Headlines love to paint Gen Z as the “loneliest gen that no longer likes to have fun.” From “Generation Z chooses ‘bed rot’ over real life” and “Gen Z is spending weekends alone in their PJs instead going out to have fun,” to the claim that “it’s scientifically proven that Gen Z prefers to stay at home rather than go out” the narrative is pretty consistent: Gen Z is ushering in a new anti-social era that previous gens have never seen before. Well, news flash: These headlines are dragging it (as usual). Gen Z isn’t friendless, and they certainly haven’t stopped having fun. YPulse’s Friendship and Community data shows 87% have two or more close friends, and 74% of Gen Z hang out with those friends weekly. Instead, the shift that’s happening isn’t that Gen Z has stopped hanging out—it’s that they’re changing what hanging out looks like. Their growing interest in sober-curious lifestyles, for example, is reshaping the traditional night out. More Gen Z are opting for activities...
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