But now, that\u2019s all changed. For the first time in generations, 22-year-olds are more miserable than their parents, according to a study published in the journal PLOS One<\/a>.<\/p>\n The only people not surprised by this \u201crevelation\u201d are people in their twenties<\/a>, like me.<\/p>\n When I call my Dad, who turned 45 a few days ago, he\u2019s always loving life. It\u2019s definitely not what peak gloom sounds like. He goes to work, at a company in which he\u2019s worked his way up, goes home to the three-bedroom house he owns<\/a>, and parties most weekends. The only time he appears down, or upset, is if his football team lose their match.<\/p>\n I, on the other hand, am part of the Gen Z <\/a>cohort, now apparently known as that miserable lot. I turned 23 last month and the unhappiness of being this age is plain to me.<\/p>\n It shouldn\u2019t be a surprise. People older than me always presume us youngsters to be carefree, trying new things, travelling and job hopping. There\u2019s no responsibility in your twenties, they say. But that\u2019s just not the case anymore. Jobs are hard to secure<\/a>, the number of entry-level jobs are at an all-time low and travelling requires money that none of us have.<\/p>\n As for housing, that\u2019s even worse. The cost of rent is more than a lot of entry-level salaries, commuting prices are extortionate<\/a>, and home ownership seems a distant dream if you don\u2019t have the bank of mum and dad to gift you a (very large) sum of money.<\/p>\n This was never a problem for my Dad. As a roofer and contractor he\u2019s never struggled to find work, picking up jobs here and there, asking for a bigger salary<\/a> without pushback, and always enjoying a good income. The average house price in the early 2000s when he was my age was around \u00a380,000. It\u2019s now \u00a3269,000.<\/p>\n Smartphones may have a role to play. My Dad bought me my first phone when I was six, whereas he didn\u2019t have social media<\/a> or an iPhone until his twenties, after I was born. But technology is blamed more than I believe it should be. Yes, my childhood, and now adulthood, isn\u2019t spent out with my friends like my parents was, but my Dad is no stranger to scrolling on TikTok and he\u2019s happy enough.<\/p>\n When I ask him why he\u2019s happy he says \u201che doesn\u2019t care what people think\u201d and his life is now \u201cpretty sweet\u201d. He\u2019s of the belief that most Gen Z-ers are snowflakes. \u201cLife is never easy for any of us but we make the most of what we have, maybe young people can\u2019t accept that like we did.\u201d <\/p>\n I agree, he doesn\u2019t care what people think. He\u2019s always been that way. And perhaps he\u2019s right that we young people dwell on our problems more than older generations, but I also think we have more upon which to dwell.<\/p>\n People in their early twenties became adults during the pandemic<\/a>. When I turned 18, nightclubs and restaurants were shut, most people (including my parents) weren\u2019t working. The post-pandemic era saw many of us never return to alcohol<\/a>, something my Dad tells me I\u2019m missing out on. \u201cLet go a bit,\u201d he tells me at least once a week.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_263655008.jpg\")
Kia\u2019s dad is no stranger to TikTok, doesn\u2019t care what people think and is happier than his daughter<\/p>\n