Big yikes.

Gen Z perceives the world to be more dangerous than any previous generation in modern history, according to a new study.

Academic researchers based their findings on 50 verbal interviews with Gen Zers, where risk factors that have led to the current mental health crisis in young people — from mass shootings to social media — were examined.

“Despite risk analysis research demonstrating that we live in one of the safest times ever, Gen Z experiences a disparity in risk assessment from their older counterparts, essentially having the perception that risk is everywhere they turn,” lead researcher Professor Gabriel Rubin, of Montclair State University in New Jersey said in a statement.

He noted that one of the biggest factors to this sense of danger and doom is the constant stream of news alerts that “overemphasize their threat level.”

The research has shown that Gen Z is presented with a world in which things are either safe or dangerous but have failed to understand that the many risks in life can be weighed.

“This research has so far revealed that the disparity in risk assessment has led many young people to feel anxious, depressed and even suicidal — especially young girls and women,” Rubin explained.

He suggests that messaging to Gen Zers needs to emphasize the grey areas in risk and in life.

Many have questioned whether the spike in mental health issues has been spurred by people being more aware of their mental health, feeling more comfortable to address it and possibly being too sensitive, but Rubin claims his research has not found that to be the case.

“They’re taught from a young age that the world is ending — that climate change is going to destroy the planet and that no one is going to do anything [about] it,” Rubin told United Press International, noting that Gen Zers have been “faced with anxiety-inducing or depressing experiences” on a daily basis for most of their lives.

Rubin is due to present his ongoing research at the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) annual conference in Washington DC.

The new data comes as experts continue to warn of a rising mental health crisis, with nearly one in five American adults being diagnosed with depression.

Children are also receiving mental health treatment at worrying rates, with each generation reporting worsening mental health.