Recently, I posed a question to a young man about Gen Z. My question was, “What is wrong with your peers?” I went on to explain the reason for my question noting how so many young adults lack accountability and they fail at committing to things long term. As if that wasn’t enough, communication is zero. His reply, “They smoke too much.” What???!?

The gentleman went on further in sharing his thoughts. He explained Gen Z has grown up in a world of social media. Social media has taught them to have jobs, talents, businesses and things that are sometimes not realistic in the moment. Because they can’t keep up with the Jones’, they are sinking into a state of confusion and depression. He concluded by saying social media has led them to believe they are failures, so they smoke weed. That’s their answer, their cure. Wow!

From the outside looking in, I thought Gen Z had it made. I perceived social media as an outlet of opportunities and I’m sure it still is. However, I didn’t realize they were putting this level of pressure on themselves because of social media. But once this statement was made, it made me realize how football players find the need to post EVERY offer they receive on Twitter. I starting envisioning all of the luxury bags I see on Instagram. And then I recalled all of the couples videos and “catching flights not feelings” videos that made it to all the platforms. What I discovered is many of them are looking for clout before it’s truly their time to shine. They don’t want next, they want now. I really started to question how much negative impact does social media have on our kids?

If you spend a lot of time on social media, ask yourself, “Why are so many athletes in the transfer portal and why do we know about it?”, “Why are athletes committing again on social media?”, “Why do we need to know you’re expecting?” I think we’ll figure that out. “Why do we know you went to Saks, Nordstroms, etc.?” My point is why have we become so comfortable with sharing so much of ourselves? Well, only the parts that make the highlight reel. Has social media really had this kind of impact on our kids? Has it become harmful? Again, I thought it gave Gen Z a head start. What are your thoughts???!? 🤔