Dec 14, 2016 19:00:00

What is 'Generation Z,' the new generation from 1998 to the present?

The generation born around the turn of the millennium, for whom the internet was a part of their daily lives, is known as '

Generation Z. ' Just as the 1990s American TV show 'Friends' portrayed Gen X characters as struggling to become adults even after entering society, Gen Z also exhibits unique tendencies. So, what exactly are Gen Z kids like? The kids themselves explain what their generation is like and how it differs from other generations.

Today's teens are way better behaved than you were - The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/12/13/todays-teens-are-way-better-behaved-than-you-were/?utm_term=.251f4bd09f8a

Meet Generation Z
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/entertainment/meet-generation-z/2016/05/25/290c2c00-21db-11e6-b944-52f7b1793dae_video.html

Below is a movie that talks about what kind of generation Z recognizes itself as and how it differs from other generations.


According to Wikipedia , 'Generation Z' refers to the generation born between 2001 and the present, following 'Generation X' (born between 1965 and 1980) and 'Generation Y (Millennials)' (born between 1981 and 2000). It refers to teenage boys and girls as of 2016. The movie defines this generation as 'born between 1998 and the present,' and they account for 25% of the US population.

These boys described their generation as 'more connected.'

'We've never existed in a world without social media.'

'Maybe we were raised very differently than our teachers, parents, and grandparents were raised.'

In response to the question, 'How do you think your generation is different from your parents' generation?'

Reasons cited include, 'Our parents' generation uses BlackBerrys and flip phones,' and 'We are more connected than generations who were connected by phone.'

The girl said, 'In a way, it's sad that we miss out on what's happening in the world' to her parents' generation, who didn't have smartphones.

Regarding the lifestyle of her parents' generation, one girl said, 'Even if we only had a black-and-white TV, it was still entertainment, so I think it was okay.'

Some people said, 'I think there was something 'new' in each generation,' and 'What we know is just different from what they know.'

Research shows that today's boys and girls spend nearly nine hours consuming media every day.

The boy in the photo below says he got his first smartphone on Christmas Day when he was in fifth grade (age 10).

One girl said, 'I always have my cell phone with me so I can contact the people I care about,' and another said, 'When I was away from my friends for a while, I really wanted to talk, so I sent them a text.' This shows that 'conversation' and 'sending a text' are synonymous, and that smartphones are at the base of communication methods.

'My parents always say, 'Put the phone down!''

One boy was told to 'get up and do something!' while another girl said, 'I don't always have my phone with me. I put it down when I talk to my friends.'

'I just love the app.'

Classes are also conducted on Chromebooks and computers, and one girl said that when her smartphone battery ran out while she was in class at school, she 'felt sad the whole time.'

While adults tend to say, 'Kids these days...' (PDF file), recent surveys show that the frequency of alcohol, marijuana, and drug use among American boys and girls is on the decline. Alcohol use fell from 67% in 1991 to 36% in 2016, while the percentage of 12th graders who smoked cigarettes fell from 63% in 1991 to 28% in 2016.