Anybody born after 1995 up to 2010. (Generation dates are not a fixed science and these dates may differ from source to source). Anybody born after this are becoming known as Gen Alphas. If your child is in Year 5 to Year 10 they are considered Gen Zs.
Why does the generation you belong to matter?
Generational cohorts give researchers a tool to analyse changes in views over time. Companies are particularly interested in this research as it can help them target their customers and clients and also know what will attract future employees. In 2020 Gen Z will account for 40% of all consumers.
What have Gen Z been influenced by?
Gen Zs have never felt the world at large to be a safe place. They came of age during a period of dozens of terrorist attacks and are living in a recession which has had an impact on their parents' and families' finances, careers, and livelihoods. While Millennials (Gen Y) may be known as the "optimistic generation," Generation Z is more of the "realistic" or pragmatic generation.
Gen Zs account for the largest segment of the world's population at 26 percent. Meanwhile, Baby Boomers represent 24 percent, Millennials constitute 22 percent, Generation X accounts for 20 percent, and the Greatest Generation makes up 9 percent. (Nielsen)
They have now reached the ripe old age of 24 and are leaving University in the US and going out to work. Where they want to work and how they will spend their salaries is of great interest to recruitment companies. Forward thinking employers are also looking at how to retain Gen Zs in their workforce as in an Inc. Research survey 72% of Gen Zs want to own their own business, with 61% of college students surveyed wanting to be entrepreneurs rather than employees, not surprising in a world where the founder of Snapchat Evan Spiegel was only 21 when he released the app. 16% are already working for themselves, with 76% wishing their hobbies can become their full time jobs. (Marketo)
What do I need to know?
Gen Z is going to be a phenomenal generation! Don’t believe all you hear about the digital age they are growing up in and how it is forming their personalities negatively. They are actually a very emotionally intelligent generation and are being educated to have their own opinions and not be swayed by fake news from an early age. They also know their world is digital and they know from us nagging parents that we are concerned they will not have the social skills they need to get on in the world. Don’t worry - they have it all under control!
The average Gen Zer has an attention span of 8 seconds! (Statistic Brain Research)
Not quite true…
Gen Z have an average "8 second filter" to gauge whether something is worth their attention. That is not the same thing as a short attention span, though; instead, it's the amount of time they spend on average determining whether to engage with something (Fast Company) so you have to get their attention quick if you don’t want to be filtered out. Forget the small talk go straight to the point or you have lost them. They hate to be bored (with digital devices they have never needed to be) and once you have broken the 8 seconds barrier and got them interested enough to listen you have between 7 and 12 minutes to keep them engaged.
5 Screens - Remember 8 second filter and it makes sense
On average, Gen Z use five screens, switching among them for different purposes: smartphone, TV, laptop, desktop, and tablet. That's compared with the Millennial Generation's three screens. (International Business Times)
Screen Time - Surely it is bad - Maybe not...
On average, Gen Z spend between six and nine hours per day consuming media. (Common Sense Media) Now that's a lot of media! 92% go online every day—and 24 % say they are online "almost constantly." (Pew Research Center)
Before you throw up your hands in despair at the amount of time our children can spend on screens, if allowed, maybe the research coming out about what they are watching and why will change your mindset.
The media content my children choose to watch on their screens would not be my choice but many of us are guilty of binge watching a whole series saying ‘Just one more episode’ as we are barely able to keep our eyes open. Perhaps there are not as many differences between the purpose of our screen times as we may think. As we chat with our peers about the latest thriller on Netflix, Gen Z are chatting about the latest game they are playing or YouTube video they have subscribed to. Gen Z screen time is not necessarily anti-social it is just different.
The most-watched shows on Netflix are light-hearted sitcoms like The Office and Friends. Both of those shows made Gen Z & Millennials’ list of media they turn to when they are stressed. (Medium) I have written that in bold on purpose to get your attention.
Let’s see what the Medium Research says about YouTube and Gen Z: YouTube gives Generation Z a way to decompress and get their minds off of the things that are causing them stress. Whether they’re watching “slime” videos, learning something new, or browsing product videos, this generation turns to YouTube for “feel good” content that offers an escape from the stress they deal with on a daily basis
Have you watched the Study With Me videos posted by StriveStudies? It shows Jamie Lee, a Gen Z student, studying for 2.5 hours. Users play the video while they’re doing homework and it helps them to stay on track and not feel so alone when studying.
You or I may not want to watch it but StriveStudies has 230,000 subscribers and 4.3 million views!
What about Ryan’s Toy Review? Ryan Kaji was YouTube’s top earner in 2019 earning 26 million dollars. And what is it? A 7 year old playing with toys and saying what he thinks of them! I might not be watching him but 23.4 million subscribers are.
And what is the most watched video which is not a music video on YouTube? Masha and The Bear Recipe for Disaster at 4,218,159,608 (4.2 billion) views. It is an animated cartoon in Russian; as an aside only 265 million people speak Russian in the world.
And for those parents of ‘Gamers’ do not despair - Whistle Research says:
68% of Gen Z males agree that gaming is an important part of their identity. For this generation, gaming transcends a hobby and is in fact a primary means of identifying themselves – a vital facet of their social lives, component of their media habits and driver of their brand choices.
The social components of Gen Z’s gaming identity extend to their day-to-day interactions with friends. 3 out of 4 Gen Z males believe playing video games help them stay close with their friends. Although some have categorized Gen Z as anti-social, it seems more so that socialization has evolved and communication has been digitized to mediums like text messaging, social media and, now, gaming.
Influencers and Fast Fashion - Watch out Kardashians!
Gen Z are really bothered about climate change and most of them know how much water it takes to make a pair of jeans (1800 gallons to grow the cotton needed for 1 pair) - ‘So why own more than one pair?’ is beginning to resonate with our younger generation. Renting an outfit, second hand clothes, clothes swaps and buying Eco Brands will become the face of the future as Gen Zs still dont want to be on insta in a dress they have worn 3 times…(Refinery29.com)
43% of Gen Zs will block ads this year (eMarketeer) and celebrities will just not cut when being used to target Gen Zs buying power. They are more likely to buy something because their friend says it is good or they have seen 4 real people reviews on YouTube than if Kim Kardashian says you must have it!
Privacy - Our children are at risk! Are they?
We all worry that our children are putting themselves at risk on the apps they use and by being online but perhaps we shouldn’t. 87% of Gen Zs value their privacy over the number of likes they get (The Shelf) - perhaps a sign of why Snapchat is so popular with our teens as it is far less public than FaceBook. 75% only use location features when an app requires it and 58% only turn on their location as and when they need to use it.
Gen Zs however want ‘gated content’ - yes I had to google that too (it means personalised content based on their likes and interests). To have gated content companies need to have your data, yet Gen Zs are not that confident in companies having their data - 33% are concerned about how companies use their data, and 38% worry it is being shared without their consent. (The Shelf)
Children are entering adolescence in elementary school—being exposed to information on teen websites, social media, getting something tattooed or pierced and entering puberty earlier. At the same time, young people are staying in adolescence well into their twenties. They are not working jobs or leaving home until later.
According to some research, adolescence begins at age 10 today (the onset of puberty) and extends until 24 years old. Some educators would argue it continues to age 26 or 28, due to the delay of emotional maturation. (Twenge and Park)
The most effective parents, according to research, are “authoritative.” Instead of strict obedience, they emphasise adaptability, problem-solving and independence — skills that will help their offspring in future workplaces that we can’t even imagine yet. This means that, like the immune system, we actually need to experience adversity in order to develop. The more challenges we face, the more equipped we become to handle our lives, and the more confident we become that we can continue to do so in the face of the unknown. (Baumrind 1966)
Helicopter Parenting is a style of child rearing in which a parent discourages a child's independence by being too involved in the child's life: In typical helicopter parenting, a parent swoops in at any sign of challenge or discomfort. Students with helicopter parents tended to be less open to new ideas and actions, and were more vulnerable, anxious, dependent, and self-conscious. The message given is you need me to be there for you to be able to be successful. (Cline and Fay 1990)
How do Gen Zs feel about their future?
88% claim to be confident about their future. (Vision Critical/ MARU/VCR&C)
76% of Generation Z members anticipate working harder than previous generations did. (Robert Half) But only 42% of them say they are happy. Hmm. (Vision Critical/ MARU/VCR&C)
To sum up - Google says it beautifully
Gen Z never knew the world before the internet - before everything you could ever need was one click away. They never knew the world before terrorism or global warming.
As a result, Gen Z is the most informed, evolved, and empathetic generation of its kind. They value information, stimulation, and connection, evident by their affinity for YouTube, Google, and Netflix.
They also have high hopes for the brands they choose. From Nike to X-Box, they expect big things. As professionals, we should see this as our challenge—to live up to the standard
Gen Z has set for us and to continue to inform, inspire, and create products and marketing that facilitate the world in which they want to live. (Google - It’s Lit: A Definitive Guide to What Teens Think Is Cool)