, is "rampant, especially as we move toward smaller devices and the prominence of devices increase in our everyday lives." Symptoms include dry and irritated eyes, fatigue, eye strain, blurry vision, difficulty focusing, headaches. However, the syndrome does not cause vision loss or any other permanent damage. To alleviate or prevent eyestrain, the Vision Council recommends that people limit screen time, take frequent breaks, adjust the screen brightness, change the background from bright colors to gray, increase text sizes, and blinking more often. Parents should not only limit their children's screen time but should also lead by example.{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/25/digital-eye-strain/4491611/|title=Digital device use leads to eye strain, even in kids|last=Hellmich|first=Nanci|date=January 25, 2014|work=USA Today|access-date=September 8, 2019|archive-date=August 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829014925/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/25/digital-eye-strain/4491611/|url-status=live}}

While food allergies have been observed by doctors since ancient times and virtually all foods can be allergens, research by the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota found they have been growing increasingly common since the early 2000s. Today, one in twelve American children has a food allergy, with peanut allergy being the most prevalent type. Reasons for this remain poorly understood.{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/10/03/the-prevalence-of-peanut-allergy-has-trebled-in-15-years?cid1=cust%2Fdailypicks1%2Fn%2Fbl%2Fn%2F2019103n%2Fowned%2Fn%2Fn%2Fdailypicks1%2Fn%2Fn%2FNA%2F319028%2Fn|title=The prevalence of peanut allergy has trebled in 15 years|last=Graphic Detail|date=October 3, 2019|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=October 3, 2019|department=Daily Chart|archive-date=October 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191004004124/https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/10/03/the-prevalence-of-peanut-allergy-has-trebled-in-15-years%3Fcid1%3Dcust/dailypicks1/n/bl/n/2019103n/owned/n/n/dailypicks1/n/n/NA/319028/n|url-status=live}} Nut allergies in general have quadrupled and shellfish allergies have increased 40% between 2004 and 2019. In all, about 36% of American children have some kind of allergy. By comparison, this number among the Amish in Indiana is 7%. Allergies have also risen ominously in other Western countries. In the United Kingdom, for example, the number of children hospitalized for allergic reactions increased by a factor of five between 1990 and the late 2010s, as did the number of British children allergic to peanuts. In general, the better developed the country, the higher the rates of allergies.{{Cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/health/why-everybody-is-suddenly-allergic-to-everything|title=Why everybody is suddenly allergic to everything|date=July 30, 2019|work=National Post|access-date=November 24, 2019|department=Health|archive-date=September 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926151054/https://nationalpost.com/health/why-everybody-is-suddenly-allergic-to-everything|url-status=live}} Reasons for this remain poorly understood. One possible explanation, supported by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is that parents keep their children "too clean for their own good". They recommend exposing newborn babies to a variety of potentially allergenic foods, such as peanut butter before they reach the age of six months. According to this "hygiene hypothesis", such exposures give the infant's immune system some exercise, making it less likely to overreact. Evidence for this includes the fact that children living on a farm are consistently less likely to be allergic than their counterparts who are raised in the city, and that children born in a developed country to parents who immigrated from developing nations are more likely to be allergic than their parents are.

A research article published in 2019 in the journal The Lancet reported that the number of South Africans aged 15 to 19 being treated for HIV increased by a factor of ten between 2010 and 2019. This is partly due to improved detection and treatment programs. However, less than 50% of the people diagnosed with HIV went onto receive antiviral medication due to social stigma, concerns about clinical confidentiality, and domestic responsibilities. While the annual number of deaths worldwide due to HIV/AIDS has declined from its peak in the early 2000s, experts warned that this venereal disease could rebound if the world's booming adolescent population is left unprotected.{{Cite news|url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/south-africa-teens-hiv-aids-surge-11963620|title=10-fold surge in South Africa teens treated for HIV: Study|date=October 2, 2019|publisher=Channel NewsAsia|access-date=October 16, 2019|archive-date=October 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016143410/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/south-africa-teens-hiv-aids-surge-11963620|url-status=dead}}

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveal that 46% of Australians aged 18 to 24, about a million people, were overweight in 2017 and 2018. That number was 39% in 2014 and 2015. Obese individuals face higher risks of type II diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, and stroke. The Australian Medical Associated and Obesity Coalition have urged the federal government to levy a tax on sugary drinks, to require health ratings, and to regulate the advertisement of fast foods. In all, the number of Australian adults who are overweight or obese rose from 63% in 2014–15 to 67% in 2017–18.{{Cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/almost-half-young-adults-now-overweight-or-obese-new-abs-data-shows-20190930-p52w8i.html|title=Almost half young adults now overweight or obese, new ABS data shows|last=McCauley|first=Dana|date=September 30, 2019|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=October 18, 2019|archive-date=October 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018151657/https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/almost-half-young-adults-now-overweight-or-obese-new-abs-data-shows-20190930-p52w8i.html|url-status=live}}

File:02019 0087 Abschied der Sommerferien bei Sanok.jpg

In Europe and the United States, the average age of the onset of puberty among girls was around 13 in the early 21st century, down from about 16 a hundred years earlier. Early puberty is associated with a variety of mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression (as people at this age tend to strongly desire conformity with their peers), early sexual activity, substance use, tobacco smoking, eating disorders, and disruptive behavioral disorders. Girls who mature early also face higher risks of sexual harassment. Moreover, in some cultures, pubertal onset remains a marker of readiness for marriage, for, in their point of view, a girl who shows signs of puberty might engage in sexual intercourse or risk being assaulted, and marrying her off is how she might be 'protected'.{{Cite web|last=Lamothe|first=Cindy|date=June 12, 2018|title=The health risks of maturing early|url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180611-the-health-risks-of-girls-maturing-early|access-date=January 9, 2021|website=BBC Future|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125030648/https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180611-the-health-risks-of-girls-maturing-early|url-status=live}} To compound matters, factors known for prompting mental health problems are themselves linked to early pubertal onset; these are early childhood stress, absent fathers, domestic conflict, and low socioeconomic status. Possible causes of early puberty could be positive, namely improved nutrition, or negative, such as obesity and stress.{{Cite journal|last=Weir|first=Kirsten|date=March 2016|title=The risks of earlier puberty|url=https://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/03/puberty|journal=Monitor|publisher=American Psychological Association|volume=47|issue=3|pages=40|access-date=December 20, 2020|archive-date=September 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220917125558/https://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/03/puberty|url-status=live}} Other triggers include genetic factors, high body-mass index (BMI), exposure to endocrine-disrupting substances that remain in use, such as Bisphenol A (found in some plastics) and dichlorobenzene (used in mothballs and air deodorants), and to banned but persistent chemicals, such as dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and perhaps a combination thereof (the 'cocktail effect').{{Cite journal|last1=Eckert-Lind|first1=Camilla|last2=Busch|first2=Alexander S.|last3=Petersen|first3=Jørgen H.|last4=Biro|first4=Frank M.|last5=Butler|first5=Gary|last6=Bräuner|first6=Elvira V.|last7=Juul|first7=Anders|year=2020|title=Worldwide Secular Trends in Age at Pubertal Onset Assessed by Breast Development Among Girls: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis|journal=JAMA Pediatrics|publisher=American Medical Association|volume=174|issue=4|pages=e195881|doi=10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.5881|pmid=32040143|pmc=7042934}}{{Cite web|last=EarthTalk|date=October 19, 2013|title=Rises in Early Puberty May Have Environmental Roots|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/rises-in-early-puberty-may-have-environmental-roots/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112014154/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/rises-in-early-puberty-may-have-environmental-roots/|archive-date=November 12, 2020|access-date=January 9, 2021|website=Scientific American}}

A 2019 meta-analysis and review of the research literature from all inhabited continents found that between 1977 and 2013, the age of pubertal onset among girls has fallen by an average of almost three months per decade, but with significant regional variations, ranging from 10.1 to 13.2 years in Africa to 8.8 to 10.3 years in the United States. This investigation relies on measurements of thelarche (initiation of breast tissue development) using the Tanner scale rather than self-reported menarche (first menstruation) and MRI brain scans for signs of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis being reactivated. Furthermore, there is evidence that sexual maturity and psychosocial maturity no longer coincide; 21st-century youth appears to be reaching the former before the latter. Neither adolescents nor societies are prepared for this mismatch.{{Cite web |last1=Hanson |first1=Mark |last2=Gluckman |first2=Peter |author-link2=Peter Gluckman |date=30 November 2005 |title=New research shows how evolution explains age of puberty |url=https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2005/11/evolution-explains-age-of-puberty.page |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=University of Southampton}}{{Cite journal|last1=Hochberg|first1=Ze′ev|last2=Konner|first2=Melvin|year=2020|title=Emerging Adulthood, a Pre-adult Life-History Stage|journal=Frontiers in Endocrinology|volume=10|issue=918|page=918|doi=10.3389/fendo.2019.00918|pmid=31993019|pmc=6970937|doi-access=free}}{{Efn|More broadly, contemporary human females are evolving to reach menarche earlier and menopause later compared to their ancestral counterparts. See "Human evolution from the Early Modern Period to the present".}}

{{Main|Political views of Generation Z}}

File:1. Greta Thunberg in 2020.jpg|Greta Thunberg is a climate activist born in Sweden in 2003, who led the September 2019 climate strikes around the world.

File:HKU student white paper protest 20221129.jpg|A University of Hong Kong student holds up a blank piece of paper to show support for the people in mainland China protesting against the COVID lockdown in 2022.

File:Amir Kabir University uprising September 2022 (4).jpg|Amirkabir University of Technology students protest against the hijab and the government in the aftermath of the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the Iranian morality police for allegedly violating the hijab code in 2022.

File:2. Quota reform movement 2024 in Bangladesh.jpg|Bangladesh's Student–People's uprising in 2024 has been dubbed the world's first successful Generation Z–led revolution, ending Sheikh Hasina's 15-year-long autocratic rule.

File:Kenya 2024 protests (19).jpg|Gen-Z Kenyans take to the streets to protest a tax hike in 2024.

File:You're Being Brainwashed tour attendees (54034592043).jpg|Young Americans, seen here with Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats at a 2024 event, have been moving towards the political right since 2020.

Among developed democracies, young people's faith in the institutions, including their own government, has declined compared to that of previous generations. Among respondents aged 15-29, trust in their national governments was the lowest in Greece, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Korea, and highest in New Zealand, Ireland, Finland, Lithuania, and Switzerland.{{Cite news |last=Romei |first=Valentina |last2=Munir |first2=Zehra |date=March 17, 2025 |title=Young Americans lose trust in the state |url=https://www.ft.com/content/44a7927b-66d7-4321-8425-08ed162a3994 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250318132043/https://www.ft.com/content/44a7927b-66d7-4321-8425-08ed162a3994 |archive-date=March 18, 2025 |access-date=April 24, 2024 |work=Financial Times}}

An early political movement primarily driven by Generation Z was School Strike for Climate of the late 2010s. The movement involved millions of young people around the world who followed the footsteps of Swedish activist Greta Thunberg to skip school in order to protest in favor of greater action on climate change.{{Cite web |last=Luce |first=Ivan De |date=September 20, 2019 |title=12 Gen Zers who skipped school to march across New York for the Global Climate Strike share why this is the most urgent issue of their generation |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/global-climate-strike-gen-zers-share-their-thoughts-2019-9 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214509/https://www.businessinsider.com/global-climate-strike-gen-zers-share-their-thoughts-2019-9 |archive-date=June 2, 2021 |access-date=May 30, 2021 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Keegan |first=Hannah |date=December 17, 2019 |title=Greta Thunberg's effect on youth action on the climate crisis |url=https://www.stylist.co.uk/people/profile-greta-thunberg-school-strike-climate-change-global-warming-activist-time/336784 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203075821/https://www.stylist.co.uk/people/profile-greta-thunberg-school-strike-climate-change-global-warming-activist-time/336784 |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |access-date=May 30, 2021 |website=Stylist |language=en}} Around the world, large numbers of people from this cohort feel angry, anxious, guilty, helpless, and sad about climate change and are dissatisfied with how their governments have responded so far. However, their consumption choices (see above) reveal a gap between their stated values and their activism.

Polling on immigration in various countries receives mixed responses from Generation Z.{{cite news |last=Weale |first=Sally |date=February 8, 2017 |title=UK second only to Japan for young people's poor mental wellbeing |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/08/uk-second-japan-young-people-poor-mental-wellbeing |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419183414/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/08/uk-second-japan-young-people-poor-mental-wellbeing |archive-date=April 19, 2018 |access-date=April 18, 2018 |work=The Guardian}}{{cite news |last1=Broadbent |first1=Emma |last2=Gougoulis |first2=John |last3=Lui |first3=Nicole |last4=Pota |first4=Vikas |last5=Simons |first5=Jonathan |date=January 2017 |title=Generation Z: Global Citizenship Survey |url=https://www.varkeyfoundation.org/media/4487/global-young-people-report-single-pages-new.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820230036/https://www.varkeyfoundation.org/media/4487/global-young-people-report-single-pages-new.pdf |archive-date=August 20, 2019 |access-date=November 15, 2019 |publisher=Varkey Foundation}}

In tandem with more members of Generation Z being able to vote in elections during the late 2010s and early 2020s, the youth vote has increased in both Europe and the United States.{{Cite web |date=December 7, 2019 |title=2019 EU elections: A pro-European and young electorate with clear expectations |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20190710IPR56721/2019-eu-elections-a-pro-european-and-young-electorate-with-clear-expectations |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629192329/https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20190710IPR56721/2019-eu-elections-a-pro-european-and-young-electorate-with-clear-expectations |archive-date=June 29, 2021 |access-date=June 25, 2021 |publisher=European Parliament |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=April 29, 2021 |title=Half of Youth Voted in 2020, An 11-Point Increase from 2016 |url=https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/half-youth-voted-2020-11-point-increase-2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625234554/https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/half-youth-voted-2020-11-point-increase-2016 |archive-date=June 25, 2021 |access-date=June 25, 2021 |website=CIRCLE |publisher=Tufts University |language=en}} By the mid-2020s, young adults on both sides of the North Atlantic have demonstrated a willingness to vote for the populist right. In Europe, voters from Generation Z swung from favoring the Greens in the 2019 European Parliament elections to supporting parties of the (far) right in 2024.{{Cite news |last1=Samuel |first1=Henry |last2=Jackson |first2=James |date=June 10, 2024 |title=How Europe's young voters flocked to the hard-Right |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/06/10/europe-young-voters-flocked-hard-right-elections/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240614051041/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/06/10/europe-young-voters-flocked-hard-right-elections/ |archive-date=June 14, 2024 |access-date=June 15, 2024 |work=The Telegraph}}{{Cite news |last=Burn-Murdoch |first=John |date=December 30, 2024 |title=What the ‘year of democracy’ taught us, in 6 charts |url=https://www.ft.com/content/350ba985-bb07-4aa3-aa5e-38eda7c525dd |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241230054743/https://www.ft.com/content/350ba985-bb07-4aa3-aa5e-38eda7c525dd |archive-date=December 30, 2024 |access-date=April 26, 2025 |work=Financial Times}} In the United States, while Generation Z might still support some left-wing causes like the Millennials,{{Cite web |date=May 14, 2020 |title=On the Cusp of Adulthood and Facing an Uncertain Future: What We Know About Gen Z So Far |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/05/14/on-the-cusp-of-adulthood-and-facing-an-uncertain-future-what-we-know-about-gen-z-so-far-2/ |access-date=July 31, 2022 |website=Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project |language=en-US |archive-date=February 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210095450/https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/05/14/on-the-cusp-of-adulthood-and-facing-an-uncertain-future-what-we-know-about-gen-z-so-far-2/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last1=Yang |first1=John |last2=Baldwin |first2=Lorna |last3=Mufson |first3=Claire |date=September 8, 2024 |title=New book explores how Gen Z's politics differ from previous generations |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/new-book-explores-how-gen-zs-politics-differ-from-previous-generations |access-date=September 21, 2024 |work=PBS News Hour}} they have shifted noticeably towards the right since 2020 as their priorities change.{{Cite news |last=Hill |first=Faith |date=November 4, 2024 |title=The Myth of Woke Gen Z |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2024/11/gen-z-woke-myth-election/680653/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241114165602/https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2024/11/gen-z-woke-myth-election/680653/ |archive-date=November 14, 2024 |access-date=April 24, 2025 |work=The Atlantic}}{{Cite news |last=Adeosun |first=Adeola |date=March 22, 2025 |title=Democratic Pollster 'Shocked' At Gen Z's Conservative Shift |url=https://www.newsweek.com/democratic-pollster-shocked-gen-z-conservative-shift-2049107 |access-date=April 24, 2025 |work=Newsweek}} Polls consistently show that the Democratic Party has been steadily hemorrhaging support among young adults during the late 2010s and early 2020s, even though they largely disapprove of the Republican Party.{{Cite news |last=Kahn |first=Chris |date=April 30, 2018 |title=Exclusive: Democrats lose ground with Millennials - Reuters/Ipsos poll |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-millennials/exclusive-democrats-lose-ground-with-millennials-reuters-ipsos-poll-idUSKBN1I10YH |access-date=July 23, 2019 |work=Reuters}}{{Cite news |date=December 16, 2021 |title=Young Americans are souring on Joe Biden |url=https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/12/16/young-americans-are-souring-on-joe-biden |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211216233426/https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/12/16/young-americans-are-souring-on-joe-biden |archive-date=December 16, 2021 |access-date=January 5, 2022 |newspaper=The Economist |department=Daily Chart}}{{Cite news |last=Barinka |first=Alex |date=January 23, 2023 |title=TikTok Bans at Major Colleges Aren't Going Over Well With Students |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-01-23/tiktok-bans-at-college-aren-t-going-over-well-with-students |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230123182426/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-01-23/tiktok-bans-at-college-aren-t-going-over-well-with-students |archive-date=January 23, 2023 |access-date=January 23, 2023 |work=Bloomberg}} By the early 2020s, young voters in Europe have become increasingly concerned about the rising cost of living, violent crime, declining public services in rural areas, immigration, and the Russo-Ukrainian War. In Canada, voters under the age of 30 are most worried about the housing shortage, the cost of living, and crime rates; they, especially men, favored the Conservatives by a sizeable margin in 2025.{{Cite news |last=Yousif |first=Nadine |date=April 30, 2025 |title=Why young voters flocked to Canada's Conservatives |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd6j9z3dqg8o |access-date=April 30, 2025 |work=BBC News}} In the United States, the single most important issue for Generation Z is the economy (including inflation; the costs of housing, healthcare, and higher education; income inequality; and taxes).{{Cite web |date=September 19, 2024 |title=What are we getting wrong about young voters?, with Cathy Cohen (Ep. 142) |url=https://news.uchicago.edu/what-are-we-getting-wrong-about-young-voters |website=Big Brains |publisher=University of Chicago}}{{Cite news |last=Habeshian |first=Sareen |date=May 7, 2024 |title=Exclusive poll: Most college students shrug at nationwide protests |url=https://www.axios.com/2024/05/07/poll-students-israel-hamas-protests |access-date=May 28, 2024 |work=Axios}} Political scientist Jean-Yves Camus dismissed the stereotype of young people altruistically voting for green or left-wing parties as misguided and outdated. Living as young adults in what they perceive as a volatile world, they crave security. Compared to older cohorts, young voters of the 2020s have grown up with dimmer economic prospects and as such are more likely to think of life as a zero-sum competition for scarce resources and opportunities. Multinational polls conducted in the early 2020s reveal that with Generation Z, the age-old pattern of younger cohorts holding more liberal or progressive sociopolitical views than their elders is no longer true.

Nevertheless, these broad trends conceal a significant gender divide across the Western world, with young women (under 30) being left-leaning and young men being right-leaning on a variety of issues from immigration to sexual harassment.{{Cite news |last=Burn-Murdoch |first=John |date=January 26, 2024 |title=A new global gender divide is emerging |url=https://www.ft.com/content/29fd9b5c-2f35-41bf-9d4c-994db4e12998 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240126143811/https://www.ft.com/content/29fd9b5c-2f35-41bf-9d4c-994db4e12998 |archive-date=January 26, 2024 |access-date=January 26, 2024 |work=Financial Times}}{{Cite news |last=Otis |first=John |date=August 27, 2024 |title=The Gender Gap Among Gen Z Voters, Explained |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/27/insider/the-gender-gap-among-gen-z-voters-explained.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240827221936/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/27/insider/the-gender-gap-among-gen-z-voters-explained.html |archive-date=August 27, 2024 |access-date=September 8, 2024 |work=The New York Times}} Both young men and young women are willing to vote for politically extreme parties or candidates. In the United Kingdom, young women are tilting heavily towards the Green Party whereas in the United States, both young men and young women have swung towards the nationalistic populist Donald Trump and his Republican Party. Some individuals who support gender equality are hesitant to identify as "feminist" because there are different interpretations of what the term represents in contemporary society.{{Cite news |last=Petter |first=Olivia |date=March 19, 2025 |title='They are even less progressive than older generations': Why Gen Z is less woke than you think |url=https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/gen-z-woke-adolescence-regressive-views-study-b2717276.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250319093145/https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/gen-z-woke-adolescence-regressive-views-study-b2717276.html |archive-date=March 19, 2025 |access-date=March 20, 2025 |work=The Independent}} Furthermore, the backlash against feminism among young men is quite strong in many countries; older men tend to hold similar views to women across age groups on this topic. Possible causes for this phenomenon include the general tendency for women to become better educated than men and the polarizing nature of social media sites. Indeed, majorities of Gen-Z men believe that women's emancipation has gone too far and has come at their expense. Across the Western world, young men's socioeconomic status has been on the decline relative to young women's. This political sex gap has been noticeable since the 2000s, but has widened since the mid-2010s. This growing difference has also been observed among young adults in China and South Korea.{{Cite news |date=March 13, 2024 |title=Why young men and women are drifting apart |url=https://www.economist.com/international/2024/03/13/why-the-growing-gulf-between-young-men-and-women |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240518014552/https://www.economist.com/international/2024/03/13/why-the-growing-gulf-between-young-men-and-women |archive-date=May 18, 2024 |access-date=May 20, 2024 |newspaper=The Economist}}

Members of Generation Z who are active in politics are more likely than their elders to avoid buying from or working for companies that do not share their sociopolitical views, and they take full advantage of the Internet as activists. Consequently, maintaining a presence on social media networks, especially TikTok, is vital for politicians and political parties dependent upon the youth vote, such as the Left (Die Linke) and the Alternative for Germany (AfD), the two most popular German political parties among young voters in the 2025 federal election.{{Cite news |last=Chassany |first=Anne-Sylvaine |last2=Stabe |first2=Martin |last3=Vincent |first3=Jonathan |date=February 24, 2025 |title=Five takeaways from Germany’s historic election — in charts |url=https://www.ft.com/content/4bc5438f-2deb-4026-aa99-746a7d3f9284 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250224170500/https://www.ft.com/content/4bc5438f-2deb-4026-aa99-746a7d3f9284 |archive-date=February 24, 2025 |access-date=April 24, 2025 |work=Financial Times}} Social media are platforms using which those on the margins of politics can directly address the public, eroding the advantages of establishment figures. For their part, members of Generation Z are also influenced by the political views of the people they follow on social media.

Outside of Western countries, Generation Z has been politically active, too. In Iran, activists, most of whom women, took to the streets in 2022 to voice their disapproval of their government after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in morality police custody; she was arrested for allegedly violating the state's Islamic dress code.{{Cite news |last=Rogin |first=Ali |date=October 1, 2022 |title=How Iran’s Gen Z is leading protests in the streets and online |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-irans-gen-z-is-leading-protests-in-the-streets-and-online |access-date=May 3, 2025 |work=PBS Newshour}} In Bangladesh, students overthrew the autocratic regime of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the July Revolution of 2024, putting an end to what they deemed an unfair quota system of the Bangladeshi civil service and a massacre.{{cite news |title=Bangladesh: how the 'gen Z revolution' forced the prime minister to flee – video explainer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2024/aug/08/bangladesh-how-the-gen-z-revolution-forced-the-prime-minister-to-flee-video-explainer |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814005646/https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2024/aug/08/bangladesh-how-the-gen-z-revolution-forced-the-prime-minister-to-flee-video-explainer |archive-date=August 14, 2024 |access-date=August 13, 2024 |work=The Guardian}} In Kenya, young people, long faced with government corruption and economic precariousness despite being better educated that older generations, protested the 2024 tax hikes of President William Ruto.{{Cite news |last=Iraki |first=XN |date=June 28, 2024 |title=Kenya unrest: the deep economic roots that brought Gen-Z onto the streets |url=https://theconversation.com/kenya-unrest-the-deep-economic-roots-that-brought-gen-z-onto-the-streets-233463 |access-date=May 3, 2025 |work=The Conversation}}

{{See also|Secularization|Desecularization|Postsecularism|Relationship between religion and science}}

In the West, Generation Z is the least religious generation in history.{{cite news|first1=Christel J.|last1=Manning|accessdate=November 14, 2022|title=Gen Z Is the Least Religious Generation. Here's Why That Could Be a Good Thing.|url=https://psmag.com/ideas/gen-z-is-the-least-religious-generation-heres-why-that-could-be-a-good-thing|website=Pacific Standard|date=May 6, 2019 |archive-date=November 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114191920/https://psmag.com/ideas/gen-z-is-the-least-religious-generation-heres-why-that-could-be-a-good-thing|url-status=live}}{{cite web|accessdate=November 14, 2022|title=Perspective: Young adults are losing their religion. Are their parents to blame?|url=https://www.deseret.com/2022/4/23/23013578/perspective-young-adults-are-losing-their-religion-are-their-parents-to-blame-gen-z-generation-x|date=April 24, 2022|website=Deseret News|archive-date=November 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114191920/https://www.deseret.com/2022/4/23/23013578/perspective-young-adults-are-losing-their-religion-are-their-parents-to-blame-gen-z-generation-x|url-status=live}} More members of Generation Z describe themselves as nonbelievers than any previous generation and reject religious affiliation, though many of them still describe themselves as spiritual.{{cite journal|first1=Aprilfaye T.|last1=Manalang|title=Generation Z, Minority Millennials and Disaffiliation from Religious Communities: Not Belonging and the Cultural Cost of Unbelief|url=https://www.religjournal.com/articles/article_view.php?id=159 |url-access=registration |journal=Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion|year=2021|pages=1–24|volume=17|issn=1556-3723|id={{ProQuest|1646347}} {{EBSCOhost|154529170|dbcode=a9h}} }} In the United States, Generation Z has twice as many self-identified atheists as prior generations.{{cite web|accessdate=November 14, 2022|title=Atheism Doubles Among Generation Z|url=https://www.barna.com/research/atheism-doubles-among-generation-z/|website=Barna Group|archive-date=October 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023100615/https://www.barna.com/research/atheism-doubles-among-generation-z/|url-status=live}}

The 2016 British Social Attitudes Survey found that 71% of people between the ages of 18 and 24 had no religion, compared to 62% the year before. A 2018 ComRes survey found that slightly more than one in two of those aged 18 to 24 reported a positive experience with Christians and Christianity. Two-thirds of the same age group have never attended church; among the remaining third, 20% went a few times a year, and 2% multiple times per week. 12% of respondents aged 18 to 24 agreed with the claim that Christians were a bad influence on society, compared to just over half who disagreed. For comparison, 14% of those aged 25 to 34 agreed. In all, 51% of Britons disagreed with the same while 10% agreed.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/12/post-millennial-generation-uk-more-tolerant-of-christianity|title=Post-millennial generation 'more tolerant' of Christianity|last=Sherwood|first=Harriet|date=July 12, 2018|work=The Guardian|access-date=November 24, 2019|department=Religion|archive-date=September 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917180119/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/12/post-millennial-generation-uk-more-tolerant-of-christianity|url-status=live}} According to British Office for National Statistics (ONS), people under the age of 40 in England and Wales are more likely to consider themselves irreligious rather than Christian.{{Cite news |last1=Booth |first1=Robert |last2=Goodier |first2=Michael |date=January 30, 2023 |title=Census data suggests UK faces 'non-religious future', say campaigners |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/30/census-data-england-wales-uk-non-religious-future-campaigners |access-date=March 27, 2023}}

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Adolescent pregnancy has been in decline during the early 21st century all across the industrialized world, due to the widespread availability of contraception and the growing avoidance of sexual intercourse among teenagers. In the European Union and the United Kingdom, teenage parenthood has fallen 58% and 69%, respectively, between the 1990s and the 2020s.{{Cite news |date=February 5, 2024 |title=Some good news about America's fertility problem |url=https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2024/02/05/some-good-news-about-americas-fertility-problem |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240206215805/https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2024/02/05/some-good-news-about-americas-fertility-problem |archive-date=February 6, 2024 |access-date=June 10, 2024 |newspaper=The Economist}} In New Zealand, the pregnancy rate for females aged 15 to 19 dropped from 33 per 1,000 in 2008 to 16 in 2016. Highly urbanized regions had adolescent pregnancy rates well below the national average whereas Māori communities had much higher than average rates. In Australia, it was 15 per 1,000 in 2015.{{Cite news|last=Cooke|first=Henry|date=May 16, 2017|title=Teen birth rate halves since 2008|work=Stuff|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/92626913/teen-birth-rate-halves-since-2008|access-date=November 15, 2020|archive-date=November 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117010412/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/92626913/teen-birth-rate-halves-since-2008|url-status=live}} In the United States, teenage pregnancy rates continued to decline, reaching 13.5 in 2022, the lowest on record.{{Cite news |last=Kekatos |first=Mary |date=June 1, 2023 |title=Teenage birth rates in the US reached historic lows in 2022, CDC report finds |work=ABC News |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/teenage-birth-rates-us-reached-historic-lows-2022/story?id=99720479 |access-date=December 7, 2023}} Northern European countries, above all the Netherlands, have some of the world's lowest teenage pregnancy and abortion rates by implementing thorough sex education.{{Cite book |last1=Brenot |first1=Philippe |title=The Story of Sex: A Graphic History through the Ages |last2=Coryn |first2=Laetitia |publisher=Black Dog & Leventhal |year=2017 |isbn=978-0-316-47222-7 |location=New York |pages=187 |translator-last=McMorran |translator-first=Will}}

2020 data from the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed on a per-capita basis, members of Generation Z binged on alcohol 20% less often than Millennials. However, 9.9% of people aged 16 to 24 consumed at least one drug in the past month, usually cannabis, or more than twice the share of the population between the ages of 16 and 59. "Cannabis has now taken over from the opiates in terms of the most people in treatment for addiction," psychopharmacologist Val Curran of the University College London (UCL) told The Telegraph. Moreover, the quality and affordability of various addictive drugs have improved in recent years, making them an appealing alternative to alcoholic beverages for many young people, who now have the ability to arrange a meeting with a dealer via social media. Addiction psychiatrist Adam Winstock of UCL found using his Global Drug Survey that young people rated cocaine more highly than alcohol on the basis of value for money, 4.8 compared to 4.7 out of 10.{{Cite news|last=Hymas|first=Charles|date=December 9, 2020|title=Generation Z swap drink for drugs as class A use by 16-24-year-olds rises by half in seven years|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/12/09/generation-z-swap-drink-drugs-class-use-16-24-year-olds-rises/|url-status=live|access-date=December 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210113519/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/12/09/generation-z-swap-drink-drugs-class-use-16-24-year-olds-rises/|archive-date=December 10, 2020}}

As of 2019, cannabis was legal for both medical and recreational use in Uruguay, Canada, and 33 states in the US.{{Cite journal|last=Sohn|first=Emily|date=August 28, 2019|title=Weighing the dangers of cannabis|journal=Nature|volume=572|issue=7771|pages=S16–S18|bibcode=2019Natur.572S..16S|doi=10.1038/d41586-019-02530-7|pmid=31462789|s2cid=201665162|doi-access=free}} In the United States, Generation Z is the first to be born into a time when the legalization of marijuana at the federal level is being seriously considered.{{Cite news|last=Ayesh|first=Rashaan|date=April 20, 2019|title=Survey: Gen Z twice as likely to use marijuana than national average|work=Axios|url=https://www.axios.com/gen-z-buys-more-marijuana-anyone-else-fb60a20f-df38-41c0-bc37-2b27557dfe38.html|access-date=September 5, 2019|archive-date=April 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421202953/https://www.axios.com/gen-z-buys-more-marijuana-anyone-else-fb60a20f-df38-41c0-bc37-2b27557dfe38.html|url-status=live}} While adolescents (people aged 12 to 17) in the late 2010s were more likely to avoid both alcohol and marijuana compared to their predecessors from 20 years before, college-aged youths are more likely than their elders to consume marijuana.{{Cite news|last=Schepis|first=Ty|date=November 19, 2020|title=College-age kids and teens are drinking less alcohol – marijuana is a different story|work=The Conversation|url=https://theconversation.com/college-age-kids-and-teens-are-drinking-less-alcohol-marijuana-is-a-different-story-149895|access-date=November 21, 2020|archive-date=November 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121005043/https://theconversation.com/college-age-kids-and-teens-are-drinking-less-alcohol-marijuana-is-a-different-story-149895|url-status=live}} Marijuana use in Western democracies was three times the global average, as of 2012, and in the U.S., the typical age of first use is 16.{{cite book |last1=Caulkins |first1=Jonathan P. |url=https://archive.org/details/marijuanalegaliz0000unse/page/16 |title=Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know |last2=Hawken |first2=Angela |last3=Kilmer |first3=Beau |last4=Kleiman |first4=Mark A.R. |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-19-991373-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/marijuanalegaliz0000unse/page/16 16] |name-list-style=vanc}} This is despite the fact that marijuana use is linked to some risks for young people,{{Cite news |last=McCoppin |first=Robert |date=December 24, 2019 |title=Thinking of buying pot in Illinois on Jan. 1? Here's how experts say it could affect your health — for better and for worse |work=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/marijuana/illinois/ct-marijuana-illinois-health-effects-20191224-j2qafgizjbe5vibxrajgw7c6kq-story.html |access-date=December 24, 2019 |archive-date=December 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224160344/https://www.chicagotribune.com/marijuana/illinois/ct-marijuana-illinois-health-effects-20191224-j2qafgizjbe5vibxrajgw7c6kq-story.html |url-status=live }} such as in the impairment of cognitive abilities and school performance, though a causality has not been established in this case.{{cite journal |vauthors=Curran HV, Freeman TP, Mokrysz C, Lewis DA, Morgan CJ, Parsons LH |date=May 2016 |title=Keep off the grass? Cannabis, cognition and addiction |url=http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1489385/1/Curran%2520et%2520al%2520NRN-2016%2520pdf.pdf |journal=Nature Reviews. Neuroscience |volume=17 |issue=5 |pages=293–306 |doi=10.1038/nrn.2016.28 |pmid=27052382 |hdl-access=free |s2cid=1685727 |hdl=10871/24746 |access-date=August 12, 2022 |archive-date=September 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922191943/http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1489385/1/Curran%2520et%2520al%2520NRN-2016%2520pdf.pdf |url-status=dead }}

During the 2010s, when most of Generation Z experienced some or all of their adolescence, reductions in youth crime were seen in some Western countries. A report looking at statistics from 2018 to 2019 noted that the numbers of young people aged ten to seventeen in England and Wales being cautioned or sentenced for criminal activity had fallen by 83% over the previous decade, while those entering the youth justice system for the first time had fallen by 85%.{{Cite web|date=January 30, 2020|title=Youth Justice Statistics 2018/19|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/862078/youth-justice-statistics-bulletin-march-2019.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609091128/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/862078/youth-justice-statistics-bulletin-march-2019.pdf|archive-date=June 9, 2020|access-date=June 29, 2020|website=gov.uk|publisher=Youth Justice Board under the direction of the Ministry of Justice}} In 2006, 3,000 youths in England and Wales were detained for criminal activity; ten years later, that number fell below 1,000. In Europe, teenagers were less likely to fight than before. Research from Australia suggested that crime rates among adolescents had consistently declined between 2010 and 2019.{{Cite web|date=February 6, 2020|title=Youth Offenders|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/4519.0~2018-19~Main%20Features~Youth%20Offenders~4|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609091129/https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/4519.0~2018-19~Main%20Features~Youth%20Offenders~4|archive-date=June 9, 2020|access-date=June 9, 2020|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|language=en}}

In a 2014 report, Statistics Canada stated that police-reported crimes committed by persons between the ages of 12 and 17 had been falling steadily since 2006 as part of a larger trend of decline from a peak in 1991. Between 2000 and 2014, youth crimes plummeted 42%, above the drop for overall crime of 34%. In fact, between the late 2000s and mid-2010s, the fall was especially rapid. This was primarily driven by a 51% drop in theft of items worth no more than CAN$5,000 and burglary. The most common types of crime committed by Canadian adolescents were theft and violence. At school, the most frequent offenses were possession of cannabis, common assault, and uttering threats. Overall, although they made up only 7% of the population, adolescents stood accused of 13% of all crimes in Canada. In addition, mid- to late-teens were more likely to be accused of crimes than any other age group in the country.{{Cite web|last1=Allen|first1=Marry K.|last2=Superle|first2=Tammy|date=February 17, 2016|title=Youth crime in Canada, 2014|url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2016001/article/14309-eng.htm|access-date=September 29, 2020|website=Statistics Canada|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112040309/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2016001/article/14309-eng.htm|url-status=live}}

File:Kids Tandem - Flickr - Richard Masoner - Cyclelicious.jpg

Parents increasingly realize that in order to ensure their children have the best future attainable, they must have fewer of them and invest more resources per child.{{Cite news |last=Burn-Murdoch |first=John |date=March 29, 2024 |title=Why family-friendly policies don't boost birth rates |url=https://www.ft.com/content/838eeb4e-3bff-4693-990f-ff3446cac9b2 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240329160813/https://www.ft.com/content/838eeb4e-3bff-4693-990f-ff3446cac9b2 |archive-date=March 29, 2024 |access-date=March 29, 2024 |work=Financial Times}} Sociologists Judith Treas and Giulia M. Dotti Sani analyzed the diaries of 122,271 parents (68,532 mothers and 53,739 fathers) aged 18 to 65 in households with at least one child below the age of 13 from 1965 to 2012 in eleven Western countries—Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Slovenia—and discovered that in general, parents had been spending more and more time with their children. In 2012, the average mother spent twice as much time with her offspring than her counterpart in 1965. Among fathers, the average amount of time quadrupled. Nevertheless, women were still the primary caregivers. Parents of all education levels were represented, though those with higher education typically spent much more time with their children, especially university-educated mothers. France was the only exception. French mothers were spending less time with their children whereas fathers were spending more time. This overall trend reflected the dominant ideology of "intensive parenting"—the idea that the time parents spend with children is crucial for their development in various areas and the fact that fathers developed more egalitarian views with regards to gender roles over time and became more likely to want to play an active role in their children's lives.{{Cite news|last=University of California, Irvine|date=September 28, 2016|title=Today's parents spend more time with their kids than moms and dads did 50 years ago|work=Science Daily|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160928160716.htm|access-date=November 3, 2020|archive-date=October 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030195725/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160928160716.htm|url-status=live}}

In the United Kingdom, there was a widespread belief in the early 21st century that rising parental, societal and state concern for the safety of children was leaving them increasingly mollycoddled and slowing the pace they took on responsibilities.{{Cite news|last=Jackson|first=Marie|date=February 8, 2011|title=Should a teenager be left to babysit a toddler?|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-12380329|access-date=April 4, 2021|archive-date=April 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416120518/https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-12380329|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Groskop|first=Viv|date=October 17, 2015|title=The real risk to our kids? Mollycoddling|url=http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/18/real-risk-to-kids-play-mollycoddling|access-date=April 4, 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417170427/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/18/real-risk-to-kids-play-mollycoddling|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Knight|first=India|date=March 2, 2008|title=Mollycoddle curse of the middle class|newspaper=The Times|language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/mollycoddle-curse-of-the-middle-class-fxn833rtq5t|access-date=April 4, 2021|issn=0140-0460|archive-date=April 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210404221236/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/mollycoddle-curse-of-the-middle-class-fxn833rtq5t|url-status=live}} The same period saw a rise in child-rearing's position in the public discourse with parenting manuals and reality TV programs focused on family life, such as Supernanny, providing specific guidelines for how children should be cared for and disciplined.{{Cite web|last=Karpf|first=Anna|date=April 19, 2013|title=Mothers on the naughty step: the growth of the parenting advice industry|url=http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/apr/19/mothers-naughty-step-donald-winnicott|access-date=April 4, 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417164912/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/apr/19/mothers-naughty-step-donald-winnicott|url-status=live}}

According to Statistics Canada, the number of households with both grandparents and grandchildren remained rare but grew in the early 21st century. In 2011, five percent of Canadian children below the age of ten lived with a grandparent, up from 3.3% in the previous decade. This is in part because Canadian parents in the early 21st century could not (or believe they could not) afford childcare and often find themselves having to work long hours or irregular shifts. Meanwhile, many grandparents struggled to keep up with their highly active grandchildren on a regular basis due to their age. Because Millennials and members of Generation X tend to have fewer children than their parents the baby boomers, each child typically receives more attention from grandparents and parents compared to previous generations.{{Cite news|last=Hutchins|first=Aaron|date=June 4, 2016|title=Why being a grandparent is more complicated than ever|work=Maclean's|department=Society|url=https://www.macleans.ca/society/life/grandparent-is-more-complicated/|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=February 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225170527/https://www.macleans.ca/society/life/grandparent-is-more-complicated/|url-status=live}}

According to the OECD PISA surveys, 15-year-olds in 2015 had a tougher time making friends at school than ten years prior. European teenagers were becoming more and more like their Japanese and South Korean counterparts in social isolation. This might be due to intrusive parenting, heavy use of electronic devices, and concerns over academic performance and job prospects.

A study of social interaction among American teenagers found that the amount of time young people spent with their friends had been trending downwards since the 1970s but fallen into especially sharp decline after 2010. The percentage of students in the 12th grade (typically 17 to 18 years old) who said they met with their friends almost every day fell from 52% in 1976 to 28% in 2017. The percentage of that age group who said they often felt lonely (which had fallen during the early 2000s) increased from 26% in 2012 to 39% in 2017 whilst the percentage who often felt left out increased from 30% to 38% over the same period. Statistics for slightly younger teenagers suggested that parties had become significantly less common since the 1980s.{{Cite web|last=Twenge|first=Jean|date=March 20, 2019|title=Teens have less face time with their friends – and are lonelier than ever|url=http://theconversation.com/teens-have-less-face-time-with-their-friends-and-are-lonelier-than-ever-113240|access-date=December 12, 2021|website=The Conversation|language=en|archive-date=December 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212145657/https://theconversation.com/teens-have-less-face-time-with-their-friends-and-are-lonelier-than-ever-113240|url-status=live}}

According to a 2014 report from UNICEF, some 250 million females were forced into marriage before the age of 15, especially in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Problems faced by child brides include loss of educational opportunity, less access to medical care, higher childbirth mortality rates, depression, and suicidal ideation.{{Cite web|last=United Nations Children's Fund|year=2014|title=Ending Child Marriage: Progress and Prospects|url=https://www.unicef.org/media/files/Child_Marriage_Report_7_17_LR..pdf|access-date=January 9, 2021|website=UNICEF|archive-date=July 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190727024931/https://www.unicef.org/media/files/Child_Marriage_Report_7_17_LR..pdf|url-status=dead}}

In Australia, it was reported in 2017 that growing numbers of older teenage boys and young men were avoiding romantic relationships altogether, citing concerns over the traumatic experiences of older male family members, including false accusations of sexual misconduct or loss of assets and money after a divorce. This social trend—Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW)—is an outgrowth of the men's rights movement, but one that emphasizes detachment from women as a way to deal with the issues men face. "Both sexes have different challenges; we've lost sight of that. We're stuck in a gender war and it's harming our children", psychologist Meredith Fuller told News.com.au.{{Cite news|last=Barraclough|first=Corrine|date=April 3, 2017|title=First men, now boys are 'Going Their Own Way'|work=News.com.au|url=https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/teens/first-men-now-boys-are-going-their-own-way/news-story/7aa04498e3c2673ecd4f474573258b10|access-date=January 1, 2021|archive-date=April 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402042918/https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/teens/first-men-now-boys-are-going-their-own-way/news-story/7aa04498e3c2673ecd4f474573258b10|url-status=live}}

In China, young people nowadays are much more likely to deem marriage and children sources of stress rather than fulfillment, going against the Central Government's attempts to increase the birth rate. Women born between the mid-1990s to about 2010 are less interested in getting married than men their own age. As a result of the one-child policy, young Chinese women have become more educated and financially independent than ever before, and this has led to a shift in public attitudes towards career-oriented women. The "lying flat" movement, popular among Chinese youths, also extends to the domain of marriage and child-rearing.{{Cite news|last=Huifeng|first=He|date=January 6, 2022|title=Why are China's Gen Z women rejecting marriage, kids more than their male counterparts?|work=The South China Morning Post|url=https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3162221/why-are-chinas-gen-z-women-rejecting-marriage-kids-more-their|access-date=January 9, 2022|archive-date=January 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109010246/https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3162221/why-are-chinas-gen-z-women-rejecting-marriage-kids-more-their|url-status=live}} According to a 2021 survey by the Communist Youth League, 44% of young urban women and 25% of urban young men said they were not planning on getting married. When asked why, majorities said they had trouble finding the right person, cited the high costs of marriage, or told the pollsters they simply did not believe in marriage.{{Cite news |last1=Xinyu |first1=Du |last2=Yun |first2=Fang |date=October 11, 2021 |title=44% of China's Urban Young Women Don't Plan to Marry, Survey Says |work=Sixth Tone |url=https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1008664/44%25-of-chinas-urban-young-women-dont-plan-to-marry,-survey-says |access-date=January 16, 2023 |archive-date=January 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116191922/https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1008664/44%25-of-chinas-urban-young-women-dont-plan-to-marry,-survey-says |url-status=live }}

In line with a fall in adolescent pregnancy in the developed world, which is discussed in more detail elsewhere in this article, there has also been a reduction in the percentage of the youngest adults with children. The Office for National Statistics has reported that the number of babies being born in the United Kingdom to 18 year old mothers had fallen by 58% from 2000 to 2016 and the amount being born to 18 year old fathers had fallen by 41% over the same period.{{Cite web|title=Being 18 in 2018 - Office for National Statistics|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/articles/being18in2018/2018-09-13|access-date=September 2, 2021|website=ons.gov.uk|archive-date=July 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724235815/https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/articles/being18in2018/2018-09-13|url-status=live}} Pew Research reports that in 2016, 88% of American women aged 18 to 21 were childless as opposed to 80% of Generation X and 79% of millennial female youth at a similar age.{{Cite web|date=November 15, 2018|title='Post-Millennial' Generation On Track To Be Most Diverse, Best-Educated|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2018/11/15/early-benchmarks-show-post-millennials-on-track-to-be-most-diverse-best-educated-generation-yet/|access-date=September 2, 2021|website=Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project|language=en-US|archive-date=September 1, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901091748/https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2018/11/15/early-benchmarks-show-post-millennials-on-track-to-be-most-diverse-best-educated-generation-yet/|url-status=live}}

A 2020 survey conducted by PensionBee in the United Kingdom found that about 10% of non-parents aged 18 to 23 were considering not having children in order to be able to retire earlier. Those in the arts and those in the income bracket £25,001 to £55,000 were most likely to say no to having children.{{Cite news|last=Hill|first=Amelia|date=April 23, 2021|title='I had second thoughts': the Gen Z-ers choosing not to have children|work=The Guardian|department=Lifestyle|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/apr/23/i-had-second-thoughts-the-gen-z-ers-choosing-not-to-have-children|access-date=June 26, 2021|archive-date=June 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626034159/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/apr/23/i-had-second-thoughts-the-gen-z-ers-choosing-not-to-have-children|url-status=live}}

Over half of Chinese youths aged 18 to 26 said they were uninterested in having children because of the high cost of child-rearing, according to a 2021 poll by the Communist Youth League.

The food choices made by Generation Z reflect the generation's concerns about climate, sustainability, and animal welfare. A study by catering firm Aramark found 79% of members of the generation would go meatless between once and twice a week.{{Cite web |date=August 12, 2018 |title=Aramark Brings Gen Z Food Trends To Life On College Campuses Nationwide |url=https://www.vendingtimes.com/news/aramark-brings-gen-z-food-trends-to-life-on-college-campuses-nationwide/ |access-date=January 2, 2023 |website=www.vendingtimes.com |language=en |archive-date=January 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102095733/https://www.vendingtimes.com/news/aramark-brings-gen-z-food-trends-to-life-on-college-campuses-nationwide/ |url-status=live }} The generation is considered the most interested in plant-based and vegan food choices, which they see as equal to other food types. As Generation Z's purchasing power grows, so does the amount of vegan and vegetarian food they eat.{{Cite web |date=September 27, 2022 |title=Gen Z is leading a generational shift in plant-based food purchasing |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/health-wellness/gen-z-leading-generational-shift-plant-based-food-purchasing |access-date=January 2, 2023 |website=Supermarket News |language=en |archive-date=January 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102101337/https://www.supermarketnews.com/health-wellness/gen-z-leading-generational-shift-plant-based-food-purchasing |url-status=live }} Generation Z sees dining out with friends and sharing small plates of food as exciting and interesting. According to 2022 Ernst & Young data, plant-based meat, cultured meat, and fermented meat are forecast to grow to 40% of the market by volume by 2040 in the United States. Plant-based meat is widely available in supermarkets and restaurants, but cultured and fermented meats (which are made without slaughtering animals) are not commercially available but are now being developed by companies.{{Cite web |title=The protein system transformation {{!}} Food Engineering |url=https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/99977-the-protein-system-transformation |access-date=January 2, 2023 |website=www.foodengineeringmag.com |language=en |archive-date=January 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102101350/https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/99977-the-protein-system-transformation |url-status=live }}

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Generation Z is one of the first cohorts to have Internet technology readily available at a young age.{{Cite journal|title = Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1|last = Prensky|first = Marc|year = 2001|journal = On the Horizon}} With the Web 2.0 revolution that occurred throughout the mid-late 2000s and 2010s, they have been exposed to an unprecedented amount of technology in their upbringing, with the use of mobile devices growing exponentially over time. Anthony Turner characterizes Generation Z as having a "digital bond to the Internet", and argues that it may help youth to escape from emotional and mental struggles they face offline.{{cite journal |last1=Turner |first1=Anthony |year=2015 |title=Generation Z: Technology And Social Interest |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/586631 |journal=Journal of Individual Psychology |volume=71 |issue=2 |pages=103–113 |doi=10.1353/jip.2015.0021 |s2cid=146564218}}

According to U.S. consultants Sparks and Honey in 2014, 41% of Generation Z spend more than three hours per day using computers for purposes other than schoolwork, compared with 22% in 2004.{{cite web | url=http://fr.slideshare.net/sparksandhoney/generation-z-final-june-17/39-They_are_hyperaware_and_concernedabout | title=Meet Generation Z: Forget Everything You Learned About Millennials | publisher=Sparks and Honey | date=June 17, 2014 | access-date=December 16, 2015 | page=39 | archive-date=December 22, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222142710/http://fr.slideshare.net/sparksandhoney/generation-z-final-june-17/39-They_are_hyperaware_and_concernedabout | url-status=live }} In 2015, an estimated 150,000 apps, 10% of apps in Apple's App Store, were educational and aimed at children up to college level,{{cite web|title = Should CellPhones Be Allowed in School?|url = http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/tech-ed/should-students-use-their-smartphones-as-learning-tools/|website = education.cu-portland.edu|access-date = December 1, 2015|date = November 9, 2012|archive-date = December 8, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151208042734/http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/tech-ed/should-students-use-their-smartphones-as-learning-tools/|url-status = dead}} though opinions are mixed as to whether the net result will be deeper involvement in learning and more individualized instruction, or impairment through greater technology dependence{{cite web|title = Mobile and interactive media use by young children: The good, the bad and the unknown|url = http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-01/bumc-mai013015.php|website = EurekAlert!|access-date = December 1, 2015|archive-date = December 8, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151208143746/http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-01/bumc-mai013015.php|url-status = live}} and a lack of self-regulation that may hinder child development. Parents who raise Gen Z children fear the overuse of the Internet, and dislike the ease of access to inappropriate information and images, as well as social networking sites where minors can gain access to people worldwide. Gen Z children, inversely, feel annoyed with their parents and complain about parents being overly controlling when it comes to their Internet usage.{{Cite journal|title = Internet use and developmental tasks: Adolescents' point of view|journal = Computers in Human Behavior|date = November 1, 2015|pages = 49–58|volume = 52|doi = 10.1016/j.chb.2015.05.029|first1 = Gabriella|last1 = Borca|first2 = Manuela|last2 = Bina|first3 = Peggy S.|last3 = Keller|first4 = Lauren R.|last4 = Gilbert|first5 = Tatiana|last5 = Begotti| hdl=2318/1526174 |hdl-access = free}}

A 2015 study by Microsoft found that 77% of respondents aged 18 to 24 said yes to the statement, "When nothing is occupying my attention, the first thing I do is reach for my phone," compared to just 10% for those aged 65 and over.{{Cite news|last=MacSpadden|first=Kevin|date=May 14, 2015|title=You Now Have a Shorter Attention Span Than a Goldfish|magazine=Time|url=https://time.com/3858309/attention-spans-goldfish/|access-date=December 9, 2020|archive-date=February 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220222032444/https://time.com/3858309/attention-spans-goldfish/|url-status=live}}

In a TEDxHouston talk, Jason Dorsey of the Center for Generational Kinetics stressed the notable differences in the way that Millennials and Generation Z consume technology, with 18% of Generation Z feeling that it is okay for a 13-year-old to have a smartphone, compared with just 4% for the previous generation.{{cite web|url=http://jasondorsey.com/tedx-talk-igen-gen-z/|title=Jason Dorsey TEDx Talk On Generation After Millennials: iGen Gen Z|website=Jason Dorsey|language=en-US|access-date=April 6, 2016|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806190630/https://jasondorsey.com/tedx-talk-igen-gen-z/|url-status=live}}{{Citation|last=TEDx Talks|title=What do we know about the generation after millennials? {{!}} Jason Dorsey {{!}} TEDxHouston|date=November 18, 2015|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f16o9Q0XGE|access-date=April 6, 2016|archive-date=July 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721111239/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f16o9Q0XGE|url-status=live}}{{Cite journal|last=Dorsey|first=Jason|year=2016|title=iGen Tech Disruption|url=http://genhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/iGen-Gen-Z-Tech-Disruption-Research-White-Paper-c-2016-Center-for-Generational-Kinetics.pdf|journal=Center for Generational Kinetics|access-date=April 6, 2016|archive-date=July 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731224635/http://genhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/iGen-Gen-Z-Tech-Disruption-Research-White-Paper-c-2016-Center-for-Generational-Kinetics.pdf|url-status=live}} An online newspaper about texting, SMS and MMS writes that teens own cellphones without necessarily needing them; that receiving a phone is considered a rite of passage in some countries, allowing the owner to be further connected with their peers, and it is now a social norm to have one at an early age.{{cite web|url = http://textually.org/textually/archives/2005/03/007687.htm|title = Owning a cell phone is rite of passage for teenagers|date = March 28, 2005|access-date = December 7, 2015|website = Textuality.org|last = Regine|url-status=dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151211130032/http://textually.org/textually/archives/2005/03/007687.htm|archive-date = December 11, 2015|df = dmy-all}} An article from the Pew Research Center stated that "nearly three-quarters of teens have or have access to a smartphone and 30% have a basic phone, while just 12% of teens 13 to 15 say they have no cell phone of any type".{{cite web|url = http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015|title = Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015|date = April 8, 2015|access-date = December 5, 2015|website = Pew Research Center|publisher = Pew Research Center Internet Science Tech RSS|last = Lenhart|first = Amanda|archive-date = December 10, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151210142042/http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/|url-status = live}} These numbers are only on the rise and the fact that the majority own a cell phone has become one of this generation's defining characteristics. Consequently, "24% of teens go online 'almost constantly'."

A survey of students from 79 countries by the OECD found that the amount of time spent using an electronic device has increased, from under two hours per weekday in 2012 to close to three in 2019, at the expense of extracurricular reading.

Psychologists have observed that sexting, the transmission of sexually explicit content via electronic devices, has seen noticeable growth among contemporary adolescents. Older teenagers are more likely to participate in sexting. Besides some cultural and social factors such as the desire for acceptance and popularity among peers, the falling age at which a child receives a smartphone may contribute to the growth in this activity. However, while it is clear that sexting has an emotional impact on adolescents, it is still not clear how it precisely affects them. Some consider it a high-risk behavior because of the ease of dissemination to third parties leading to reputational damage and the link to various psychological conditions including depression and even suicidal ideation. Others defend youths' freedom of expression over the Internet. There is some evidence that at least in the short run, sexting brings positive feelings of liveliness or satisfaction. However, girls are more likely than boys to be receiving insults, social rejections, or reputational damage as a result of sexting.{{Cite journal|last1=Del Rey|first1=Rosario|last2=Ojeda|first2=Mónica|last3=Casas|first3=José A.|last4=Mora-Merchán|first4=Joaquín A.|last5=Elipe|first5=Paz|date=August 21, 2019|editor-last=Rey|editor-first=Lourdes|title=Sexting Among Adolescents: The Emotional Impact and Influence of the Need for Popularity|department=Educational Psychology|journal=Frontiers in Psychology|volume=10|issue=1828|page=1828|doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01828|pmid=31496968|pmc=6712510|doi-access=free}}

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Despite being labeled as digital natives, the 2018 International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS), conducted on 42,000 eighth-graders (or equivalents) from 14 countries and education systems, found that only two percent of these people were sufficiently proficient with information devices to justify that description, and only 19% could work independently with computers to gather information and to manage their work.{{Cite news |last=Strauss |first=Valerie |date=November 16, 2019 |title=Today's kids might be digital natives — but a new study shows they aren't close to being computer literate |newspaper=The Washington Post |department=Education |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/11/16/todays-kids-may-be-digital-natives-new-study-shows-they-arent-close-being-computer-literate/?outputType=amp |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=November 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191117165337/https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/11/16/todays-kids-may-be-digital-natives-new-study-shows-they-arent-close-being-computer-literate/?outputType=amp |archive-date=November 17, 2019}} ICILS assesses students on two main categories: Computer and Information Literacy (CIL), and Computational Thinking (CT). Countries or education systems whose students scored near or above the international average of 496 in CIL were, in increasing order, France, North Rhine-Westphalia, Portugal, Germany, the United States, Finland, South Korea, Moscow, and Denmark. Countries or education systems whose students scored near or above the international average of 500 were, in increasing order, the United States, France, Finland, Denmark, and South Korea.{{cite web |year=2019 |title=ICILS 2018 U.S. Results |url=https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/icils/icils2018/theme1.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105141034/https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/icils/icils2018/theme1.asp |archive-date=November 5, 2019 |access-date=November 21, 2019 |website=National Center for Education Statistics}}

By the early 2020s, many members of Generation Z were entering the (digital) work place without some basic ICT skills, such as touch typing,{{Cite news |last=Wells |first=Georgia |date=August 24, 2024 |title=Gen Z-ers Are Computer Whizzes. Just Don't Ask Them to Type. |url=https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/gen-z-typing-computers-keyboards-c83d15f0 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240825050403/https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/gen-z-typing-computers-keyboards-c83d15f0 |archive-date=August 25, 2024 |access-date=October 14, 2024 |work=The Wall Street Journal}} though they can learn more quickly than older workers.{{Cite news |last=Demopoulos |first=Alaina |date=February 28, 2023 |title='Scanners are complicated': why Gen Z faces workplace 'tech shame' |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/feb/27/gen-z-tech-shame-office-technology-printers |access-date=May 13, 2023}}

While pornography is made for entertainment, teenagers are increasingly turning to it as a source of information on sexuality,{{Cite journal |last=Pickhardt |first=Carl E. |date=August 2023 |title=The Challenging Combination of Childhood Curiosity and Internet Access |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/articles/202307/kids-online-what-concerns-experts-most |journal=Psychology Today |pages=34–5}} especially what to do during a sexual encounter, as teachers tend to focus on contraception. In fact, pornography is reaching an increasingly large youth audience — as young as people in their early teenage years - not only on social networks, but also on dedicated websites, thanks both to their access to electronic devices and the influence of their friends.{{Cite news |last=Kingson |first=Jennifer |date=January 11, 2023 |title=Social media's effects on teen mental health come into focus |url=https://www.axios.com/2023/01/11/social-media-children-teenagers-mental-health-tiktok-meta-facebook-snapchat |access-date=January 23, 2024 |work=Axios}} Although parents generally believe adolescents who view pornography for pleasure tend to be boys, surveys and interviews reveal that this behavior is also common among girls. A 2020 report by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)—available only by request due to the presence of graphic materials—suggests that parents either are in denial or are completely oblivious to the prevalence of pornography viewership by adolescents, with three quarters telling researchers that they did not believe their children consumed such material. Over half of the teenagers interviewed told researchers they had viewed pornography, though the actual number is likely higher due to the sensitivity of this topic.{{Cite news |last=Waterson |first=Jim |date=January 31, 2020 |title=Porn survey reveals extent of UK teenagers' viewing habits |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/jan/31/porn-survey-uk-teenagers-viewing-habits-bbfc |url-status=live |access-date=November 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106143635/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/jan/31/porn-survey-uk-teenagers-viewing-habits-bbfc |archive-date=November 6, 2020}} Many interviewees told researchers they felt anxious about their body image and the expectations of their potential sexual partners as a result of viewing, and their concerns over sexual violence. About one-third of the British population watches these films, according to industry estimates.

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Members of Generation Z live during a time of widespread access to social media platforms and have consequently integrated these into their daily lives, using them to not only communicate with friends and family but also interact with people they would otherwise never meet in the real world. Social media have become a tool for Generation Z to forge their personal identities.{{Cite web |title=Social Media and Teens |url=https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Social-Media-and-Teens-100.aspx#:~:text=Surveys%20show%20that%20ninety%20percent,media%20site%20at%20least%20daily. |access-date=March 28, 2023 |website=www.aacap.org |language=en}} Indeed, an absolute majority have used social media and are frequently online. However, one side effect of this trend is that they interact "face to face" less often, causing them to feel more lonely and left out.{{cite web|url=https://www.careerplanner.com/Career-Articles/Generations.cfm|title=The Generations - Which Generation are You?|website=careerplanner.com|access-date=May 7, 2018|archive-date=May 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507221727/https://www.careerplanner.com/Career-Articles/Generations.cfm|url-status=live}} Some also report online fatigue and want to spend less time on the Internet while others admit to having regrets about certain things they posted online.{{cite web |last1=J. Walter Thompson |title=CONSUMER INSIGHTS, J. WALTER THOMPSON INTELLIGENCE Meet Generation Z |url=http://www.jwt.com/blog/consumer_insights/meet-generation-z-in-j-walter-thompson-companys-latest-trend-report/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206195305/http://www.jwt.com/blog/consumer_insights/meet-generation-z-in-j-walter-thompson-companys-latest-trend-report/ |archive-date=February 6, 2017 |access-date=May 22, 2017}} Speed and reliability are important factors in their choice of social networking platform, and they make frequent use of emojis.{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Alex |date=September 18, 2015 |title=Move Over, Millennials, Here Comes Generation Z |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/fashion/move-over-millennials-here-comes-generation-z.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919162333/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/fashion/move-over-millennials-here-comes-generation-z.html |archive-date=September 19, 2015}} Unlike older generations, who prefer newspapers and television reports, Generation Z uses social media to access the news. Nevertheless, even though people aged 18 to 24 are heavily reliant upon social media networks, they have very little trust in them.{{Cite web |last=Ray |first=Julie |date=November 18, 2021 |title=Young People Rely on Social Media, but Don't Trust It |url=https://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/357446/young-people-rely-social-media-don-trust.aspx |access-date=March 30, 2023 |website=Gallup}}

Once the single most popular social media site among teenagers, Facebook has been on the decline since the early 2010s. The share of teenagers using Twitter has fallen as well. At the same time, YouTube has claimed the top spot while Snapchat and Instagram have also made significant gains among the young.{{Cite news |last=Burn-Murdoch |first=John |date=December 20, 2024 |title=Why the TikTok era spells trouble for the establishment |url=https://www.ft.com/content/2262f82e-fb65-445b-b99c-b039c1b32ce9 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241220055729/https://www.ft.com/content/2262f82e-fb65-445b-b99c-b039c1b32ce9 |archive-date=December 20, 2024 |access-date=May 7, 2025 |work=The Financial Times}} During the late 2010s and early 2020s, TikTok exploded in usage among adolescents and has become the second most frequently used platform, surpassing Instagram in 2021.{{Cite web |date=May 11, 2021 |title=TikTok and Snapchat battle for Gen Z, as Instagram trails with kids |url=https://adage.com/article/media/tiktok-and-snapchat-battle-gen-z-instagram-trails-kids/2334756 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210616000417/https://adage.com/article/media/tiktok-and-snapchat-battle-gen-z-instagram-trails-kids/2334756 |archive-date=June 16, 2021 |access-date=December 30, 2022 |website=Advertising Age |language=en}} Generation Z finds Snapchat and Tiktok appealing because videos, pictures, and messages send much faster on it than in regular messaging. Another reason for the popularity of these platforms among Generation Z is that their parents do not typically use them.{{cite news |last=Madden |first=Mary |display-authors=etal |date=May 21, 2013 |title=Teens, Social Media, and Privacy. |url=http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/05/21/teens-social-media-and-privacy/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151206131805/http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/05/21/teens-social-media-and-privacy/ |archive-date=December 6, 2015 |access-date=December 10, 2015 |work=Pew Research Center}} So popular is TikTok among people under the age of 30 in Europe and North America that they typically ignore their own governments' concerns over issues of user privacy and national security.{{Cite news |last=Sherman |first=Natalie |date=March 12, 2023 |title=TikTok users shrug at China fears: 'It's hard to care' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64827885 |access-date=March 13, 2023 |work=BBC News}} As of 2022, TikTok has around 689 million active users, 43% of whom are from Gen Z.{{Cite web |title=Guide to understanding TikTok |url=https://www.socialboosting.com/blog/a-complete-guide-to-understanding-tiktok-algorithm-content-and-more |access-date=May 23, 2022 |website=socialboosting.com |date=February 7, 2022 |archive-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524180124/https://www.socialboosting.com/blog/a-complete-guide-to-understanding-tiktok-algorithm-content-and-more |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Gen Z takes TikTok seriously – news publishers should too |url=https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2022/03/03/gen-z-takes-tiktok-seriously-news-publishers-should-too |access-date=May 23, 2022 |website=thedrum.com |archive-date=May 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523145125/https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2022/03/03/gen-z-takes-tiktok-seriously-news-publishers-should-too |url-status=live }} Based on current growth figures, it is predicted that by the end of 2023, TikTok audience will grow by 1.5 billion active users, 70% of whom will be members of Generation Z.{{Cite web |title=New Report Suggests TikTok Will Surpass 1.5 Billion Users in 2022 |url=https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/new-report-suggests-tiktok-will-surpass-15-billion-users-in-2022/610018/ |access-date=May 23, 2022 |website=socialmediatoday.com |archive-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524001752/https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/new-report-suggests-tiktok-will-surpass-15-billion-users-in-2022/610018/ |url-status=live }}

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In his 2017 book Irresistible, professor of marketing Adam Alter explained that not only are children addicted to electronic gadgets, but their addiction jeopardizes their ability to read non-verbal social cues.{{Cite news|last=Stevens|first=Heidi|date=March 13, 2017|title='Irresistible' technology is making our kids miss social cues|work=Chicago Tribune|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/heidi-stevens/ct-irresistible-tech-addiction-adam-alter-balancing-0313-20170313-column.html|access-date=December 10, 2020|archive-date=November 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111235924/https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/heidi-stevens/ct-irresistible-tech-addiction-adam-alter-balancing-0313-20170313-column.html|url-status=live}}

A 2019 meta-analysis of thousands of studies from almost two dozen countries suggests that while as a whole, there is no association between screen time and academic performance, when the relation between individual screen-time activity and academic performance is examined, negative associations are found. Watching television is negatively correlated with overall school grades, language fluency, and mathematical ability while playing video games was negatively associated with overall school grades only. According to previous research, screen activities not only take away the time that could be spent on homework, physical activities, verbal communication, and sleep (the time-displacement hypothesis) but also diminish mental activities (the passivity hypothesis).{{Cite journal |last1=Adelantado-Renau |first1=Mireia |last2=Moliner-Urdiales |first2=Diego |last3=Cavero-Redondo |first3=Iván |last4=Beltran-Valls |first4=Maria Reyes |last5=Martínez-Vizcaíno |first5=Vicente |last6=Álvarez-Bueno |first6=Celia |display-authors= |date=September 23, 2019 |title=Association Between Screen Media Use and Academic Performance Among Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis |journal=JAMA Pediatrics |publisher=American Medical Association |volume=173 |issue=11 |pages=1058–1067 |doi=10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.3176 |pmc=6764013 |pmid=31545344 |hdl=10234/186798}}

Furthermore, excessive television viewing is known for harming the ability to pay attention as well as other cognitive functions; it also causes behavioral disorders, such as having unhealthy diets, which could damage academic performance. Excessively playing video games, on the other hand, is known for impairing social skills and mental health, and as such could also damage academic performance. However, depending on the nature of the game, playing it could be beneficial for the child; for instance, the child could be motivated to learn the language of the game in order to play it better. Among adolescents, excessive Internet surfing is well known for being negatively associated with school grades, though previous research does not distinguish between the various devices used. Nevertheless, one study indicates that Internet access, if used for schoolwork, is positively associated with school grades but if used for leisure, is negatively associated with it. Overall, the effects of screen time are stronger among adolescents than children.

Research conducted in 2017 reports that the social media usage patterns of this generation may be associated with loneliness, anxiety, and fragility and that girls may be more affected than boys by social media. According to 2018 CDC reports, girls are disproportionately affected by the negative aspects of social media than boys.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2015. Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data. Available at: cdc.gov/yrbs. Researchers at the University of Essex analyzed data from 10,000 families, from 2010 to 2015, assessing their mental health utilizing two perspectives: Happiness and Well-being throughout social, familial, and educational perspectives. Within each family, they examined children who had grown from 10 to 15 during these years. At age 10, 10% of female subjects reported social media use, while this was only true for 7% of the male subjects. By age 15, this variation jumped to 53% for girls, and 41% for boys. This percentage influx may explain why more girls reported experiencing cyberbullying, decreased self-esteem, and emotional instability more than their male counterparts.{{Cite journal|last1=Booker|first1=Cara L.|last2=Kelly|first2=Yvonne J.|last3=Sacker|first3=Amanda|date=March 20, 2018|title=Gender differences in the associations between age trends of social media interaction and well-being among 10-15 year olds in the UK|journal=BMC Public Health|volume=18|issue=1|page=321|doi=10.1186/s12889-018-5220-4|pmc=5859512|pmid=29554883 |doi-access=free }}

Other researchers hypothesize that girls are more affected by social media usage because of how they use it. In a study conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2015, researchers discovered that while 78% of girls reported making a friend through social media, only 52% of boys could say the same.{{Cite news|date=August 28, 2015|title=Men catch up with women on overall social media use|language=en-US|work=Pew Research Center|url=http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/08/28/men-catch-up-with-women-on-overall-social-media-use/|access-date=May 30, 2018|archive-date=May 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513232100/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/08/28/men-catch-up-with-women-on-overall-social-media-use/|url-status=live}} However, boys are not explicitly less affected by this statistic. They also found that 57% of boys claimed to make friends through video gaming, while this was only true for 13% of girls. Another Pew Research Center survey conducted in April 2015, reported that women are more likely to use Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram than men, which are visual-heavy sites. In counterpoint, men were more likely to utilize online forums, e-chat groups, and Reddit than women.

Cyberbullying, an act of bullying using technology, is more common now than among Millennials, the previous generation. It is more common among girls, 22% compared to 10% for boys. This results in young girls feeling more vulnerable to being excluded and undermined.{{cite web|title=Smartphones and Social Media|url=https://childmind.org/report/2017-childrens-mental-health-report/smartphones-social-media/|website=Child Mind Institute|access-date=May 7, 2018|archive-date=May 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507223839/https://childmind.org/report/2017-childrens-mental-health-report/smartphones-social-media/|url-status=live}}{{cite book|last1=Twenge|first1=Jean|title=IGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us|date=August 22, 2017}}

According to a 2020 report by the British Board of Film Classification, "many young people felt that the way they viewed their overall body image was more likely the result of the kinds of body images they saw on Instagram."

{{Portal|1990s|2000s|2010s|Society}}

• Glossary of Generation Z slang
• List of generations
• 9X Generation (Vietnam)
• Boomerang Generation
• Cusper
• Generation K, a demographic cohort defined by Noreena Hertz
• Generation Z in the United States
• Post-90s and Little emperor syndrome (China)
• Strawberry generation (Taiwan)
• Thumb tribe
• Zillennials

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book

| last1=Palfrey | first1=John

| author-link=John Palfrey

| last2=Gasser | first2=Urs

| year=2008

| title=Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives

| url=https://archive.org/details/borndigitalunder00palf

| url-access=registration

| publisher=Basic Books

| isbn=978-0-465-00515-4

}}

• {{Cite book|last1=Arum|first1=Richard|title=Academically Adrift - Limited Learning on College Campuses|url=https://archive.org/details/academicallyadri0000arum|url-access=registration|last2=Roksa|first2=Josipa|publisher=The University of Chicago Press|year=2011|isbn=978-0-226-02856-9|location=Chicago, IL}}
• {{cite book

| last1=McCrindle| first1=Mark

| last2=Wolfinger| first2=Emily

| year=2014

| title=The ABC of XYZ: Understanding the Global Generations

| publisher=McCrindle Research

}}

• {{cite book |last=Combi |first=Chloe |year=2015 |title=Generation Z: Their Voices, Their Lives |place=London |publisher=Hutchinson |oclc=91060 }}
• {{Cite book|last1=Greenspan|first1=Louise|title=The New Puberty: How to Navigate Early Development in Today's Girls|last2=Deardorff|first2=Julianna|publisher=Rodale Books|year=2015|isbn=978-1-62336-598-1}}
• {{Cite book|last1=Katz|first1=Roberta|last2=Ogilvie|first2=Sarah |last3=Shaw |first3=Jane |last4=Wooodhead|first4=Linda|title= Gen Z, Explained: The art of living in a digital age|place=Chicago and London |publisher=University of Chicago Press|year=2021|isbn=978-0-226-79153-1}}

{{Wikiquote}}

• [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/world/americas/05iht-diversity.1.6986248.html The Downside of Diversity]. Michael Jonas. The New York Times. August 5, 2007.
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OQCxgNjbq8&t=0 The Next America: Modern Family]. Pew Research Center. April 30, 2014. (Video, 2:16)
• [http://www.slideshare.net/sparksandhoney/generation-z-final-june-17 Meet Generation Z: Forget Everything You Learned About Millennials – 2014 presentation by Sparks and Honey]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uugCRJXQXW0&t=0 Is a University Degree a Waste of Money?] CBC News: The National. March 1, 2017. (Video, 14:39)
• [https://identityshifters.rpa.com/report-download/Identity-Shifters_An-RPA-Report.pdf A Generation Z Exploration]. ([https://identityshifters.rpa.com/ Web version]) Rubin Postaer and Associates (RPA). 2018.
• [https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/12/21/131163/youth-essay-contest-adults-dont-understand-kid-technology/ We asked teenagers what adults are missing about technology. This was the best response]. Taylor Fang. MIT Technology Review. December 21, 2019.
• [https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/to-learn-how-to-practice-humane-technology-look-to-the-amish/2020/02/17/c79fa0ba-36fc-11ea-bf30-ad313e4ec754_story.html The Amish use tech differently than you think. We should emulate them]. Jeff Smith. The Washington Post. February 17, 2020.

{{Generation|state=expanded}}

{{Young adult development}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Generation Z

Category:20th century

Category:21st century

Category:1990s neologisms