Have phone screens ruined Gen Z romance?
swapping date night for swipe time Research shows phone screens consistently disrupt romantic experiences and emotional intimacy between partners, while also making dating feel transactional and exhausting for singletons. Are Gen Z missing out on connection and real love? Finding the time to put our phones down and actually sit with...
Current in The Gen Zer
The rise of ‘grandmaslop’ puts Gen Z’s privacy at risk
which AI platform have you given my likeness to grandma? Old people are generating AI photobooks, photographs of ‘memories’ from decades ago, and fake family scenes that never happened. While it might be fun for grandma, Gen Zers who are more savvy about AI infrastructure are concerned about privacy and...
Why are the music charts full of old songs?
someone put on Mr. Brightside, please The UK music charts are full of old artists right now, featuring everyone from Oasis to Michael Jackson to The Goo Goo Dolls. It seems Gen Z is consuming youth culture from the twentieth century as if it were contemporary, leaving pop music in...
Gen Z’s skills seem to be on the decline…but why?
According to the latest data from the OECD’s 2025 PISA report, Gen Z’s academic skills are falling behind, with literacy, mathematics, and science skills all underdeveloped compared to students from ten years ago. What’s causing the change? New research suggests that Gen Z is struggling to develop basic academic skills...
Is Gen Z running out of friends?
New research in the UK has found that young people are now five times more likely to have ‘no close friendships’ compared to 2014. Experts believe it is a mix of austerity, economic hardship, TikTok, and a loss of self-esteem that has caused a perfect storm of isolation. What...
Did Meta fail to protect Gen Z?
here’s to a better Meta (supposedly) Mark Zuckerberg’s tech firm Meta - the owners of Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook - has agreed on an $18 billion USD settlement to resolve claims that its platforms actively harmed children. Was it right to do so? Meta, the tech company that owns Instagram, WhatsApp,...
Does ‘nickel-and-diming’ make Gen Z stingy?
‘I’m bad at maths, let’s just split it three ways!’ After a delayed train you rock up later than your pals to the bar, and see everyone is already tucking into posh burgers with added Canadian bacon. Having had a hearty breakfast, you opt for a handful of mozzarella sticks and a simple pint. Before wrapping up, you return to the table after a quick trip to the urinal and see...
Studying the social media spectacle of a solar eclipse
glasses at the ready, everyone A major solar eclipse set social media ablaze this week, as Europeans geared up for a ‘once-in-a-generation’ celestial event. Opinions were mixed, with some left disappointed. Has everything become pre-packaged as online content? Did you watch the solar eclipse this week? Europeans were treated to a rare, near-total block of the sun on Wednesday, as the most intense solar eclipse since 1999 swept over Europe and some parts of...
Why is Gen Z fixated on… frozen yoghurt?
slather my dessert in chocolate and call it wellness, baby Frozen yoghurt has been rebranded on TikTok as a luxury ‘wellness’ food. Its newfound popularity reflects Gen Z’s spending habits and growing appetite for premium experiences beyond boozy pubs. Frozen yoghurt is making a comeback, at least in the UK and US. According to data first reported by Bloomberg several months ago and cited by Morning Brew, The Times, and Fortune, frozen...
TikTok finally admits it has an ‘AI slop’ problem
the rise (and potential fall) of TikTok slop After years of churning out new tools as fast as possible, it seems TikTok has recognised it has an ‘AI slop’ problem. The company has announced new measures to detect automated content, with options to filter and prioritise human creators. Does TikTok have an ‘AI slop’ problem? The short-form video platform has never been shy of controversy. From privacy concerns to a one-day US...
