Gen Z is known to be the most depressed, anxious, and mentally unstable generation as many Gen Zers have expressed how they’ve been diagnosed with anxiety or depression in recent times. Learningfirst.org states, “18% of Gen Z reported an anxiety disorder diagnosis and 23% reported they had been diagnosed with depression.” As a part of Gen Z myself, I can say that this is true. Many of my peers are burnt out, depressed, and/or anxiety ridden. The question is: Why? Why does the majority of Gen Z have little to no hope for the future?
For starters, Gen Z has grown up with social media for their entire lives. While some may say that social media brings us closer together, it can also tear us apart. Social media can make people insecure and make you compare yourself to others. Many report that social media negatively impacts their mental health. Insiderintellegence.com found that, “42% of Gen Zers have taken a break from social media because it was having a negative effect on their mental health.” Gen Z’s entire life has been filled with feelings like this, and over half report using social media for more than four hours a day. An article from truelist.co states, “54% of Gen Zers use social media four or more hours daily.” Gen Z’s dependency on social media has shown to have many negative consequences.
Next, Gen Z is constantly around so much pessimism. Growing up, I always heard how global warming is going to kill all of us in 50 years or how I might get shot at school. Constantly hearing about our country going to war, or how inflation is at an all time high is very tiring. For most of Gen Z’s entire life, we have been aware of all these issues. A lot of Gen Z thinks that the future is grim to say the least. A study conducted by sciencedirect.com states that, “55.4% of Gen Z thinks humanity is doomed.” Also, older generations have little to no faith in Gen Z. Older generations think that Gen Z is lazy and that they have no work ethic. Businessinsider.com states that Gen Z is “not looking to be productive.” Laura Davis, a director at the John Ball Zoo, told the Journal that that statement is “…simply not true, Gen Z is hardworking, they just work harder when they’re working for a purpose.”
Finally, Gen Z struggles with financial insufficiency. A lot of Gen Z is suffering from student loan debt and having low income. Even after getting a degree, it’s so difficult to find a job that will hire you at an entry level position. Most positions require 3-5 years of experience, yet it’s impossible to get 3-5 years of experience if nobody will hire you. Many Gen Zers get a degree expecting to get a job in that field and get paid enough to be able to pay off their student loans. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. Ripplematch.com states,” Nearly 60% of Gen Zers are not confident they’ll find a good role this year.” Even after getting hired, low wages and a high-cost of living make it difficult to live comfortably. Over half of Gen Z can’t afford a hospital visit or an emergency expense. Cnbc.com says, “More than half of Gen Z, 56%, do not have enough emergency savings to cover three months’ worth of expenses.” So, even if Gen Z work hard, they still cannot afford the current living costs.
Gen Z might be the most depressed generation, but it isn’t without reason. They struggle with comparing themselves to others on social media, they’re regularly exposed to negative news, and they’re living paycheck to paycheck. Even though Gen Z might think that the future will be a disaster, it is important to remember that everything gets better eventually. Even if it takes months, years, or even decades, things will improve and get better. For instance, many people and companies have made efforts to reverse global warming, and we are on the right track to save our world. I believe that Gen Z can improve the future, and mold it into whatever we want it to be. Gen Z is the future of the world, and as we put more Gen Zers in power, we will start to see the improvement we desire.
