Is Gen Z “soft”?

While having a conversation with my parents at the dining room table the other day, they brought up interesting points about how “Gen Z has gone soft” and “they’re quitting because of mental health”. Which raised the question: Is Gen Z more mentally ill because they’ve gone soft? Or is it because they’re genuinely more mentally ill? It’s become typical to see TikToks and Instagram Reels with people arguing with each other in the comments- some people saying Gen Z is offended by everything and others saying there are good reasons to be offended by these things.

Side note: This article touches on whether Gen Z’s bad mental health is the older or younger generation’s fault. Check it out! the dispatchonline.net

This is the Internet age, Gen Z is growing up with more pressure, knowledge, and access to information. While modern technology allows humans to be more efficient and has improved our communication, it can also be detrimental to the mental health of this generation. Because Gen Z grew up while technology was already booming whereas millennials grew up with technology. While many of them were born while technology was developing, they still learned how to survive without it due to technology not being fully developed yet. Gen Z is growing up with extremely easy access to social media, the internet, and all of the platforms, websites, and resources that can allow anyone to easily compare themselves to everyone else online. It’s easy to see Gen Z is constantly comparing themselves to each other based on looks, the way they dress, and how “perfect” their lives seem. 

This is also the generation that has faced a lot of rising conflict and violence in our country. The number of mass school shootings has shot up and has also broken records. Not to mention the pandemic and how COVID-19 changed everyone’s lives. When the pandemic hit, there was an unseen amount of people reporting anxiety and depression due to everyone feeling isolated. 

So what do you think? Has Gen Z gone soft? Or is Gen Z genuinely more mentally ill?