A new survey from students’ platform EduBirdie suggests that Gen Z possesses conflicted feelings about the World Wide Web that existed before them.
Among 2,000 Gen Z respondents ages 18 to 27 — the first generation to grow up entirely online — two in five say they’re living through the worst period in human history, with many longing for a simpler, predigital past.
Gen Z is often credited for its fluency with cutting-edge tech, yet 45% of survey respondents say life was better before the internet, and 39% wish they could have grown up without AI. These numbers suggest that the same digital tools marketed to empower young people are also fueling anxiety, disconnection, and nostalgia for an internet-free era they never lived through.
Reflecting inward
The survey also suggests that the discomfort surrounding Gen Z and AI extends to how the generation perceives itself in this digital age. Over half (53%) admit they “hate” their generation for being “chronically online,” and 42% feel they rely too heavily on AI tools. This technological dependence has entered the workplace as well, with 22% saying they’ve been judged by colleagues or managers for using AI at work, shedding light on the ever-present cultural tension between innovation and authenticity.
Ideally, 60% of Gen Z say they wish they’d been born in a different era, with 55% preferring older generations from Boomers to Millennials. Jealousy surrounding the differences in upbringing is highly apparent in the case of millennials, as 78% of Gen Z envy them for growing up before the internet’s dominance, when people faced fewer online privacy risks and experienced more of life before it was filtered through screens and algorithms.
David Robbins, a Gen Z behavioral expert and media analyst at EduBirdie, believes that the generation’s longing for a past they never knew isn’t purely escapism. “Romanticizing the past when the present feels overwhelming is natural,” he explains. “Trends like Y2K nostalgia, digital detoxes, and retro tech revivals are ways for Gen Z to slow down the pace of change. It’s not a rejection of progress — it’s a coping mechanism.”
Final thoughts
It makes sense why Gen Z’s outlook on the future remains cautious. Nearly four in ten (38%) fear they’ll be the last generation to grow old before the climate crisis peaks, while 22% think they might be the last to live without brain implants or neural chips. These anxieties, which combine technological and existential fears, suggest that progress may be accelerating faster than society can emotionally adapt.
The study reflects a profound cultural moment, where the generation most fluent in digital life is questioning its consequences. Gen Z’s ambivalence to the future reminds us that adapting to new technology isn’t just about skill, but about finding a sense of balance in an age that never stops evolving.
Gen Z can skip this part. Goldman Sachs says the AI boom is still in its early stages, despite growing market concerns that an AI bubble could be forming.
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