For Generation Alpha, the first cohort born into a world amplified by smartphones and social media, the stakes are higher than ever.<\/p>\n
Kamran, who\u2019s planning to study physiotherapy at university next year, believes social media is \u201c100%\u201d a factor in people her age feeling less secure in the world around them.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can basically be anyone online and there\u2019s nobody to tell you that what you\u2019re doing is wrong except your own moral compass,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cPersonally, I think it\u2019s a good thing to be wary of someone\u2019s intentions. Some people have five personalities, so you don\u2019t really know which one you\u2019re interacting with. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut at the same time, you don\u2019t want to be overly cautious and seclude yourself from society. It\u2019s the balance of finding the right people to trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Born from the early 2010s, Gen Alpha is coming of age in a world where social cohesion is increasingly under pressure.<\/p>\n
Social media is seen as a key factor in young people not knowing who they can trust.<\/p>\n
A major 2025 study by the Pew Research Centre in the United States found trust levels have fallen to a record low since the 1940s, declining with each successive generation.<\/p>\n
Among under-30s, only one in four believed most people could be trusted, reflecting similar concerns in other OECD countries, including New Zealand.<\/p>\n
A report by the Helen Clark Foundation, released in April, warned the country\u2019s social fabric was \u201cfraying on almost every measure\u201d,<\/a> amid growing isolation, financial stress and institutional distrust.<\/p>\n Generational patterns identified in the Pew study show young people who grow up in an environment of diminished trust are not only more wary than previous cohorts at the same age but likely to remain less trusting throughout their lives.<\/p>\n Public health expert Samantha Marsh believes restricting access to social media could help break that cycle here. A senior research fellow at the University of Auckland, she specialises in digital technology and the impact on youth mental health.<\/p>\n When Marsh speaks to parents concerned about their teens\u2019 social media use, she highlights the difference between real-life relationships and the more superficial nature of online \u201cfriends\u201d, who can\u2019t be relied on to show up when they\u2019re needed.<\/p>\n Through her work on vaccine hesitancy, Marsh has also researched the trust paradox, where a person becomes invested in a one-sided parasocial relationship with someone they don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n Some overseas studies have found people are more likely to believe influencers, who may have an undisclosed financial interest, than experts such as healthcare providers.<\/p>\n \u201cKids need to have digital literacy skills, which is basically teaching them you can\u2019t trust people online. So, in a way, we\u2019re priming them to be distrustful of the world they\u2019re interacting with,\u201d Marsh says.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s plenty of research that shows the more time you\u2019re online, the more conflict you have and the lower-quality relationships you have with people.<\/p>\n \u201cPart of building trust is being your true self. In person or even on the phone, that\u2019s a lot harder to hide.\u201d<\/p>\n For teens, being authentic online has become an even riskier business with the advent of cringe culture, where \u201ctryhards\u201d are mocked and shamed for being too enthusiastic, too earnest or too vulnerable.<\/p>\nDr Samantha Marsh, a senior research fellow at the University of Auckland, says social media leaves young people struggling to identify who their real friends are.<\/p>\n