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It addresses impacts of social media on wellbeing, delayed adulthood, and evolving attitudes toward adulthood, sex, drinking, and education.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-gen-z-executive-summary-create-tomorrow/308802/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-gen-z-executive-summary-create-tomorrow/308802.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Aurelia","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-06","2026-09-20",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",15,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What is the purpose of the WGSN Gen Z project?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The project aims to identify how brands can tap Gen Z’s spending power by going directly to teenagers for insights.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How does the report describe Gen Z within the overall demographic?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"It highlights fundamental differences shaped by upbringing and divides the cohort into two micro-segments: Gen We and Gen Me.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What does the report say about social media for Gen Z?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"It notes both opportunities for connection and learning, and a damaging side linked to increased risks related to depression and anxiety.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},308802,1789872406,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,111,115,120,123,127],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":112,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},8,30,"research-report",{"id":116,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":117,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":119},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":118,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":122},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":124,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":124,"slug":126},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":128,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":129,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":130},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":132},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":133,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":112,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":140,"language":141,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":142,"faqs":143,"seo_title":144,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":80,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},1099514068365,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/10000253d8d9f28188e?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1794309523707217728","[wgsn.com](wgsn.com)  \nThe Gen Z  \nA WGSN project  \nBy Sarah Owen,  \nWGSN, Senior Editor, Digital Media & Marketing  \nWith  \nCassandra Napoli, Associate Editor, Digital Media and Jemma Shin, Associate Editor, Consumer Insight  \nequation  \nCreate Tomorrow  \nExecutive summary  \nMove over Millennials, Gen Z are ushering in a ‘population tsunami’. With current estimates at two billion globally, this demographic is slated to be the single largest group of consumers worldwide in just a few years. While much has been written about the demographic, we wanted to go straight to the source to identify how our clients could better tap into their burgeoning spending power. We interviewed over 40 teenagers aged 16-21 from around the world in countries from Korea to the UK.  \nWhile there were similar concerns and influences amongst those we surveyed, it soon became blatantly clear: this generation defies stereotypes and makes its own rules. Rather than speaking broadly to Gen Z, we have identified two micro-segments within the cohort: Gen We and Gen Me. In this white paper we explore both these segments, including:  \n– What characteristics unite the generation  \n– How both segments responded to the political and economic uncertainity during their upbringing  \n– Their relationship with social media  \n– Their aspirations for education and the workforce  \nWe will finish the paper by looking at how brands can attract both ends of the spectrum, and bridge the gap to create authentic and lifelong connections with Gen Z consumers.  \nGen Z snapshot  \nThere are fundamental differences within Gen Z, but the demographic as a whole is defined by the common circumstances of their upbringing. They are a generation defined by technology, cultural aggregation, fluidity and contradiction . They are a divided generation, yet they are connected at the very same time by these commonalities .  \nGen Z snapshot  \nThe rise of individualism  \nUniqueness is a priority for Gen Z. The most ethnically diverse generation in history, difference doesn’t scare them as it may have in the past. For Gen Z, there’s more emphasis during adolescence on creating their own path, whether that means building new educational systems or their own personal brands.  \nGen Z wants to reframe outdated social constructs and create new ones. Brands that do the same will resonate with them. They sway towards brands that celebrate self-expression and empowerment. They don’t want brands that cater to everyone, they want brands that cater to the individual.  \n4  \nGen Z snapshot  \nThe beauty (and backlash) of connectivity  \nDigital natives from day one, Gen Z have never known a world without the World Wide Web. Their constant connectivity surfaces an alarming but unavoidable dichotomy similar to the Latin phrase “Quod me nutrit me destruit”(“What nourishes me destroys me”). While social media has provided endless opportunities to grow, learn, connect and build, it has also caused some level of damage. Never before have teens been so susceptible to depression, anxiety and suicide. According to a 2016 Monitoring the Future study, 13-year-olds who spend over 10 hours a week on social media are 56% more likely to be unhappy, while 27% of social media users see an increased risk of depression.1  \n1“Monitoring the Future: National Survey on Drug Use,” by Lloyd Johnston et. al, The National Institute on Drug Abuse at The National Institutes of Health, 2016. 5  \nGen Z snapshot  \nDelaying adulthood  \nBorn in the information age, Gen Z is more intellectually advanced. Yet, they’re also growing up slowly and taking longer to embrace the responsibilities of adulthood. It was even suggested in a recent child development scientific journal that the age range for adolescence should be expanded from 19 to 24 years old. Gen Z is engaging in less ‘adult’ activities (having sex, drinking, getting a driver’s licence and working) than any other generation.2  \n2“If adolescence now lasts until 24, what does that mean fo","cbCaicN7X4BaPUnv","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaicN7X4BaPUnv","pdf",5457346,54,"English","# Executive summary\n## Gen Z snapshot\n### The rise of individualism\n### The beauty (and backlash) of connectivity\n### Delaying adulthood\n### New definitions\n## Don’t call them Gen Z","[{\"question\":\"What is the purpose of the WGSN Gen Z project?\",\"answer\":\"The project aims to identify how brands can tap Gen Z’s spending power by going directly to teenagers for insights.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the report describe Gen Z within the overall demographic?\",\"answer\":\"It highlights fundamental differences shaped by upbringing and divides the cohort into two micro-segments: Gen We and Gen Me.\"},{\"question\":\"What does the report say about social media for Gen Z?\",\"answer\":\"It notes both opportunities for connection and learning, and a damaging side linked to increased risks related to depression and anxiety.\"}]","The Gen Z - Executive summary - Create Tomorrow | PDF",136]