If your teenage self was transported to 2025 and met the average Gen Z/Gen Alpha teenager from today, how do you think they’d react or act around them?
Please do not comment directly to this post unless you are Gen X or older (born 1980 or before). See this post, the rules, and the sidebar for details. Thank you for your submission, CupcakeFit3676.
I’d like to say I’d be bored of them because they don’t do anything but stare into phones, but in reality, I’d probably be blown away by the incredible technology they have and probably get sucked into using it just as much as they do pretty quickly.
I’d find Gen Z boring as hell. They spend all their time on their phone. Their lives were scheduled to the minute so they have no concept of just going off adventuring for a day. They don’t know how to do basic life stuff I started doing at 8.
If you mean how would they react around me? I am sure my obnoxious teenage ass would get labeled and insensitive bully and turned into the principal at school.
My views have changed dramatically since I was 17 and the world has changed. My sense of humor would not be appreciated and I’d struggle with their attitudes towards sexuality, mental health, and competition, or they’d hate mine. I’d be like Billy Madison pulling up to high school, but with a bigger time difference.
Ugh with the immediate ‘on their phones unable to interact’ bullshit.
I work with a ton of young interns and new engineers/scientists at my company every year (I’m older GenX) and they are amazing, smart, talented, as socially competent/inept as any of us scientists/engineers have been across the decades … and incredibly interesting people.
They hike, bike, run marathons, travel, love/hate family and on and on.
… so to answer the question, as a tech lover I would be incredibly fascinated with their smartphone and want to compare it with my Apple ][+ … and then we’d talk about music we love and so on. It would be great – the commonalities GREATLY outnumber the differences.
It’s really hard to imagine myself as a teenager now. Like, I don’t mind the kids. I don’t know how I’d fit in. I’d feel like I feel now. I always feel young at heart, but I recently realized I couldn’t adjust to actually navigating here and now as a young person. So like, I don’t know. There’s too much talking stage and nobody wears sandals. If I was raised up in the 80s and put into some time travel mode to be 17 right now, I think I’d not be very happy about it. And like y’all, I’d have missed all the good stuff you pretend to be nostalgic about and glorify the missing years. I don’t always like being “old”, in my 50s, but I wouldn’t have wanted to miss the trip, if you know what I mean. It’s all so weird for young people now but you think it’s normal, so it is for young people now if you’re young and starting adulthood, it’s pretty normal. And it’s normal for me to be in my 50s at the same time you’re a teen in 2025 and not a teenager.
I’d probably just want to play with their phones and computers. The internet wasn’t in my life until I was 21, and it was certainly way more primitive than it is now. The actual teenagers… well, I guess I’d feel the same way about the current ones as I did about the ones who were my age when I was a teenager. Not really for me. (Plenty of exceptions for cool individuals, then and now, but most people aren’t for me, to be honest. I prefer animals.)
Based on my knowledge of kids in that cohort from my grandson and his friends, I guess I’d be surprised at how highly scheduled and supervised they are, but otherwise I’d just think they seemed like teens.
Once I realized that you could have thousands of books on that hand-held device? Pffft. I’d never interact with them at all except to say “excuse me” when I bumped into them.
But aside from that I would find most of them boring.
I feel like when people say “kids are just on their phones and can’t interact anymore,” they might not be looking around enough… or they might even be projecting.
If you go to youth sports games, skate parks, local gyms, community centers, the beach, hiking trails, dirt bike tracks, rock climbing spots, dance studios, or even just a basketball court at the park there are tons of teens out there socializing, being active, doing things.
Not everything is online. It’s just easy to overlook when you’re not part of those spaces.
after figuring out what a smart phone can do, I would fit in way better than I did in the 70s… I remember actually day dreaming about owning a “machine” that could do what a computer does in the mid 60s! I picture 10 yr old me laying on my bedroom floor next to a piece of homework that was supposed to be formatted in a certain way and making a word processor + printer up in my head 🙂 I would have been over the moon to have a smart phone!
Teenage me would wonder why these teens are so hung up on their anxiety, OCD, ADHD, etc. and so eager to label and categorize themselves rather than just get on with life.
I would look them like they were aliens from planet stupid head and then get cancelled before I could say cat.
Their speech already sounds to me a Martian language from Mars Attacks! So if I went back in time 23 or so years i would most likely play yodel songs to see if their heads explode.
I would be amazed at how disrespectful this generation is towards adults. I would think they are really dull for sitting in front of boxes alone all day.
I would think they don’t know how to do ANYTHING. All the stuff I knew how to do just because I wanted to learn it by the time I was 15… Cooking, driving, oil change, sewing, crafts,sports, other stuff.
Comments
Please do not comment directly to this post unless you are Gen X or older (born 1980 or before). See this post, the rules, and the sidebar for details. Thank you for your submission, CupcakeFit3676.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
Well, we could probably talk about star wars and marvel comics for a bit, maybe cars, and then complain about homework and parents.
I would think they were boring.
I’d like to say I’d be bored of them because they don’t do anything but stare into phones, but in reality, I’d probably be blown away by the incredible technology they have and probably get sucked into using it just as much as they do pretty quickly.
I’d find Gen Z boring as hell. They spend all their time on their phone. Their lives were scheduled to the minute so they have no concept of just going off adventuring for a day. They don’t know how to do basic life stuff I started doing at 8.
Wait, worded funny:
How would I react around them?
Or
How would they react around me?
If you mean how would they react around me? I am sure my obnoxious teenage ass would get labeled and insensitive bully and turned into the principal at school.
Honestly I’d likely find myself bullying a lot of them.
More relaxed. I was bullied mercilessly as a teenager but the average Gen X/Gen Alpha teenager isn’t a bully.
I’d be amazed at how nice you are to each other
I’d get bored really quick and go surfing.
My views have changed dramatically since I was 17 and the world has changed. My sense of humor would not be appreciated and I’d struggle with their attitudes towards sexuality, mental health, and competition, or they’d hate mine. I’d be like Billy Madison pulling up to high school, but with a bigger time difference.
Skibidi what?
Probably wouldn’t get along since I wouldn’t understand a word they’re saying.
They’d wonder why I wasn’t on any social media and ditch me. Fine. I’m going to go play with my dirt bike.
Ugh with the immediate ‘on their phones unable to interact’ bullshit.
I work with a ton of young interns and new engineers/scientists at my company every year (I’m older GenX) and they are amazing, smart, talented, as socially competent/inept as any of us scientists/engineers have been across the decades … and incredibly interesting people.
They hike, bike, run marathons, travel, love/hate family and on and on.
… so to answer the question, as a tech lover I would be incredibly fascinated with their smartphone and want to compare it with my Apple ][+ … and then we’d talk about music we love and so on. It would be great – the commonalities GREATLY outnumber the differences.
Boring. Always on their phones, difficulty interacting, no interests or hobbies that they can’t do on their phones
I’d probably be in a lot of fist fights. But other than that who knows.
I’d likely never meet them because they’re scared of socializing in person.
It’s really hard to imagine myself as a teenager now. Like, I don’t mind the kids. I don’t know how I’d fit in. I’d feel like I feel now. I always feel young at heart, but I recently realized I couldn’t adjust to actually navigating here and now as a young person. So like, I don’t know. There’s too much talking stage and nobody wears sandals. If I was raised up in the 80s and put into some time travel mode to be 17 right now, I think I’d not be very happy about it. And like y’all, I’d have missed all the good stuff you pretend to be nostalgic about and glorify the missing years. I don’t always like being “old”, in my 50s, but I wouldn’t have wanted to miss the trip, if you know what I mean. It’s all so weird for young people now but you think it’s normal, so it is for young people now if you’re young and starting adulthood, it’s pretty normal. And it’s normal for me to be in my 50s at the same time you’re a teen in 2025 and not a teenager.
I would immediately get cancelled.
Then I would think they were all playing a very strange joke on me.
“There is no way all you guys do is sit around staring at your calculators all day for fun”
Id then ask them where the nearest arcade, field party, street race, house party, mall or bass pond would be.
I’d probably just want to play with their phones and computers. The internet wasn’t in my life until I was 21, and it was certainly way more primitive than it is now. The actual teenagers… well, I guess I’d feel the same way about the current ones as I did about the ones who were my age when I was a teenager. Not really for me. (Plenty of exceptions for cool individuals, then and now, but most people aren’t for me, to be honest. I prefer animals.)
I’d probably sit next to my son on the couch and pick up the other controller and game with him.
I’m almost 50 and I do just this still.
Based on my knowledge of kids in that cohort from my grandson and his friends, I guess I’d be surprised at how highly scheduled and supervised they are, but otherwise I’d just think they seemed like teens.
I don’t think teens are that much different now vs then. If we had their technology, we would be just like them.
Probably, “What the fuck is your major malfunction numbnuts” LOL
Once I realized that you could have thousands of books on that hand-held device? Pffft. I’d never interact with them at all except to say “excuse me” when I bumped into them.
But aside from that I would find most of them boring.
I feel like when people say “kids are just on their phones and can’t interact anymore,” they might not be looking around enough… or they might even be projecting.
If you go to youth sports games, skate parks, local gyms, community centers, the beach, hiking trails, dirt bike tracks, rock climbing spots, dance studios, or even just a basketball court at the park there are tons of teens out there socializing, being active, doing things.
Not everything is online. It’s just easy to overlook when you’re not part of those spaces.
after figuring out what a smart phone can do, I would fit in way better than I did in the 70s… I remember actually day dreaming about owning a “machine” that could do what a computer does in the mid 60s! I picture 10 yr old me laying on my bedroom floor next to a piece of homework that was supposed to be formatted in a certain way and making a word processor + printer up in my head 🙂 I would have been over the moon to have a smart phone!
I’d be disgusted with them.
Safer
Teenage me would wonder why these teens are so hung up on their anxiety, OCD, ADHD, etc. and so eager to label and categorize themselves rather than just get on with life.
They would be arrested. And jailed.
I’d probably stick their head in a toilet to teach them a lesson about life.
Holy Crap I mean I was born in the 70’s, which meant by today’s standards a feral wasteland childhood.
I’d mow through them like a hot knife through butter
“Give me your lunch money butt head” 🤣🤣🤣
I would think most people are nicer but seem preoccupied and have less fun.
Kids thesedays take on these social issues younger and that weighs them down. What a waste of energy for them
I’d be in more than a few physical altercations, fast
I would look them like they were aliens from planet stupid head and then get cancelled before I could say cat.
Their speech already sounds to me a Martian language from Mars Attacks! So if I went back in time 23 or so years i would most likely play yodel songs to see if their heads explode.
No idea what those labels mean.
I would be amazed at how disrespectful this generation is towards adults. I would think they are really dull for sitting in front of boxes alone all day.
I would think they don’t know how to do ANYTHING. All the stuff I knew how to do just because I wanted to learn it by the time I was 15… Cooking, driving, oil change, sewing, crafts,sports, other stuff.