Gen Z is in trouble

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Enviroag02
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9:42a, 3/20/26
AG
I think we've all heard the reports about Gen Z. They don't want to work. They don't want to drive. They don't want to get married. They don't want kids.

I'm actually seeing this play out in my nieces and nephews. First, they weren't in a rush to get their drivers license when they turned 16. What the heck is that about? Then they dropped college courses because they weren't motivated. Now they're saying there is no hope for them to be able to obtain a job that will provide them with the life comforts that their parents provided for them. They have no interest in entry level jobs. They can't see beyond the first few years an envision what a career might look like. In fact, one of nephews' dream is become an economics college professor, but he's not willing to go to school for it because he doesn't think that profession will pay enough. He grew up in a household with an income > 350,000/yr.

Where is this all coming from? Is it the relative successes of Gen X and Y setting unrealistic expectations or is it a lack of motivation and vision driven by a reliance on social media and its inherent unrealistic expectations?

This won't end well.
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Capt. Augustus McCrae
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9:44a, 3/20/26
AG
I'm kind of surprised to hear he doesn't want to be an influencer
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MEEN Ag 05
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9:45a, 3/20/26
AG
And now without Chuck Norris they are totally screwed...
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KerrAg76
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In reply to Enviroag02 • 9:47a, 3/20/26
I've seen the same. Plus, because of internet, social skills are lacking (not dating, friends are all on-line)
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Bird Poo
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9:47a, 3/20/26
AG
I see it too. It's crazy.
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Rapier108
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In reply to Enviroag02 • 9:48a, 3/20/26
Enviroag02 said:
Where is this all coming from?

Between what they're constantly fed on social media, and many have been raised to believe they deserve "the best" from the word go, they simply cannot understand why they don't deserve to make $100,000+ from the first day on the job, or make $50 an hour for part time work.

They are the instant gratification generation.

Generation Zombie:

They are a self centered, destructive generation that cannot think and cannot feel, so they create causes to make themselves feel important.

They are empty inside and have nothing real to offer society as their entire reality is the fake world of TikTok and Instagram.

They are largely uneducated, but believe they are highly educated because many have a worthless college degree. They also believe they are always right in all situations, and to disagree with them is always racism, sexism, hatred, bigotry, homo/trans-phobia, or some other made up word.

This is what happens when you give folks participation awards instead of pushing them to achieve, and not kicking them in the ass when they get out of line.
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Pichael Thompson
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9:48a, 3/20/26
It's all the boomers fault!!!

J/k, Gen Z is just spoiled & expects everything served up for them


I guess the good news is that the indoctrination worked
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AGHouston11
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9:51a, 3/20/26
AG
It's amazing at how many don't care much about getting a driver's license as soon as possible!
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A_Gang_Ag_06
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In reply to Rapier108 • 9:53a, 3/20/26
AG
Rapier108 said:
Enviroag02 said:
Where is this all coming from?

Between what they're constantly fed on social media, and many have been raised to believe they deserve "the best" from the word go, they simply cannot understand why they don't deserve to make $100,000+ from the first day on the job, or make $50 an hour for part time work.

They are the instant gratification generation.

Generation Zombie:

They are a self centered, destructive generation that cannot think and cannot feel, so they create causes to make themselves feel important.

They are empty inside and have nothing real to offer society as their entire reality is the fake world of TikTok and Instagram.

They are largely uneducated, but believe they are highly educated because many have a worthless college degree. They also believe they are always right in all situations, and to disagree with them is always racism, sexism, hatred, bigotry, homo/trans-phobia, or some other made up word.

This is what happens when you give folks participation awards instead of pushing them to achieve, and not kicking them in the ass when they get out of line.


I agree with pretty much everything you're saying. It's worth pointing out though that they don't give those participation trophies to themselves. It's the overcorrection of Gen-X parents due to their experiences as children.
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Martels Hammer
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9:57a, 3/20/26
I wish I could find the video.

So a crazy idea contributing to the generational differences is the video games we played.

I know I know. But the idea goes like this. If you were playing stand up arcade games or the early consoles you probably got three lives, could only save a few games if at all, no maps, no walkthroughs, no pay to win. You had to plan ahead. Learn to deal with frustration, not much help at hand. Winning required personal dedication.

vs.

Modern games, auto save, youtube walk-throughs, online maps, cheats and hints, pay to win.

Has contributed to a generation that has to be shown how to do something step by step, gets an easy way to win, or just pays to win. The way it has wired brains differently is seen in the current young people's behavior.

I got a kick out of the explanation and see some possible truth.
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GAC06
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In reply to Martels Hammer • 9:59a, 3/20/26
AG
This guy didn't know the contra code
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Rubicante
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9:59a, 3/20/26
AG
Every generation a subset of the generation is presented as a problem affecting the entire generation. The boomers should remember when everyone under the age of 40 was a hippie.

The kids that were raised to be set up for success will succeed, and the kids that were raised to be set up to be deadbeats will not. Nothing is new except for how the lack of motivation plays out (smoking weed listening to vinyl while staring at a lava lamp 50 years ago vs hitting a thc pen watching a twitch stream today)
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MemphisAg1
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In reply to Rubicante • 10:03a, 3/20/26
AG
Rubicante said:
Every generation a subset of the generation is presented as a problem affecting the entire generation. The boomers should remember when everyone under the age of 40 was a hippie.

The kids that were raised to be set up for success will succeed, and the kids that were raised to be set up to be deadbeats will not. Nothing is new except for how the lack of motivation plays out (smoking weed listening to vinyl while staring at a lava lamp 50 years ago vs hitting a thc pen watching a twitch stream today)

That's exactly right. It's not unique to GenZ. Every generation has its segment that appears "lost." Some of them grow out of it and do very well. Others get lost in the shuffle.

It's human nature that spans across generations.
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javajaws
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10:06a, 3/20/26
AG
Their entire generation grew up without any hardships - they are spoiled and never learned any of the hard lessons they need to survive.

There is a saying I like to use for which the inverse applies here: Through adversity comes greatness.

No adversity...no greatness.
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Rubicante
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In reply to Martels Hammer • 10:07a, 3/20/26
AG
Martels Hammer said:
I wish I could find the video.

So a crazy idea contributing to the generational differences is the video games we played.

I know I know. But the idea goes like this. If you were playing stand up arcade games or the early consoles you probably got three lives, could only save a few games if at all, no maps, no walkthroughs, no pay to win. You had to plan ahead. Learn to deal with frustration, not much help at hand. Winning required personal dedication.

vs.

Modern games, auto save, youtube walk-throughs, online maps, cheats and hints, pay to win.

Has contributed to a generation that has to be shown how to do something step by step, gets an easy way to win, or just pays to win. The way it has wired brains differently is seen in the current young people's behavior.

I got a kick out of the explanation and see some possible truth.


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japantiger
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10:07a, 3/20/26
S
I can't relate to any of these points. Have 2 Gen Z boys....both God honoring productive members of society.

The key? We raised them like we were raised....not following the latest trend.
“It was miraculous. It was almost no trick at all, he saw, to turn vice into virtue and slander into truth, impotence into abstinence, arrogance into humility, plunder into philanthropy, thievery into honor, blasphemy into wisdom, brutality into patriotism, and sadism into justice. Anybody could do it; it required no brains at all. It merely required no character.”
Joseph Heller, Catch 22
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aggie93
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In reply to Enviroag02 • 10:08a, 3/20/26
AG
Enviroag02 said:
I think we've all heard the reports about Gen Z. They don't want to work. They don't want to drive. They don't want to get married. They don't want kids.

I'm actually seeing this play out in my nieces and nephews. First, they weren't in a rush to get their drivers license when they turned 16. What the heck is that about? Then they dropped college courses because they weren't motivated. Now they're saying there is no hope for them to be able to obtain a job that will provide them with the life comforts that their parents provided for them. They have no interest in entry level jobs. They can't see beyond the first few years an envision what a career might look like. In fact, one of nephews' dream is become an economics college professor, but he's not willing to go to school for it because he doesn't think that profession will pay enough. He grew up in a household with an income > 350,000/yr.

Where is this all coming from? Is it the relative successes of Gen X and Y setting unrealistic expectations or is it a lack of motivation and vision driven by a reliance on social media and its inherent unrealistic expectations?

This won't end well.

I have 2 Gen Z kids. One graduated in 3 years with a 4.0 and is making strong 6 figures. The other is on pace to graduate with a Masters in 4 years in Engineering and is on a full ride about to do his second internship this Summer. The friends they have are similarly motivated.

Some Gen Z kids have decided to be victims and sheep, others have decided to grab opportunities and be wolves. Some parents also suck at preparing kids for the real world, I ingrained mine with taking responsibility for their actions, making good choices, and understanding that the world isn't fair and nothing is a given.

You can blame whomever you want or whatever you want I suppose but nothing takes the place of personal responsibility.
"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

Ronald Reagan
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Owlagdad
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In reply to AGHouston11 • 10:08a, 3/20/26
AGHouston11 said:
It's amazing at how many don't care much about getting a driver's license as soon as possible!

Most of the males better marry a pregnant woman.
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policywonk98
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10:08a, 3/20/26
AG
Our Gen Z children are having none of it. Super conservative, booked the earliest hour of the day on their birthdays to get their drivers licenses. Started working summer jobs as soon as people would hire them and work odds and end jobs during the school year.

My wife and I attribute it to very heavy doses of 80s movies and music in their lives as they were growing up(joking, sort of)

Ultimately saying no to a lot and seeing hard moments and life set backs as teachable moments. Also lots of quality time spent with grandparents doing what grandparents like to do and talk about. Families skip this ingredient way too much.

It's all about parenting and embracing the role of passing on all the highes and lows of lived experiences. I think many families have gotten away from real family time and real conversation. Allowing everyone in a household to just live their own algorithm driven social media experience all day everyday. We are not perfect but I do believe our household provided a well balanced experience of old school family activities mixed with a little modern stuff just as a way to understand the current cultural moments. That has produced some pretty awesome young adults.

I hope that this world we are entering into in the next 30 years rewards the well balanced thinkers and doers coming out of Gen Z. Our children are not the only ones. We grew up in a strong knit community of other families raising their GenZ kids in very similar ways. These kids are also hardworking doers that are doing some awesome things in the world as young adults.
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Muktheduck
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In reply to Rubicante • 10:08a, 3/20/26
Rubicante said:
Every generation a subset of the generation is presented as a problem affecting the entire generation. The boomers should remember when everyone under the age of 40 was a hippie.

The kids that were raised to be set up for success will succeed, and the kids that were raised to be set up to be deadbeats will not. Nothing is new except for how the lack of motivation plays out (smoking weed listening to vinyl while staring at a lava lamp 50 years ago vs hitting a thc pen watching a twitch stream today)


Was going to say exactly this. Survivorship bias. Older people seem to have forgotten about their high school classmates that dropped out to be pot heads. They look around and all that's left of their generation at 60 is the cohort that succeeded

Of course it's more fun for them to act morally superior and bash younger generations online. Ironically, if social media were around when those types were 15 I don't think they would've made it
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Rapier108
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In reply to GAC06 • 10:09a, 3/20/26
GAC06 said:
This guy didn't know the contra code

Up, Up, Down, Down, Left Right, Left Right, B, A, Start.

Dang I feel old.
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tio
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10:09a, 3/20/26
AG
Not the only cause but one of the major causes is social media imo, they are the first generation to grow up completely in the digital age with social media as the primary source of societal engagement. This constant engagement with unrealistic lifestyles presented as normal where you only see the highlights of other people's work without the struggle or effort to get there shapes their view of what should be easily attainable. Once they get a dose of reality and everything doesn't happen immediately and provide the lifestyle they believe should be easily attained they tune out.

Just look at the many posts from young women on what they expect from the person they date/marry which typically starts with that they should make >250K a year. I'm not sure most of them even understand the % of jobs that fall into the different salary ranges or the time and effort it takes to move through that career progression.

As for the driving, again probably can be tied to the digital age generation. Gen X and Y had to drive and go out to engage with their peers and activities while Gen Z has a more digital engagement focused lifestyle. Additionally services like Uber/Lyft weren't really accessible by Gen X/Y unless you lived in a major city with public transportation.
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Frok
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10:10a, 3/20/26
AG
Dogging on the latest young generation is typical, they'll be fine. Young people aren't mature.
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Martels Hammer
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In reply to Rubicante • 10:11a, 3/20/26
Rubicante said:
Martels Hammer said:
I wish I could find the video.

So a crazy idea contributing to the generational differences is the video games we played.

I know I know. But the idea goes like this. If you were playing stand up arcade games or the early consoles you probably got three lives, could only save a few games if at all, no maps, no walkthroughs, no pay to win. You had to plan ahead. Learn to deal with frustration, not much help at hand. Winning required personal dedication.

vs.

Modern games, auto save, youtube walk-throughs, online maps, cheats and hints, pay to win.

Has contributed to a generation that has to be shown how to do something step by step, gets an easy way to win, or just pays to win. The way it has wired brains differently is seen in the current young people's behavior.

I got a kick out of the explanation and see some possible truth.





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Jaydoug
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10:15a, 3/20/26
AG
If you really want to know….


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agdoc2001
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In reply to Rapier108 • 10:17a, 3/20/26
AG
Rapier108 said:
GAC06 said:
This guy didn't know the contra code

Up, Up, Down, Down, Left Right, Left Right, B, A, Start.

Dang I feel old.

Contra was hard even with 30 lives
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
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Urban Ag
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10:21a, 3/20/26
AG
We have two Gen Z boys, 20 and 17.

Both got their drivers license the day they turned 16.

Both of them work outside the home and/or my business not because we made them but because they wanted to.

Both claim they want to get married and have kids. And yes, we want grandkids damnit.

I do fully admit that our kids have had a lot of advantages. They grew up in a mom/dad stable household. Both my brothers are still on marriage #1 and have kids. Of my wife's siblings, 3 of 4 are still on marriage #1 and have kids. My parents have been married 60 years. Her parents about the same. So they've grown up in that environment.

Just an observation but the I believe the divide in Gen Z is pretty wide and stark.
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Rapier108
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In reply to agdoc2001 • 10:22a, 3/20/26
agdoc2001 said:
Rapier108 said:
GAC06 said:
This guy didn't know the contra code

Up, Up, Down, Down, Left Right, Left Right, B, A, Start.

Dang I feel old.

Contra was hard even with 30 lives

Yep. I don't even know how many hours I spent trying to beat it, but finally did.
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Urban Ag
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In reply to Jaydoug • 10:23a, 3/20/26
AG
Jaydoug said:
If you really want to know….



made my kids read this last year
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Rapier108
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In reply to Martels Hammer • 10:24a, 3/20/26
Martels Hammer said:
I wish I could find the video.

So a crazy idea contributing to the generational differences is the video games we played.

I know I know. But the idea goes like this. If you were playing stand up arcade games or the early consoles you probably got three lives, could only save a few games if at all, no maps, no walkthroughs, no pay to win. You had to plan ahead. Learn to deal with frustration, not much help at hand. Winning required personal dedication.

vs.

Modern games, auto save, youtube walk-throughs, online maps, cheats and hints, pay to win.

Has contributed to a generation that has to be shown how to do something step by step, gets an easy way to win, or just pays to win. The way it has wired brains differently is seen in the current young people's behavior.

I got a kick out of the explanation and see some possible truth.

And even games that let you save, were still hard as heck and the save option was only available if you went to a certain location to save it, or you could save the game when you were done playing for the day.

There was no hitting a key and saving it every 2 seconds.
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Logos Stick
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In reply to Enviroag02 • 10:34a, 3/20/26
They won't have to work. AI has reached the tipping point.
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1981 Monte Carlo
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10:37a, 3/20/26
It's the first generation truly staring a dystopian future in the face. The first in a long time to have it worse than their parents. Social media, pop culture and hyper consumerism has done a number on them. Can't blame it on drugs or booze because it is the most sober generation.

Lot's of concernig trends and will be interesting to see how it plays out.

I am hoping that it somehow results in a lot of people having children later in life. While there are societal "cons" to that, we could use a generation raised by older, more mature, and morally upright people that have significant actual life experienc under their belt. Most clearly aren't mature enough to have and raise children now.
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Spergin
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In reply to Enviroag02 • 10:40a, 3/20/26
Enviroag02 said:
I think we've all heard the reports about Gen Z. They don't want to work. They don't want to drive. They don't want to get married. They don't want kids.

I'm actually seeing this play out in my nieces and nephews. First, they weren't in a rush to get their drivers license when they turned 16. What the heck is that about? Then they dropped college courses because they weren't motivated. Now they're saying there is no hope for them to be able to obtain a job that will provide them with the life comforts that their parents provided for them. They have no interest in entry level jobs. They can't see beyond the first few years an envision what a career might look like. In fact, one of nephews' dream is become an economics college professor, but he's not willing to go to school for it because he doesn't think that profession will pay enough. He grew up in a household with an income > 350,000/yr.

Where is this all coming from? Is it the relative successes of Gen X and Y setting unrealistic expectations or is it a lack of motivation and vision driven by a reliance on social media and its inherent unrealistic expectations?

This won't end well.


Have you see all of the news about AI? Entry level jobs are dying across the board. They have reason to feel the way they do. It's far far worse than what you think.

Yeah there is a lot of nihilism but white collar jobs are in the process of getting blown up to a huge extent.

The change we're experiencing is roughly on the order of the invention of agriculture and possibly even more extreme than that. They know there is little hope for them.

As parents, most of us are going to have to understand the reality of the world they are walking into instead of sending them unprepared or kicking them out.

The OP is truly clueless.
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1981 Monte Carlo
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In reply to Frok • 10:40a, 3/20/26
Frok said:
Dogging on the latest young generation is typical, they'll be fine. Young people aren't mature.

Lots of disturbing, unprecedented trends though. No denying that. They are much less equipped for life than most people coming out of school in the 90's and earlier 2000's. On top of that, they face many challenges we didn't have to face.

They're more worthless....but also life is less fair. Horrible combination lol.
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The Collective
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10:41a, 3/20/26
AG
No DL shows you the lack of independence. This is a parenting problem, not a generation problem.
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