What’s the Buzz?: Is Gen Z Reluctant to Grow Up?

Art: Luyi Zhang

By THE MIDWOOD ARGUS

Teenagers today are much less likely to do "adult" stuff than teens in the 1980s. This includes unhealthy behaviors like smoking, drinking, and getting pregnant, but also healthy behaviors, such as learning to drive, getting a part-time job, and going out on dates.

Some say this shows that Gen Z is more reluctant (or afraid) of becoming an adult than previous generations. So we decided to ask Midwood students: Are today’s teens unwilling to "grow up"? Here’s what they had to say:

“This generation has been through so much over the past few years, and technology has definitely had a major impact on how we communicate. Social media apps are so addictive that we tend to lose track of time and miss out on opportunities to actually develop life skills.” – Angela Wu ‘27

“Gen Z is just following a ‘slow life’ strategy because the modern path to independence is more expensive and requires more education than it did in the 1980s. Improved technology has replaced the need for physical efforts like driving or going out to socialize. Teenagers today aren't necessarily less mature, they’re simply adapting to a different economic and social landscape." – Derek Yu ‘27

“Teenagers have a lot on their plate, with more academic pressure and more time online, which changes their objectives. It’s fine if some adult behaviors develop later; life is not a race, and everyone is allowed to mature at their own pace.” – Jacqueline Cruz ‘27

“The decline in 'adult' habits in our generation doesn't necessarily mean that we don't want to grow up. Part-time jobs are harder to balance with more demanding expectations school-wise, now that there’s a growing emphasis being placed on a student's extracurriculars and grades. Moreover, teenagers now are also much more educated about the risks of smoking, drinking, and intimacy. So, at the end of the day, Gen Z isn't more unwilling to grow up — we're just adulting in a new way.” – Leah Ng ‘27

"I don’t think Gen Z's scared to grow up; life is just way different now than it was in the 80s. Driving and getting jobs is more expensive and stressful, and a lot of kids spend more time online instead of going out. Also, I would think that avoiding things like smoking and teen pregnancy is better for kids anyway.” – Eleazar Guevara ‘27

“I feel like because students focus more on school now, they do fewer ‘adult things’ than teens in the past. The desire to go to a good university probably makes people want to take on more APs or do extracurriculars, which blocks out the time they could be using to learn how to drive or get a part-time job.” – Isabelle Du ‘27

“Yes, I think that Gen Z is more reluctant to grow up, because adulthood can be nerve-racking. I believe that Gen Z perceives the future to be intertwined with a sense of impending doom. They have a real fear of not being successful after high school.” – Jenny Lai ‘27