GenZ Explained
Over winter break I read two books that I purchased at the Learning and the Brain conference.
I started with Jean Twenge’s book, IGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant and Less Happy- And Completely Unprepared for Adulthood. My first blog post, Teens Aren't All Right, and They Know It!, is about her research. I was so enthralled- and disturbed- by Tim Elmore's research that I bought his book, too: Generation Z Unfiltered.
I am glad that I read both, as I gleaned a few insights into the GenZ’ers we teach, and may live with. The researchers discover some trends that may explain some of the behaviors we see in our students and children.
According to Elmore, the world has shaped teens' beliefs, which will in turn, impact their behavior.
A Teen's World is Defined By... Teens Now Believe...
Speed Slow is bad.
Convenience Hard is wrong.
Entertainment Boredom is unbearable.
Nurture Risk is scary.
Entitlement Efforts is unpleasant.
The consequences can be seen in trends that I believe are critical for parents and teachers to understand.
Growing up slowly
According to Twenge, GenZ is being raised in a slow life history. A slow life history occurs when families have fewer children, and parents cultivate childhood longer. As a result, teens are on a different development path than we were. Typical adult milestones are now occurring much later in life. For example, teens are less likely to go out without their parents. One out of four GenZ’ers doesn’t have a license by the time they graduate. Teens are not working, during school or in the summer. Teens are also less likely to drink alcohol and have sex. Overall, teens are engaging in less adult activities, making adolescence an extension of childhood, not the beginning of adulthood. Interestingly, teens don’t resent this delay; actually, they wish to remain children as “being an adult involves too much responsibility” (46).
Mental Health
In my previous posts about technology, I skimmed the surface of the mental health crisis that media use has incited. Teens' psychological well-being is at an all-time low, with teens reporting overwhelming feelings of isolation, depression, anxiety, self-loathing, and hopelessness. Elmore asserts that the internet has "declared adulthood at 13" (258). Yet teen's brains are not ready to handle the information and content they are exposed to.
Twenge reports on the impact. She states that between the years 2009-2015 the number of high school girls who considered suicide rose 34%. The number of girls attempting suicide rose 43%. For students in college the numbers are even more startling: "60% seriously considered suicide between 2011-2016" (110). Unfortunately, this comes as no shock to a classroom teacher. Students are struggling in ways that are out of control and seemingly beyond our control.
Individualism and Identity
GenZ is unbelievably accepting of diversity and difference. They embrace equality, equal opportunity, and inclusion. They are firm believers of "I have no right to tell other people what to do or believe" (230). Additionally, they are egocentric, prioritizing the individual over the community, or the greater good. A meaningful life isn't important, but money and status are. Elmore suggests that this perspective is the result of teens forming their identity externally, instead of "from an internal sense of belonging to family or a community" (151). Their principles are vastly different than ours. In a study cited by Elmore, two of three teens stated that lying is not wrong. They have lost what Elmore calls the "eulogy virtues" of humility, honor, and kindness (177). A teen reported to Twenge, "We have stopped looking at life and its deeper meaning and have instead immersed ourselves in a world were the big stuff people think about is how many likes they got on an Instagram post" (169).
Apathy toward Learning
Teachers can't compete with the allure of the iPhone and social media. To make matters worse, secondary teachers are now educating students who believe that school is a means to an end: to get a job to make money. Learning is not a factor. According to Twenge, "IGen is practical, serious, and anxious, focusing more on the exam grade and less on the joy of learning. They go to college to get a better job and make more money, not necessarily to improve their minds" (309).
I have two GenZ children at home. Learning about these trends has helped me understand their values, beliefs, and behavior. As a result, I am better prepared to guide them toward healthier decisions. I hope this post does the same for you. If all else fails, I would share Steve Jobs's statement during an interview. When asked if his kids loved the iPad, Steve responded: "They haven't used it. We limit how much technology our kids use at home" (292).
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