For decades, happiness research followed a predictable curve: optimism in youth, a slump in middle age, and renewed cheer in later years. But recent global studies suggest this model no longer holds true. Gen Z, the cohort aged roughly 12 to 28, is experiencing record levels of mental health struggles.
Instead of a midlife dip, they’re facing what researchers now call a “ski slope” of unhappiness, where distress begins early and only gradually eases with age. This isn’t just about being “too online” or “overly sensitive.”
Data from across countries, including India, show that young people are more anxious, debt-burdened, and socially isolated than previous generations at the same age.
In other words, the midlife crisis has moved into the twenties, and it’s shaping an entire generation’s outlook on work, relationships, and identity.
From The Midlife Hump To The Ski Slope
The old pattern of unhappiness being high in midlife and low in old age has been disrupted. A global study covering 44 countries found that today’s youngest adults are significantly less happy than earlier generations were in their twenties. Co-author Alex Bryson notes, “This is being driven entirely by a growth of mental ill health amongst young people.”
Supporting data highlight the shift. According to the CDC, poor mental health among young American men rose from 2.5% in 1993 to 6.6% in 2024.
For women, the numbers nearly tripled, from 3.2% to 9.3%. The trend is similar elsewhere, including in India, where rising stress levels are documented across surveys. Unlike earlier generations, Gen Z is starting adulthood from a low baseline of well-being.
Digital Lives, Real Consequences
Social media remains a central suspect in this reversal of trends. Unlike Millennials, who straddled the offline and online worlds, Gen Z grew up entirely immersed in the digital ecosystem. Screen time, curated self-comparisons, and the constant presence of likes and shares have been linked to higher anxiety and lower self-esteem.
The 2023 Gallup survey showed only 15% of Gen Z described their mental health as excellent, compared with 52% of Millennials at the same age a decade earlier.
Researchers like David G. Blanchflower argue that the correlation between smartphones and mental ill health is too strong to ignore, with causal links now supported by multiple studies. His prescription: restrictions on phone use in schools and renewed emphasis on in-person connections.
The Indian Perspective
In India, Gen Z faces a distinct set of challenges layered over global ones. The Lokniti-CSDS Youth Survey (2021) reported that nearly 60% of Indian youth experience stress related to education and employment. With unemployment hovering around 17% for ages 15–29 (Periodic Labour Force Survey, 2022-23), young Indians often carry a sense of uncertainty about their future.
The pandemic further amplified these pressures. College students missed out on formative social years, while fresh graduates entered a weakened job market. Add to this high parental expectations and cultural emphasis on stability, and the result is a generation grappling with burnout before marriage or career milestones.
The National Mental Health Survey (2016) already showed that 14% of the Indian population suffers from mental health disorders, and recent reports suggest urban Gen Z is increasingly turning to digital therapy platforms for support.
Also Read: Flaky And Flashy: Gen Z Is Now Buying Fake Lives For Social Media Flexing
Debt And The Delayed Dream
Financial insecurity is another driver of early crises. In the US, student debt has crossed $1.7 trillion. In India, private education fees and costly professional training push many into debt early. For young professionals, low-paying internships and rising urban rents only add to the strain.
This financial burden delays traditional milestones like home ownership, marriage, or family planning. What earlier generations considered achievable by their late twenties now feels out of reach. As a result, Gen Z’s “crisis” isn’t about questioning their life’s purpose at 50; it’s about affording their next month’s rent at 25.
Can The Slope Be Flattened?
Experts caution that the ski slope is not destiny. Interventions can help: promoting healthier digital habits, investing in mental health care, and creating policies that ease education and housing costs. Some schools in India have begun including mindfulness programmes, while corporates are experimenting with mental health days and flexible work.
The challenge, however, lies in structural change. Without tackling unemployment, debt, and digital overuse, Gen Z’s struggles will persist. As Blanchflower warns, this is not just a generational mood swing; it is a global mental health crisis that requires a systemic response.
Gen Z has inherited a world where social media, pandemic scars, and financial precarity have shifted unhappiness earlier in life. What was once a midlife crisis is now a quarter-life burden. In India, the combination of academic stress and limited job opportunities makes the slope even steeper.
Yet there is hope. Awareness around youth mental health is stronger than ever, and conversations once brushed aside are now mainstream. If institutions, families, and policymakers step up, Gen Z may not have to carry this burden into midlife. The crisis is real, but so is the chance to rewrite the story before the slope gets any steeper.
Images: Google Images
Sources: WION, The Economic Times, NDTV
Find the blogger: Katyayani Joshi
This post is tagged under: gen z mental health, youth crisis, early midlife crisis, quarter life crisis, ski slope unhappiness, social media impact, digital detox, student stress india, unemployment crisis, indian youth mental health, lifestyle trends, global youth crisis, financial stress gen z, therapy culture, wellbeing revolution
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