General Z wants security over everyone because the generation increases amidst the constant crisis and the threat of existence.

After many years of biased politics, rapidly divisive language, finger-point and inflammatory speech have contributed to an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, not only affecting political mobility, but also affecting the priorities and perceptions of young people.

As a Developmental psychologist Those media and adolescents who study the intersection of mental health, and as the mother of two General Z children, I have seen for the first time how external social factors can deeply shape the emotional welfare of young people.

It was brought into fast relief through A results of A. recent survey My colleagues and I held all over America with 1,644 youth, at the age of 10 to 24. The study was not made as a political survey, but as a window that actually matters to adolescents. We asked the participants to rate the importance of 14 personal goals. These included classic teenage desires such as “being popular,” “fun” and “to be kind.”

None of these was ranked as the top priority. Instead, the number 1 answer was “to be safe”.

What was taken for once

The conclusions are both illuminated and heartbreaking. As a teenager, I did countless unsafe things. My colleagues and I did not pay attention to the loss; We chased fun and freedom.

While the previous generations may have given security, today’s youth are growing up in one era. Mixed crisis—Shul shooting, a deteriorating climate crisis, financial uncertainty and a dull shock of a global epidemic. Even though our research did not indicate specific causes of adolescent fears, but the continuous risk of the crisis -enacted crises, potentially plays an important role in promoting the widespread feeling of concern.

Despite data Showing that many aspects of life are now safe than previous generations, Young people don’t feel itTheir perception of danger has been shaped recently from incidents like fire that destroys los angeles, strengthening a belief that threats, possibly due to global crises like climate change, rude everywhere goes.

This change in perspective profound implications For the future of this generation and people coming.

Especially weak time

AdolescentLike ChildhoodThere is an important period for brain development. Young people are particularly sensitive to their environment because their brains evaluate the environment to prepare them for freedom.

This developmental phase – when the ability to regulate emotions and assess seriously information Still mature—Mah makes them unsafe for particularly permanent effects.

Studies show that Teenagers have to struggle for dangers in contextThis makes them especially weak for the fear-powered messages prevalent in both traditional and social media, which is carried forward by political rhetoric and faults. This vulnerability has implications for his mental health, as there is a long association with fear and uncertainty. Increased rates of concernIssues of depression and even physical health.

So when the media consuming General Z is dominated by fear – it is through headlines, social media posts, political rhetoric or even a storyline in films and TV – it is in those ways in those ways Can give shape that may be reproduced for future generations.

Permanent generation effect

Historical events have long been shown to shape the world vision of the entire generations.

For example, Gathering Mainly influenced the daily life of the silent generation, born between 1928 and 1945. In addition, its long -term effects on the financial approach and safety concerns resonated in the baby boomer generation, impressing that people born between 1946 and 1964 reached money, stability and how they were born, and how they were born in their entire life.

Similarly, today’s teenagers, growing between a series of mixed global crises, will probably extend this period to the impression of this period of fear and uncertainty well into adulthood. This formal experience can shape their mental health, decision making and even their collective identity and values ​​for the coming decades.

In addition, feelings of insecurity and instability can make people More responsible for fear-based messageWhich can potentially affect their political and social options. In an era marked by the rise of Ruling governmentsThis sensitivity can be far -reaching implications because fear often motivates individuals to prioritize immediate security. Moral or ideological ideal,

For example, these dynamics can give deep shape on how this generation connects with the world, they are the reason why they follow the champions and they follow the leaders.

Room for optimism?

Interestingly, “being kind” was given number 2 status in our survey, even though other demographics. While security dominates their priorities, teenagers still value the qualities that promote connections and community.

This discovery indicates a duality in their aspirations: while they feel a comprehensive sense of danger, they also recognize the importance of mutual relationships and emotional welfare.

Our findings are a call to see the broad social context that shapes teenage development. For example, School-based increase Safety practice, while providing a sense of preparations, can inadvertently strengthen the feelings of insecurity. Similarly, the apocalypse of climate change can create a feeling of powerlessness that can give more to their fear and leave them to bury their heads in the sand.

Understanding how these assumptions are made and their implications are essential for mental health, decision making and behavior for parents, StorytellersPolicy makers and researchers.

I believe that we should also consider how the young system contributes to the widespread sense of uncertainty and fear among the youth. Further research can help uncontrollably to uncontrollably between external stresses, media consumption and the good of the youth, highlighting the best support of teenagers during this formal phase of life.

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