
Generation Expert: Gen Z Have Been Conditioned to Give Up! | #110
Does Gen Z have it harder than past generations? What’s behind the boom in mental health diagnoses? Are things really as bad as we keep being told? I welcomed back generation expert Dr Jennie Bristow to share her insights into these pressing questions and more. You might be surprised where the conversation goes… Dr Jennie Bristow is a sociologist and writer specialising in generations, parenting culture, and intergenerational relations. She is Reader in Sociology at Canterbury Christ Church University and an Associate of the Centre for Parenting Culture Studies. With Ellie Lee, she is co-author of ‘Growing Up in the Culture Wars: Identity and Generational Conflict’, which examines how identity politics and cultural pressures reshape the relationship between young people and adults. Buy Jennie’s new book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1509567054/ Jennie’s website: https://jbristow.co.uk/ Try SHIFT for 1 month totally free with my link: http://shiftyourphone.com/elliot Apply to join the best podcast school in the world: https://thepodpro.com/elliot CHAPTERS: 00:00 Coming up… 00:34 Would Gen Z fight for this country? 02:42 Are older generations to blame for Gen Z’s problems? 06:29 What is Presentism? 09:57 Is the future darker for Gen Z than for other generations? 15:12 The threat of AI 19:23 The importance of inter-generational relationships 21:21 When did this Presentism start? 23:26 When did the Culture Wars start? 27:10 Why are we now so focussed on identity? 33:30 Where is a healthy place to find your identity? 38:26 Have we been commodified? 41:07 Are we overdiagnosing mental health conditions? 51:11 Can diagnosis ever be a bad thing? 58:03 Can’t we just say, “You’ll grow out of it”? 1:00:59 Students feel they need a disability label 1:04:54 Do we need ‘digital closing hours’? 1:10:39 Gen Z are turning against technology 1:13:43 Beware ‘independent media’ 1:20:10 Where do we go from here? 1:23:33 Have we reached peak culture wars? 1:25:37 I have a lot of faith in Gen Z Subscribe to my Substack to support the show and join the community! https://elliotbewick.substack.com/ My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elliotbewick/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elliotbewick X: https://x.com/elliotbewick ABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION: In a world saturated by social media and marked by skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and ADHD among Gen Z, young people are growing up in a landscape of chaos and contradiction. While protests swell in city streets and activists hurl soup at famous artworks to demand climate action, a quieter crisis unfolds within - the mental and emotional battles faced by a generation trying to make sense of it all. The Next Generation is hosted by 21-year-old Elliot Bewick, offering a raw and honest look at the world through the eyes of those living in it. Bringing together insight from professionals and young people on the ground, this podcast isn’t here to complain or chase clout. It’s here to bend the arc of the modern world towards solutions, truth and a love for the beautiful adventure of life itself.