Generation Z in Australia - statistics & facts
Close to one-fifth of Australia’s population belongs to Generation Z. Sandwiched between their Millennial predecessors and Generation Alpha successors, Generation Z includes those born between the mid-to-late 1990s and the early 2010s, although there is no official date range. Gen Z, iGen, post-millennials, Zoomers: the names for Generation Z are as diverse as its cohort. Gen Z is made up of ‘digital natives,’ as Gen Zers form the first generation who never knew the world without the internet. Being this first generation has also come with a higher rate of mental health disorders than other generations.
As the generation that spends the most time online, but is also aware of the negative effects that social media is having on their mental health, it remains to be seen whether Generation Z will continue to embrace the online world, or if they will seek to begin distancing themselves from it in the years to come.
Digital natives in their online habitat
As digital natives, Zoomers are unsurprisingly active online. They engage in a wide range of online activities, including online shopping, networking on social media, communicating with friends, listening to music, streaming videos, and internet banking. The generation’s online activities often intertwine, with Zoomers more likely than other generations to purchase items online from social media influencers. It is expected that by 2025, Gen Z will account for close to one-third of all social commerce globally, falling just behind the Millennials.The mental health of Generation Z
Young people in Australia are more likely to experience mental health disorders than older Australians. In 2022, close to six in ten young Australians aged 15-19 reported seeking mental health support. Although Gen Z is considered technologically savvy and has access to a range of online mental health services and resources, face-to-face mental health support was preferred by the highest share of young people in Australia. At the same time, around one-fifth of Gen Z preferred online support. Globally, Generation Z was the most likely to consider social media as having a negative impact on well-being, while nonetheless spending more time online than any other generation.As the generation that spends the most time online, but is also aware of the negative effects that social media is having on their mental health, it remains to be seen whether Generation Z will continue to embrace the online world, or if they will seek to begin distancing themselves from it in the years to come.
