We have our entire futures ahead of us. But our generation of young people is one marked by anxiety. I’ve heard friends and peers express the fear that Gen Z is worse off, and I have definitely felt the same stress myself.

Is the world worse for Gen Z than it was for generations before? It definitely is different.

As we try to make our way into the world, Gen Z is facing a barrage of obstacles: increased inflation and prices, layoffs, and fears about the climate crisis.

This uncertainty is especially challenging for those of us who are already experiencing upheaval in their lives — for example, immigrant youth. Many young people from all different backgrounds feel hopeless, like they’re not going to get a chance to achieve their dreams.

Over 80% of respondents in Deloitte’s 2025 Global Gen Z and Millennial survey shared that their long-term financial futures and daily expenses played a key role in their anxiety. And almost half of Gen Z respondents shared that they didn’t feel financially stable.

If you’re confused about the rising dominance of AI in your fields of interest, you’re not the only one. Watching jobs get outsourced to bots is a massive source of uncertainty for teens and young adults right now. For our generation of college students, it feels like “what’s at the end of the path is just no longer guaranteed,” says Amrita Bhasin, a UC Berkeley graduate and entrepreneur.

There is also the geopolitical turmoil we’ve heard about: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Israel’s attacks in the Gaza Strip amidst complex negotiations with Hamas, have spent years in the news. The images we see on a daily basis are straight from the scene, often graphic, and paired with words by leaders who aren’t doing quite enough to stop the chaos.

Every single era brings unprecedented challenges. If you’re a high school student reading this, your parents probably witnessed the turmoil of the Cold War. Their parents probably watched World War II play out. And with every era has come struggles for people’s rights – and uncertainties about their future.

It’s not necessarily comforting to know that our parents had to deal with (some of) the same fears. That said, it is helpful to remember that we are not the first generation to feel like our world is ending. We are not the first ones who will persevere through it.

But it is a lot of pressure to bear the weight of the unprecedented challenges our generation deals with. And the way we learn about them is completely different than ever before.

The plight of the first “digital native” generation

When frightening events happened during my grandparents’ childhood, they could read about it in the newspaper, or tune in to the radio. When my parents tell me about the biggest stories from their childhoods, they learned them over television channels.

The way you and I are growing up is fundamentally different. When a conflict breaks out, when disaster strikes, or when politicians clash, we can find out about it with a few clicks — no matter where we are.

Can that be beneficial? Yes, in some ways. I am grateful to receive real-time information on how exactly to help people in crisis, and learn perspectives of groups who might be overlooked in mainstream discussion. But the emotional and psychological effects on our generation are unprecedented, too.

“We were raised with war bleeding through our screens,” 25-year-old neuroscience and AI researcher, Amogh Mehrotra, shared with CNBC. We see more content of conflict every single day “than any generation before us”.

The people online who aren’t acting in good faith don’t make this much better. When we go on social media, we have to dodge misinformation and process polarizing, potentially hateful messages. For a group of young people trying to make sense of the world, we certainly have our work cut out for us. I think the rising political polarization of the past few years, especially since the pandemic, is one reason everything feels worse right now: it is challenging to witness problems in the world when leaders don’t want to collaborate to fix them.

Gen Z consumes news more than any other content. And according to a UNICEF survey of more than 5,600 people aged 14-25, 6 in 10 of us feel overwhelmed by current events.

4 in 10 of us still feel stigma around speaking out about our mental health in schools and workplaces. Only half know where to find resources to support their mental health, and only 55% believe they have effective coping mechanisms to support their well-being.

This doesn’t mean our generation doesn’t have a lot of hope. We do, but it is challenging to keep that mindset when so much information is being poured into our minds – and when we don’t know how to deal with its effects.

Here’s what we can do

If you’re someone who relates to anything I just described, please do not despair!! What I want you to take from this article is that you are not the only one – and when you use your energy for good, you can help create a better world.

I surveyed 55 Cathedral students to find out whether they’ve been experiencing the same stress. A majority agreed that it feels worse right now — especially because of social media, polarized politics, and expectations on our generation.

But they also shared their own ways to cope and feel better! Many students take a walk or head to the gym. Others suggested writing about the events they’re stressed about, listening to music, reading, baking or cooking, creating illustrations, playing an instrument, and prayer. The hobbies you partake in on a daily basis can also be your outlet when it feels like there’s too much information.

Talking through and reflecting on issues is also essential for students. “I will talk with my parents about the problem, because I know they have more knowledge about the situation,” shared one student. Several look for ways to donate their time or resources, or try to consider their role in the issue. “A way to cope with stress of reading about the problems of the world is taking the time to reflect and think about… small steps to help my community,” another anonymous student shared.

For adults, I encourage you to help students redirect their confusion and concern. Right now, Gen Z needs mental health support accessible to us, and spaces for community where we can talk to like-minded young people. We need to see that there is a way out, even if it is not easy to find.

Our generation is receiving an unprecedented level of information. But with the right support, we can use it to create a much better future.