They have been deemed “generation sensible” for their focus on social issues, healthy living and drinking less alcohol. But therapists say generation Z could miss out on a wealth of life experience due to their overly cautious attitude to taking risks.
Many young people increasingly choose to stay within a comfort zone of a small network of like-minded friends in which much of their social activity is virtual, according to mental health experts.
While this can give them more control over some aspects of their lives, it can also lead to social anxiety when they have to interact with people offline, the experts added.
Natalie Phillips, a psychotherapist who works with children and young people aged from 11 to 25, said: “I’m seeing a disproportionate increase in referrals for social anxiety, professional anxiety, general self-confidence and relationship issues for this generation when they are confronted with the reality of being in an office, being in a nightclub, being in a pub, or being on a date.”
Her comments came after an academic study, published in the British Journal of Sociology, said generation Z claim they drink less alcohol than their parents because they feel under pressure to perform academically, are more health conscious and do not want to lose control.
Phillips said: “I do have the sense that [this generation] are possibly missing out on making mistakes and the sense of being young. I think they’re quite old before their time.”
She added that many of the young people she works with have “restricted comfort zones” because they work from home or largely interact with colleagues online, and have a small number of friends who are of the same mindset.
“They are not in social situations to the same extent that we were generations before them. There’s a danger that your world becomes inward-looking, and that can then cause self-perpetuating anxiety. The outside world is much more scary because you haven’t got the experience to deal with that.”
This trend has been exacerbated by the pandemic, which has led to more young people working remotely and socialising in person less frequently, the psychotherapist added.
The study, entitled More Options … Less Time in the “Hustle Culture” of “Generation Sensible”: Individualization and Drinking Decline Among Twenty-First Century Young Adults, found 70% of the young people surveyed felt they were under greater pressure than their parents to achieve academically and get a good career, leaving them less time to party.
The researchers from the universities of Kent and Leeds surveyed 517 Britons aged 18 to 25 who described themselves as moderate or non-drinkers in 2020.
Seven out of 10 respondents said they felt they did not need to drink as much because they have a better choice of hobbies than their parents’ generation.
Many also said that they reduced their alcohol consumption due to the rising cost of drinks, university debt, and pressure to succeed in academia and their future careers.
The researchers also interviewed focus groups of university students who were members of “sober” societies to understand why they abstained from drinking.
One focus group member, Jennifer, said: “[We are] hyper-aware of the world as it is, and the problems with climate change and the political climate in the world, creating pressure on us to be doing our best to be making the world a better place, rather than just like living for the moment and having fun.”
Jane Darougar, a psychotherapist at Central Saint Martins school of art and design, said she was surprised to discover how many students said they were teetotal.
Darougar attributed this to their greater awareness of the adverse impact of alcohol on their mental health.
“I’ve had students who said, I have underlying anxiety, I know that if I drink my anxiety will be through the roof the next day, and I just can’t deal with that,” she added.
“I remember when I was young people would say dutch courage, and you’d take a drink before you went do something that seemed a bit frightening. I think that’s gone, people don’t see that as a sensible or constructive way of managing.”
