In our work as therapists, we often witness the unique challenges that Generation Z faces in making decisions about work, education, and life in general. Born roughly between 1997 and 2012, this generation has grown up in a rapidly changing world, with technology, social expectations, and global uncertainty shaping their experiences.
Adolescence and young adulthood can be challenging for anyone, but Generation Z faces some unique struggles due to the era in which they’ve grown up. Here are some of the most common challenges they experience:
Academics and Career
- High Expectations: Many feel the weight of needing to excel academically and to have a clear career path early in life, leaving little room for exploration or the life lessons previous generations learned through recoverable failure. The social and familial pressures to attend college have never been higher, with college attendance rates of approximately 57% for Gen Z in comparison to their parents’ generations (younger Baby Boomers and Gen X) who were college enrolled at significantly lower rates, 43% and 30%, respectively. While research clearly indicates that the planning and decision-making capacities of our brains are not fully developed for most of us until age 24, young people feel pressured to commit to a career path early in their college careers, if not in high school. Moreover, decades of research on career development indicates that adolescents and young adults should be exploring careers rather than committing.
- High Costs: Compounding the increased pressure to attend college, the cost of attendance has never been higher and seems poised to only get worse. The Miami Herald found that the cost of an undergraduate degree for Gen Z is more than 300% higher than it was for Boomers. Moreover, the earning potential of Gen Z has not caught up. For instance, Boomers could work minimum wage jobs to pay off college debt; in contrast, today the earning to debt ratio is not nearly so favorable, with Gen Z taking at least twice as long to repay college debt. Additionally, the dramatically rising costs of housing leave many in Gen Z worried that they can’t afford rent, let alone a home of their own.
Overwhelming Choices & Decision-Making Paralysis: Gen Z faces a paradox of choice. With countless career paths, educational opportunities, and even social identities to choose from, decision-making can feel paralyzing. The pressure to “choose right” weighs heavily, as mistakes can seem catastrophic in the moment. In addition to countless choices, the internet provides almost endless information to be sorted, weighed, and considered in decision making. Whereas Boomers were more likely to choose a career path similar to those known through personal contacts (family members, teachers, etc.), Gen Z has the world wide web weighing in on their futures. This information overload can lead to decision-making paralysis.
Over-scheduling: Balancing school, extracurriculars, and part-time jobs while being exposed daily at every minute of the day to loads of digital information (texts, social media, calls, voicemails, and emails) can lead to burnout. This over-scheduling and over-connectedness has been associated with declines in creativity and empathy over the past 20 years. Clearly, doing more is not doing better!
Delayed Milestones: Economic and societal shifts mean milestones like moving out, getting married, or starting a career are often delayed, leading to feelings of inadequacy and extended dependence on their families for emotional or financial support.
Social Media and Digital Dependency
- Always on: Gen Zers, unlike their parents, are “digital natives,” meaning they are the first generation to have access to technology and the internet all the time. The omnipresence of technology and 24/7 news cycles can create overstimulation, making it difficult to focus or prioritize. Moreover, apps are designed to “reward” frequent checking of notifications by prompting our brains to release the same neurochemicals associated with addiction.
- Comparison Culture: Constant exposure to idealized lives on social media can lead to feelings of inadequacy, low self-worth, inferiority, self-doubt, lack of confidence, imposter syndrome, insecurity, low self-esteem, insufficiency, incompetence, not measuring up, and inner criticism just to name a few. You may think, “I felt those things too when I was a teenager or growing up, and I got over it.” While most of us experienced some or all of these things at some point during our development, Gen Zers are experiencing them differently. We could disconnect from the stimulus that was causing us to feel these things by going home or hanging out with friends. We did not have a phone that went with us everywhere. We did not have to constantly face the urge/anxiousness of information access at our fingertips. A reliance on likes, comments, and followers for self-esteem can create a fragile sense of self-worth.
- Cyberbullying: Online harassment continues to be a significant issue, affecting self-esteem and emotional well-being. This is another issue where ease of access to information has created environments where the bully or perpetrator has constant and persistent access to the individual they are abusing and bullying.
- Screen Addiction: Excessive screen time can disrupt sleep, relationships, and academic performance. Gen Zers struggle to connect meaningfully because continued screen use is frequently perceived as more rewarding, fun, interesting, or enjoyable than talking or connecting with another person. This is especially difficult when Gen Zers do not have a lot of exposure to interacting with others, have already developed anxiety about socializing or talking to others, and have had little practice building conversations or relationships.
Climate Anxiety and Global Issues
- Environmental Concerns: The urgency of climate change weighs heavily, leading to feelings of helplessness and eco-anxiety. At an extreme, some Gen Zers report feelings of complete hopelessness about the future. Hopelessness leads to nihilism, the belief that nothing matters and that nothing can be done to address our problems. This issue has become acute here in Southwest Florida where we face climate uncertainty in pronounced ways every hurricane season.
- Social Justice Activism: While passionate about activism, the constant exposure to global crises can lead to emotional exhaustion. Moreover, many Gen Zers report feeling pressured to take a stand on multiple issues facing their communities and the world. Gone are the days when it was considered impolite to discuss politics outside of the family home. Today’s Gen Zers are pushed to identify with causes on social media, even when they have no personal connection to the issue or cause.
While this list is not exhaustive, it is illustrative of the enormous stressors Gen Zers face. When coping skills, including a sense of resilience and problem solving abilities are weak, and stress levels are high, individuals are particularly vulnerable to mental health struggles.
Mental Health Struggles
- Common Concerns: Gen Z has higher rates of anxiety, depression, attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and technology addiction than any previous generation.
- Stigma Around Mental Health: While Gen Z is more open about discussing mental health, they can still struggle with seeking professional help due to stigma. Some Gen Zers have families that are not accepting or understanding of mental health or mental health treatment. Deep-rooted negative beliefs about mental health symptoms can lead to avoidance, suppression, and not encouraging treatment. Some have family members who want to help but do not have the tools or skills to support their children as they face psychological struggles related to changes, decision-making, and life experiences.
How Parents Can Help
Promote a Growth Mindset: Teach your children that mistakes and setbacks are learning opportunities, not evidence of failure. Share stories from your own life where challenges led to growth. Encourage them to see life as a journey rather than a series of high-stakes decisions. Moreover, don’t let perfectionism stand in the way of progress. Pursuing perfection actually fosters procrastination and can prevent one from even starting the journey.
Help Break Down Decisions: Support your child by teaching decision-making as a step-by-step process. Encourage them to:
Identify their values and goals.
Research and gather information.
Weigh the pros and cons.
Make small, testable decisions before committing fully.
Being involved in this process without taking over empowers them to feel in control.
Stop saying, “Put the phone down or away; it is not good for you:” Similar to when we were young, we did not always connect or understand the lessons our parents taught. It often took our own experiences, time, and reflection to learn and make changes. Try exploring with your child and talking about what they are watching, listening to, who they are following, and consuming on the phone. Get interested and engaged without any input. Explore their interests, ideas, and reasons for scrolling through the many social media apps. Learn about how they connect with each other and how it happens. Having a safe and open environment for dialogue will increase the chances of your child telling you when something bad or dangerous is happening to them. They may slowly also start to recognize how excessive electronic consumption harms and impacts them. In today’s digital world, it is not realistic to ban children from technology; rather, help them to use it in moderation and safely to aid their productivity and social connectedness. If technology interferes with skill development, relationships, or engagement in school and work, then it has become problematic.
Model Healthy Boundaries: Burnout can often be avoided by modeling and encouraging work, school, and technology boundaries. Help them create “screen-free” zones and encourage downtime for relaxation, creativity, or physical activity.
Encourage Exploration Without Pressure: Many Gen Zers feel pressured to have their lives “figured out” by their early 20s. Encourage your child to try new things—whether a part-time job, a hobby, or volunteering—without expecting immediate success. Exploration builds self-confidence and self-awareness. Give them choices, not mandates. Most importantly, accept that your child is their own person. Hoping or expecting that your child will live out your own unfulfilled expectations is extremely harmful to their development.
Validate Their Experience & Feelings: Even if their struggles seem trivial to you, remember they are very real to them. Listen actively and without judgment. Acknowledge their feelings and reassure them that it’s okay to feel uncertain, disappointed, angry, or any emotion. Feelings simply are!
Build Life Skills: Help them gain practical skills like budgeting, time management, and job interview techniques. These skills provide a sense of competence and make life’s big decisions more manageable.
Connect Them with Mentors: Sometimes, hearing advice from someone outside the family can be impactful. Encourage them to seek out mentors in their fields of interest or participate in counseling if they feel stuck or overwhelmed.
Gen Zers face complex challenges often amplified by the digital world. However, with thoughtful guidance and empathy, parents can confidently help their children navigate life’s decisions. Be patient and present; the decisions may be theirs, but your role as a trusted guide is invaluable. If you’re a parent struggling to connect with your Gen Z child, consider seeking individual, group, family counseling, or parent coaching. Together, you can foster an environment where exploration, growth, self-discovery, and healthy decision making are possible.
Dr. Yaro Garcia
Hello, I am Dr. Garcia, please call me Yaro. My degrees are in clinical psychology and I am a licensed mental health counselor. My approach is caring, warm, safe, non-judgmental, and straight forward. It is a difficult decision to seek therapy, I take time to build a trusting therapeutic relationship with you…
