A recent survey said that 60% of Gen Zers and 50% of Millennials cut someone out of their life in the last year. In the reasons given, many survey respondents listed reasons that had to do with conflict and disagreement.
At the same time, young adults report the highest rates of loneliness and poor mental health.
If we’re cutting out the people who stress us out, shouldn’t our mental health improve?
Liberty argues that young adults were raised in environments that eliminated friction, and that this has harmed expectations about conflict in relationships, and is harming young people today by isolating them from the people they need.
More Resources:
Why So Many Gen Z Cut Family and Friends Off Without Warning
Jonathan Haidt — “The Anxious Generation” on the Daily Show
The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting a Generation up for Failure
How Gen Z is helping to drive a digital detox boom
https://www.axios.com/2026/04/24/phone-free-spaces-digital-detox-retreats-gen-z
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/book
Friend-Wise: Practical Ideas for Richer Relationships