Is it any surprise that the most anxious generation doesn’t have any fun?
Thousands of Gen Zers overwhelmingly agreed that they are not taking advantage of their youths the way previous generations had.
The conversation exploded after influencer and self-identified millennial Ashley Tea shared a TikTok saying she was “genuinely curious” about what Gen Z does for fun.
“I genuinely think millennials got to have a way better time than Gen Z does,” Tea said in a video that’s racked up more than 725,000 views.
“I got to be an emo kid in 2005 it was as good as you think it was. It was fun. It was great. It was trashy. I had the best time. I got to go clubbing when clubbing was the club. Like, it was so much fun,” continued the 33-year-old, who was inexplicably wearing a pair of elf ears.
Tea then questioned whether the younger generation was indulging in the same vices, or whether the COVID-19 pandemic has derailed such a path.
“You couldn’t go to the club during the pandemic because that sucks. Literally, my sympathies go out to you. But I, like, I have a question for the youth, like, a genuine question: What do you do for fun? Where do you go, what do you do? … It mystifies me.”
One clear response emerged among the hordes of comments, with one user simply stating that Gen Z doesn’t appear to have much fun at all: “We just suffer. constantly.”
Many of the users noted that leaving their homes to participate in any activity comes at a great monetary cost that they just simply cannot afford.
With studies showing that more than half of Gen Z says their finances keep them up at night, the urge to stay indoors isn’t surprising.
“I’m 27 and I don’t have any fun. Every day is just surviving. All of my time is spent working and all of my money is spent on bills. I am burned out,” one user wrote.
“There are hardly any ‘third spaces’ anymore, free places to just exist together without expectations of spending money,” another added.
“As a 23 year old: nothing. We don’t have fun. We go shopping and out to eat but that’s too expensive now,” said one.
Others pointed out that the nation has become extremely surveilled, making it impossible for kids to experience the “trashy” youth Tea described without the possibility of facing consequences.
Some even said places that young people had traditionally hung out at — including shopping malls — have implemented bans for those under 18 unless they are supervised by an adult.
In the sea of negativity, however, a handful of Gen Zers claimed that they have plenty of fun — just that it looks different than the drunken and mischievous past Tea recalled enjoying.
“As a Gen Z I mostly go to picnics at the park and make stuff for friends. I’m currently knitting matching beanies for my friends and myself,” wrote one user.
“I normally have my friends over and we watch movies and play board games all night,” wrote another.
One added: “I’m 18! I go to malls with my friends! We draw and have late-night car ride convos!!! I think its fun but idk!”