Generation Z (often shortened to Gen Z), also known as Zoomers,[1][2][3] is the demographiccohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 2010s as ending birth years, with the generation most frequently being defined as people born from 1997 to 2012.[4] Most members of Generation Z are the children of younger Baby Boomers or Generation X.[5][6]
As the first social generation to have grown up with access to the Internet and portable digital technology from a young age, members of Generation Z, even if not necessarily digitally literate, have been dubbed "digital natives".[7][8][9][10] Moreover, the negative effects of screen time are most pronounced in adolescents, as compared to younger children.[11] Compared to previous generations, members of Generation Z tend to live more slowly than their predecessors when they were their age,[12][13] have lower rates of teenage pregnancies, and consume alcohol (but not necessarily other psychoactive drugs) less often.[14][15][16] Generation Z teenagers are more concerned than older generations with academic performance and job prospects,[17][12] and are better at delaying gratification than their counterparts from the 1960s, despite concerns to the contrary.[18]Sexting among adolescents has grown in prevalence; the consequences of this remain poorly understood.[19]Youth subcultures have not disappeared, but they have been quieter.[20][21]Nostalgia is a major theme of youth culture in the 2010s and 2020s.[22][23][24]
Globally, there is evidence that girls in Generation Z experienced puberty at considerably younger ages compared to previous generations, with implications for their welfare and their future.[25][26][27][28][29] Furthermore, the prevalence of allergies among adolescents and young adults in Generation Z is greater than the general population;[30][31] there is greater awareness and diagnosis of mental health conditions,[17][16][32][33] and sleep deprivation is more frequently reported.[8][34][35] In many countries, Gen Z youth are more likely to be diagnosed with intellectual disabilities and psychiatric disorders than older generations.[36][37]
Around the world, members of Generation Z are spending more time on electronic devices and less time reading books than before,[38][39][40] with implications for their attention spans,[41][42]vocabulary,[43][44]academic performance,[45] and future economic contributions.[38] In Asia, educators in the 2000s and 2010s typically sought out and nourished top students; in Western Europe and the United States, the emphasis was on poor performers.[46]East Asian and Singaporean students consistently earned the top spots in international standardized tests in the 2010s.[47][48][49][50]