As you know, I am always writing about the next generation. This is why I must admit that while reading James Emery White’s book Meet Generation Z, I became awestruck by an idea that Dr. White presents in the book. White says, “Intriguingly, some are calling Generation Z the last generation we will ever speak of. The speed of culture, in which change can happen in a day, will make speaking of generations and their markings obsolete.” White then quotes a Culture Forecast by Sparks and Honey that says, “Tomorrow will be less about what a difference a generation makes, but more about what a difference a day makes.” White then continues, “All the more reason to make sure we know about what is probably the last, and arguably what will prove to be the most influential, generation in Western history.”
Could Gen Z be the final generation? If you are working through the alphabet, it makes sense. I mean, we just went through Generation X, Generation Y, and now Generation Z. I think there is some validity to the concept White proposes. There is no doubt that the years in which comprise a generation are shortening due to technology, the generation gap, and the speed at which society is moving. I like what Daniel 12:4 says: “But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” It is no surprise that knowledge has increased and that people are scurrying about. Man, in his rebellion, has always tried to unite in order to reach heights that properly belong to God (e.g., The Tower or Babel in Genesis 11). But does all of this mean that generations will cease to exist? I am not so sure. I am reminded of all the times Jesus spoke of judgments regarding various generations. In the end, I don’t think the answer matters all that much and that any talk about whether Gen Z is the last generation or not is just fanciful speculation at best.
While we are on subjects of dispute, I have to bring up another. In the year 2008, Dr. Robert Leahy posted on Psychology Today this line: “The average high school kid today has the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the early 1950’s.” Leahy made this statement based off of research that is now nearly twenty years old. However, with the advent of smart phones and social media in 2007, I think Leahy was onto something. Yet, with such a time lapse between the research, I prefer to lean on one of the leading Gen Z expert’s opinions in analyzing the mental health of youth culture today.
Dr. Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology at San Diego St. wrote a book called iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids are Growing up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy-And Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.” Twenge followed up on her book when she recently wrote an article entitled, “The mental health crisis among America’s youth is real – and staggering.” Twenge has said that it is not an exaggeration to describe iGen or Generation Z as being on the brink of the worst mental health crisis in decades.
In the article, Twenge says, “The large increases in mental health issues in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health appeared almost exclusively among teens and young adults, with less change among Americans ages 26 and over. Even after statistically controlling for the influences of age and year, we found that depression, distress and suicidal thoughts were much higher among those born in the mid- to late-1990s, the generation I call iGen. The mental health crisis seems to be a generational issue, not something that affects Americans of all ages. And that, more than anything else, might help researchers figure out why it’s happening.”
The old research says that teens were tripping out because of academic pressure. Academic pressure has only intensified today as kids compete for scholarships, etc. However, I think Twenge is more onto the cause when she says, “But there was one societal shift over the past decade that influenced the lives of today’s teens and young adults more than any other generation: the spread of smartphones and digital media like social media, texting and gaming.”
I agree with the latest research which says mental health is a generational issue. Whereas mental health was a minor issue in the 1950’s, now the issue has blown up to become a normal part of life. In the past, those struggling with mental health were treated as exiles. Today, these same outcasts are embraced and treated with special care. Colleges, in particular, are having to navigate these challenging times by offering their students programs and professionals which can assist them with their mental health. Jim Sankey, SEC Commissioner, recently stated at SEC Media Days, “The perspectives on mental health represent not a ripple of change, but a wave of new reality, which faces all of us in intercollegiate athletics and higher education.” Whereas talk with students used to center around campus parking and textbooks, Sankey says students today need and want to talk about their mental health.
We should help students understand that they need to value the words coming from those who love them like parents, teachers, and coaches more than they do the words coming from their Twitter followers or other social media outlets.
How are you helping this generation deal with mental health issues? There is no better place to start than the Bible. This verse comes to mind: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV).