The coming-of-age era known as your twenties are a time for experimentation, branching out, learning about different aspects of yourself, and of course, having stupid fun.
Of course, every generation‘s definition of fun varies. Just what might Gen Zers, those who navigated their teenhood through TikTok and basically came of drinking age during a global pandemic, do to elicit feelings of fun?
Millennial content creator Ashley Tea wondered this very thing. In a video that went viral on TikTok in late 2023, she shared “I genuinely think millennials got to have a way better time than Gen Z does.”
Millennials are already nostalgic about their glory days
Tea then reminisced about her own experience of being “an emo kid in 2005,” going out to clubs, bars, and restaurants with her friends having a “fun, great, trashy” time.
That simply wouldn’t be financially feasible in today’s economic landscape, Tea noted, leaving her “mystified” as to how today’s college-age adults might enjoy themselves.
So again, Tea posed the question: “it’s a Friday night, a Saturday night…What do you do? Where do you go?”
Gen Z’s answers to this question were eye-opening
The responses to Tea’s question were illuminating, to say the least, and certainly different than how she spent her early 20s.
For starters, Tea’s joke about “Gen Zers not having any fun at all” rang true for many people of that age group.
“As a 23 year old: I don’t have any fun, hope that helps!” quipped one person.
Another joked, “sometimes I sit outside if I’m feeling extra.”
One obvious factor behind this is finances. With everything being far more expensive, many Gen Zers simply cannot afford to have a social life that resembles earlier generations.
“As a 21 year old, the economy makes it difficult to have fun that way, I work 40 hours weekly and I’m either too tired or can’t afford it,” one person wrote.
Another reason, which isn’t maybe as obvious, is surveillance. Tea noted that a lot of young people said that since either of their “parents can track their phones everywhere,” they are deterred from doing things that could get them into trouble. Perhaps that’s a win for safety, but there is something to be said about excessive levels of control.
Then of course there’s the pandemic, which sucked the fun out of everything big time
“I got ROBBED of my early 20s bs COVID started when I was 22 Nwo things are normal but all the good bars and clubs in my area didn’t survive the lockdown,” one person wrote.
Plus, there’s a lack of third places to gather, leaving very little options beside staying home and scrolling on TikTok.
So what does Gen Z actually do for fun?
However, it’s not all gloom and doom, Tea discovered.
For one thing, Gen Zers don’t “glorify binge drinking” nearly as much as Millennials and Gen Xers. According to recent research, Gen Z is drinking significantly less than previous generations, with nearly two-thirds planning to cut back or abstain entirely.Part of this comes down to Gen Z prioritizing health and wellness more than previous generations, and another part is the cost.
When Gen Zers do actually have fun, it tends to lean towards more wholesome activities, like house parties (sometimes even themed house parties) and crocheting. Lots and lots crocheting apparently.
Grocery stores are the new clubs.
Then there’s self care, which genuinely is fun:
Love that self care is considered entertainment these days.
As promised, crocheting and taking care of one’s body are really all the rage with Gen Z:
Fitness groups are a new way people are finding friends.
And who doesn’t love a good coffee shop?
Though of course, hanging out in coffee shops isn’t exactly anything new.
Gen Z will be just fine
So maybe things look quite a bit different for Gen Z than Millennials or other generations.
That’s not entirely a good or bad thing, and it’s definitely to be expected in some ways. The struggle of rising costs and limited opportunities to form connections and have fun are undeniably issues that must be addressed. But the fact that Gen Zers are leaning into their creativity is worth noting too. If nothing else, it makes it clear that even though it might not look like it, there is still fun to be had.
Now, I wonder what Gen Alpha’s young adult fun will look like in a few year’s time? If their slang is any indicator, it’s going to be weird.
We’ll get back to you on that. But, honestly, more power to them.
This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.
