Compared to a , they’re less excited and hopeful about the change it could bring and more angry at its existence, citing concerns about AI’s impact on their cognitive abilities and professional opportunities.

Respondents said they used AI at nearly the same rate they did before — they reported only a slight increase in daily and weekly exposure — but when asked how it makes them feel, the answers revealed growing misgivings. 

Thirty-one percent said it made them angry, up 9 percentage points from 2025. And just 22% said it made them feel excited, down 14 percentage points from last year. Only 18% of respondents said it made them feel hopeful, marking a nine-point drop. Forty-two percent said it made them feel anxious, roughly the same as last year. 

Zach Hrynowski, senior education researcher at Gallup, said the switch was swift. 

“One of my working theories is that (it’s) the high schoolers, who are in their senior year, or especially those college students, who are maybe thinking, ‘AI is taking my job. I just went to college for four years: I spent all this money and now it’s turning my industry upside down,” he said. 

Only 46% of respondents believed AI would help them learn faster, down from 53% the prior year, Gallup found. Fifty-six percent of respondents said it would help them to expedite their work compared to 66% last year. 

Hrynowski notes, too, that users’ unease wasn’t entirely tied to the amount of time they spend engaging with AI. 

“Year over year, among that super user group, they’re much less excited, they are much less hopeful — and they are more angry,” he said. “So this is not a case of some people who are adopting it and loving it and some people who are just avoiding it and feel negatively about it.”

Nearly half of respondents said the risk of the technology outweighs the benefits in the workforce. Just 37% believed it would help them find accurate information, down from 43% the prior year and only 31% believed it would help them come up with new ideas compared to 42% in 2025. 

The survey also notes some disparities by age and race. For example, older Gen Zers are more likely than younger ones to voice concerns about AI’s impact on learning in general. 

Asked how likely is it that AI designed to mainly complete tasks faster will make learning more difficult in the future, 74% of K-12 respondents said it was “very likely” or “somewhat likely” compared to 83% of Gen Z adults who said the same. Men and Black respondents were also less concerned about learning impact than their peers overall.

Results are based on a survey of 1,572 people spread throughout every state and Washington, D.C., conducted between Feb. 24 and March 4, 2026. It was commissioned by the Walton Family Foundation and , Global Silicon Valley. Together, Walton Family Foundation and Gallup are conducting ongoing research into Gen Z’s attitudes toward AI.

Hrynowski believes there might be a link between recent revelations about the harmful nature of social media and AI-related distrust: Many of the respondents came of age, he notes, just as former surgeon general Vivek H. Murthy called for a about its use. 

shapes the user experience in social media. Just last month, a California jury found social media company Meta — owner of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads — and YouTube injured a young woman’s mental health by design in that could encourage untold others. 

This was the second of two critical decisions: Just a day earlier, a New Mexico jury found Meta — and hid what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms.

“I’ve always been very impressed from the start of this work with Gen Z that across the board, not just with AI, they are keenly aware of the risks of technology, whether it’s social media, whether it’s AI or screen time,” Hrynowski said. 

They are not the only generation to harbor these worries. A growing number of parents of K-12 students are pushing back on their screen time, not just , but  

Despite respondents’ skepticism about AI, they’re also readily aware that the technology won’t be walked back: 52% acknowledge that they will need to know how to use AI if they go to college or take classes after high school, while 48% think they will need to know how to use AI in the workplace.

An earlier Gallup study, released just last week, shows 42% of bachelor’s degree students have reconsidered their major because of AI.

Gen Z, in its reluctant acceptance of the technology, wants help in how to navigate it, both in an academic setting and in the workplace. Schools are stepping up, the survey revealed: The share of K-12 students who say their school has AI rules moved from 51% in 2025 to 74% this year. 

Disclosure: Walton Family Foundation provides financial support to ����Ӱ��.

Just over a third of Americans now say people are generally trustworthy, a downward shift over the past two decades, . ​Meanwhile, show t​�ċ​rust in institutions like schools, courts and the presidency is at record lows​.

​�ċThis trend also has seeped into an institution we know well:​�ċ the media​.​�ċ​ SmartNews, an app that curates news from credible outlets, that 65% of Gen Z readers regularly question the accuracy of news. That’s more than any other age group, pointing to growing generational skepticism. 

And a from the News Literacy Project found that four out of five teens believe journalists fail to produce more credible information than other content creators. Nearly seven in 10 believe journalists add bias intentionally. And 45% believe they do more harm than good to democracy. 

The results are both a warning and a call to action: Today’s young people are deeply skeptical, but they also crave trustworthy information.

 Some skepticism is good; it helps readers think critically and avoid misinformation. But unchecked, it can curdle into cynicism, isolating them from shared facts and civic dialogue. When everything is met with disbelief, they risk tuning out completely.

That is where news literacy comes in. It is not just a set of skills; it is the foundation for restoring trust in democracy. To build a future filled with healthy skepticism, instead of divisive cynicism ​toward the media​, young people need to learn how to navigate today’s complicated online spaces.

Why is this so urgent? Because misinformation thrives where trust breaks down. Conspiracy theories and viral falsehoods are just a swipe away. According to a by the News Literacy Project, many teens believe the conspiracy theories they encounter online. What is worse is that SmartNews that only 13% of Gen Z report fact-checking what they read, making them the least likely generation to verify information.

It’s understandable how we got here. Clickbait and daily headlines can make the world seem like a scary place. Rumors and false information fill social feeds. ​Deciphering ​�ċwhat’s real and ​fake​ is a challenge​, and has only made it harder. This doesn’t mean Gen Z doesn’t care about the truth. Quite the opposite — they care deeply but feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of noise. As digital natives, they’re expected to instinctively know what’s credible and what’s not. But instincts aren’t enough, and news literacy can bring them closer to a shared understanding.

The good news? Schools across the country are stepping up. In New York’s, librarian Cynthia Sandler led students in creating Instagram reels exploring how to separate news from paid ads, spot AI-generated images and fact-check claims using credible sources.

In , a teacher at Woodland Hills Academy offers a current events elective helping students build media literacy skills, while are integrating news literacy across subjects, from examining hip-hop music history to evaluating scientific sources.

The impact is measurable: Teens who having media literacy instruction are more likely to trust news media compared to their peers who didn’t receive these lessons.

These examples point to a broader movement. At least 18 states have now requiring or promoting media literacy education, with Connecticut, Illinois and New Jersey specifically news literacy instruction.

So how can more schools join this effort? It starts with five simple practices educators can apply today to help students identify trustworthy sources: 

• Do a quick search: Conducting a simple search for information about a news source will show what others have said about its reporting practices and dedication to accuracy.

• Look for standards: While​�ċ not perfect, reputable news organizations aspire to ethical standards, including fairness, accuracy and independence.

• Check for transparency: Quality news sources should be transparent about their reporting practices, ownership and funding.

• Examine how errors are handled: Credible news sources care about being accurate, so they correct their mistakes and acknowledge them to their audience.

• Assess news coverage: Read multiple articles to evaluate whether they’re applying standards that lend credibility to their coverage.

In today’s information ecosystem, skepticism is essential — but cynicism is corrosive. When young people are equipped with both the tools and the trusted platforms to think critically, they’re better able to shape their world with facts, not fear.

And that’s a future worth building.

Gen Z educators, born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, are entering classrooms with fresh energy and an innovative approach. They are digital natives and are eager to leverage technology thoughtfully. They bring a keen understanding of student needs because they were students themselves recently. They are naturally inclined to collaborate, provide more choice and individualized learning in their classrooms, and work alongside students and families with more frequent communication and care.

That combination makes Gen Z teachers the type of talent that education needs right now. It also means that schools must adapt if they hope to keep them.

For 35 years, has welcomed thousands of new educators into classrooms. Gen Z stands out. They aren’t looking for a job — they’re seeking a mission. Gen Z deeply values equity and social change in a career. When they decide to pursue teaching as a career, they are intentionally choosing service. But that sense of purpose won’t sustain them if the policies and practices in their schools and districts don’t match their values and needs. If schools want to attract and retain Gen Z teachers, they must create conditions that align with their values: connection, community, mentorship, growth, flexibility and well-being.

Gen Z values belonging. Many entered the workforce after years of isolation during the pandemic, and they crave relationships with colleagues and leaders who see and support them. Schools should pair every new teacher with an experienced mentor, create ample opportunities for learning and collaboration with colleagues, and build school cultures that encourage open dialogue about challenges and wins. Community isn’t a bonus — it’s what keeps young teachers from feeling alone and leaving the profession.

This generation also expects to grow in their careers. They want to know how they can expand their impact beyond their first classroom — whether by becoming instructional coaches, policy advocates or school leaders. Districts should create transparent development tracks, fund leadership fellowships and make ongoing training accessible and relevant. When teachers can see a future for themselves in education, they stay longer and grow into leaders who have a greater impact on student learning.

Gen Z teachers are creators. They use technology intuitively and want to leverage it to help students thrive. Schools should invite them to pilot new tools, design lessons that use artificial intelligence responsibly and help shape digital learning policies. Flexibility in scheduling, hybrid professional development and collaborative planning time also shows trust in teachers’ professionalism and creativity.

Having spent my career coaching first-time teachers, I’ve seen how powerful it is when principals, instructional coaches, mentors and even district staff listen to their ideas. During the pandemic, the youngest educators became the experts in virtual learning. Today, many of those same teachers are leading conversations about AI in the classroom and shaping the future of instruction.

For example, through TFA’s , teachers and staff come together to explore how innovation and technology can close opportunity gaps. Gen Z educators are leading the way in exploring how to use AI and digital tools to make learning more engaging. This collaboration not only builds confidence for Gen Z teachers; it equips veteran educators with new tools to reinvigorate their teaching in an AI-driven future.

Lastly, Gen Z has been refreshingly vocal about one thing older generations often downplayed: mental health. They want to serve students well without sacrificing themselves in the process. This isn’t a sign of weakness — it’s wisdom. Teaching has always been demanding, but today’s educators face , citing issues like and as key factors causing burnout.  

Schools and districts can respond not only by addressing the root causes behind burnout, but by implementing new wellness-focused policies. They can offer access to free or low-cost therapy and counseling, either directly or through expanded benefits, and build wellness days into the academic calendar that are genuinely restorative — not just “catch-up” time. They can provide time for teachers to meet in small groups, where they build relationships, discuss shared experiences and challenges, and brainstorm solutions. Forward-thinking districts are even piloting mental-health stipends that teachers can use for gym memberships, mindfulness apps or co-pays for counseling. These ideas may seem small, but collectively they signal that teachers’ well-being matters as much as student achievement — and that sustainability is part of professionalism.

Schools and districts that ignore this moment risk losing an entire generation of talent. Culture-building, mentorship and leadership development may once have been considered extras, but today they are essentials. Retaining passionate educators requires redesigning the experience of teaching itself, making those in profession feel more connected to fellow educators and supported by schools.

Investing in recruiting and retaining Gen Z teachers is investing in the next generation of educational leaders. These teachers will drive innovation, strengthen student outcomes and help communities imagine what’s possible. They’re showing up ready to serve. It is now up to education leaders at every level — in schools, district offices and state departments of education — to embrace and empower Gen Z educators in the classroom. Doing so will not only help address the teaching shortage, it will drive changes in teaching and learning that help schools better prepare students for their futures. 

That’s the message of a new , The State of Global Teenage Career Preparation, by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The surveys approximately 690,000 15- and 16-year-old students from more than 80 countries, including the United States. Here are five key insights from the report:

• Roughly 4 out of 10 students are unclear about their career expectations, double the number from about a decade ago.
  
• Almost half (49%) agree (35%) or strongly agree (14%) that school has done little to prepare them for adult life.
  
• There’s a gender gap in students’ aspirations to work in sectors like information technology and health care. For example, around 11% of boys report that they will work in information technology at age 30, compared with 1.5% of girls.
  
• Job preferences focus on a few, well-known professions, such as teaching, psychology and sports. For example, around half of girls and 44% of boys report that they expect to work in one of just 10 jobs, with little change in career preferences since 2000.
  
• The majority of young people don’t get connected to workforce professionals who can help them understand the opportunities available to them. Only 35% report attending a job fair, and just 45% visited a workplace.
  

The report a Teenage Career Readiness Dashboard that covers roughly two dozen issues and allows for comparisons among countries, organized by eight topics:   

Career uncertainty: Do students have clear plans? Does it matter? The report suggests that career uncertainty contributes to behaviors including disengagement from school. 

Planning: What are students’ job expectations? Have they changed over time? How do they compare to actual employer demand? Low-income students are particularly lacking in access to career planning resources. 

Alignment or misalignment: Do students understand what they need to do to achieve their job plans? Many teens hold unrealistic or outdated career goals, prioritizing a narrow band of high-status occupations while neglecting in-demand technical careers. 

Aspirations: Are students’ education plans driven more by social background than ability? The report finds that socioeconomics significantly influence aspiration levels. Disparities are particularly stark, with low-income students less likely to envision themselves in professional careers than wealthier peers. 

Guidance: Do students participate in career guidance activities that make a positive impact on their lives? Most report limited access to career counseling, with the quality and consistency varying dramatically. 

Career development: Is the guidance students do receive responding effectively to social inequalities? Career fairs, job shadowing and internships are critical but underutilized. Roughly 1 out of 5 U.S. students report speaking to a career adviser outside of school, the fifth-lowest rate among the countries surveyed.

Fear for the future: How well do students think they are prepared for their future careers? Roughly half (47%) agree that they worry about not being ready for life after they complete school.  

Employer engagement: How are employers involved in school activities and career development? Does this make a difference? The U.S. significantly lags behind other countries surveyed in providing students with career development activities, such as internships and job shadowing.  

This is illustrated by recent from Gallup, the Walton Family Foundation and Jobs for the Future that reflects a growing sense among America’s young people that they are adrift in the transition from high school to the next stage of their lives. This survey included over 1,300 16- to 18-year-old Gen Zers and their parents.

It reports that fewer than 3 out of 10 teens feel “very prepared” to pursue any of eight post-high school pathways, including college, a job, the military or a certification program. Even among students most eager for a particular path, less than half feel ready to take the first step.  

The report also finds that just slightly more than half of parents (53%) frequently discuss life after graduation with their teenagers. One in three parents of seniors who are weeks from commencement have still not had that conversation.

When discussions do happen, they typically stick to familiar territory, such as a four-year college or a paid job. Teens’ knowledge mirrors this narrow horizon, with about one-third reporting they know “a lot” about bachelor’s degrees or full-time work.

Both reports suggest there are at least two career-launch pain points that prevent young people from successfully navigating life after high school. The first is an exposure gap — too few students are aware of available career options or understand the various paths to achieve them. The second is an experience gap — too few young people engage in work-based activities, such as internships or apprenticeships, that help them connect learning to the world of work

If students are neither exposed to nor experience career options, they are unlikely to acquire the knowledge, networks and vocational identity needed for adult success. According to the OECD report, students who recall speaking to career professionals or participating in job shadowing are far more likely to have career goals aligned with labor market needs.

So what can state and district leaders and advocates do?

First, start the formal career conversation sooner. Closing the exposure and experience gaps should begin as early as . The longer the wait, the more likely that young people will become lost in transition from school to their next stage. 

Second, widen the scope of career education. The focus on college should give way to a menu that includes certificates, two-year degrees, skilled trades, military service, and career and technical education.

Third, embed responsibility in career education. Involve young people in undertaking adult-like, consequential tasks, such as community projects, paid work and internships.

Fourth, help parents. Many programs and activities are available that can educate parents and guardians, such as workshops on local labor market careers or the different certificates and credentials that young people can earn.

Both the OECD and Gallup reports serve as reminders of the importance of integrating career exposure and experience into the everyday classroom experiences of young people. A central part of this remedy includes a dose of genuine adulthood — offered earlier, explained better and practiced alongside the grownups teenagers are expected to emulate.

Disclosure: Walton Family Foundation provides financial support to ����Ӱ��.

While a majority agree on democracy’s importance, many feel unsure how to effectively participate in it or preserve it. For some, the frustration has taken a concerning turn: 11% said political violence is sometimes necessary to achieve progress. 

And while the poll’s creators expected to find significant variance based on race, gender and location — rural versus urban, for example — other factors, including socioeconomic status and access to civics education, played a major role in shaping young peoples’ beliefs. 

For example, those who received less support for their civic development “are less committed to a democracy that they may not feel prepared to participate in or feel they are a part of,” the report notes. 

“They’re not completely disaffected,” said research specialist Deborah Apau of Gen Z. “The problem is that while they do believe in democracy, they don’t feel that democracy as they experience it today is delivering for them. It’s that disconnection that’s really causing the issue.”

The poll was conducted between Nov. 14-26, 2024, just after a historically contentious presidential election in which the youth vote . The results were released earlier this month by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University and Protect Democracy, a nonprofit “dedicated to defeating the authoritarian threat, building more resilient democratic institutions, and protecting our freedom.” The polling firm Ipsos collected the data.

The findings might help explain Donald Trump’s popularity among young voters in his third run: nearly half under 30 supported the Republican nominee, , a survey of more than 120,000 voters. While he had massive appeal for young white men, he also fared well with young Latino men, who split their vote between Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris. 

The CIRCLE and Protect Democracy poll, which measured Gen Z’s beliefs and perspectives on democracy, civil rights and political violence, along with their support for bipartisan cooperation and feelings toward opposing political groups, revealed that young people crave bipartisanship and compromise.

Nearly 4 out of 5 say leaders of opposing parties should work together and 65% believe people with deeply opposing political views can find common ground. Likewise, only 17% agree that those who hold political opinions different from their own are “wrong.” 

Nearly three quarters of its 1,286 respondents said elected leaders should not be able to go above the law. The poll’s findings are landing at a time when many see the country as on the verge of a constitutional crisis, with Trump and at least one federal court judge finding grounds last week .

In an effort to engage young people, the organizations recommend they be brought into the democratic process, that the nation invest in civic learning, and that those wishing for Gen Z to boost their participation acknowledge their diversity and create opportunities for collaboration and collective action that leverages their strengths.

The poll notes that young people’s lives were shaped by economic instability, history-making political shifts, a proliferation of school shootings, the rise of social media and COVID. A full 81% of respondents acknowledged the value and meaning of free and fair elections.

The survey found, too, that 63% had a “passive appreciation” of democracy, meaning they trust government institutions, have a high regard for democratic principles, and reject authoritarianism and political violence. But, the study’s authors note, their satisfaction and trust may be leading to complacency as this group generally does not take political action outside of voting.

Thirty-one percent had a “dismissive detachment” from democracy: They didn’t express through the survey that they value core democratic principles and processes. They have low confidence in the system as it is working now and demonstrate higher support for authoritarian governance compared to their peers in other categories. 

Pollsters note this group has “the lowest levels of media literacy, suggesting that they are often consuming political information without the ability or willingness to confirm its source, truthfulness, or intent.” They also reported little confidence in their ability to be effective political actors.

Seven percent of Gen Z participants had a “hostile dissatisfaction” with democracy. While they value its core principles, they are “highly displeased” with it as they are experiencing it today, authors note. 

Despite — or perhaps because of — their frustration, they are the most politically active within this age group and express the highest support for political violence. The report notes, too, they are highly polarized “and their frustrations with the current system run so deep that they are more willing to consider extreme measures to achieve political goals.”

They are by far the most likely to participate in other forms of civic action like volunteering or taking on leadership roles and are willing to fight for the democracy they want. The report notes they score highest of all in media literacy, “which suggests they may be more informed about the state of democracy than some of their peers.” 

They are also more ideologically liberal than those in the other two groups and are more likely to be queer compared to the passive appreciation cohort.

“As knowledgeable actors with a respect for democratic values and a willingness to actively participate through both traditional and non-traditional forms of civic action, these youth who feel a hostile dissatisfaction with our democracy are also a powerful force for reshaping it,” the report observes. 

Sara Suzuki, senior researcher at CIRCLE, was surprised by the size of the first group defined by its “passive appreciation.” While she’s concerned about their relative inaction, she sees opportunity for them “to do something about the problems they see instead of sort of letting it happen.”

Apau, of Protect Democracy, said even the group that supports violence as a means of change still believes in democratic ideals — including its ability to function well.  

“They feel they’ve exhausted their options in terms of participating in things like voting and protests and they’re not able to secure the responses that they want,” she said.

Apau said it’s important to understand Gen Z and give them the tools they need, “so they’re resourced, they have the knowledge they need to move throughout the world later in life and in adulthood — and understand how systems work.”

Ritika Shroff had the typical Gen Z experience with social media. At 13, she signed up for Instagram, then Snapchat. Later, she downloaded TikTok and worked her way through other popular platforms.

But in high school, she began to see downsides, feeling pressure when comparing her number of followers, test scores and experiences with those of her peers online.

“They’re doing X, Y and Z with their lives, and I think I got pulled into it,” Shroff said.

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Today, Shroff, a 19-year-old sophomore at American University in Washington, D.C., still sees the benefits of social media, such as allowing her to stay in touch with hometown friends from Des Moines, Iowa, and family in India. While she thinks there should be more rules around social media, she doesn’t think individual state actions, such as a state suing a platform, would make much difference.

“These small things won’t make an impact in the broader landscape,” Shroff said.

More states are hoping to rein in the harm that social media can do to teens’ mental health and privacy by approving laws that require age verification or parental consent, prohibit “addictive feeds” or ban the apps for minors. They also are taking social media companies to court.

But some experts say such efforts won’t make social media any safer. Instead, they fear the moves might infringe on people’s privacy and First Amendment rights — while potentially making the platforms harder for everyone to use.

“This is global media, and trying to regulate it at the micro level … the fear for a lot of people is that we’re going to end up with different rules for different states, which is just going to undercut the whole promise and potential of internet-based media and communication,” said Kevin Goldberg of the Freedom Forum, a nonprofit aimed at protecting First Amendment rights.

Some social media disputes are playing out at the federal level. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a bipartisan federal law banning TikTok, a popular video sharing platform, unless its China-based parent company agreed to sell the app. The ban briefly went into effect before President Donald Trump, who had tried unsuccessfully to ban TikTok by executive order in his first term, signed an executive order it for another 75 days.

But absent other federal action to curb social media’s effects on young people, many states are considering new legislation. In New York, a enacted in June prohibits social media platforms from providing to minors so-called addictive feeds without parental consent. New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, is drafting to enforce the law.

Social media feeds are designed to keep kids scrolling longer and longer to drive up ad revenue, noted state Democratic Sen. Andrew Gounardes, who sponsored the . Kids who are addicted to social media suffer mental health issues, and people who spend more time scrolling tend to struggle to navigate real-life relationships, he argued.

“So social media, for all the positives that might exist, has some real, deeply negative and dark downsides that we are finally seeing manifest, and we have to reconcile it,” Gounardes said.

But tech developers are concerned new state laws could weaken privacy protections for users, take away online mental health resources for marginalized communities and restrict the flow of online information, said Paul Lekas, the senior vice president and head of global public policy and government affairs at the Software & Information Industry Association, a trade association representing the digital content industry.

“The bills are all different, so it’s hard to say that all of them are good or all of them are bad,” Lekas said. “But a lot of concerns come up in a number of these bills.”

Age restrictions

Some research suggests that excessive is worsening young people’s mental health. Teens who spend the most time on social media are significantly more likely to exhibit negative emotions, such as sadness and anger, according to a 2023 Gallup .

A Florida that went into effect this month prohibits kids who are under 14 from having social media accounts. A user who is 14 or 15 would have to get parental consent before starting an account.

Ashley Moody, Florida’s Republican attorney general at the time, agreed not to enforce the law while a alleging it would restrict minors’ freedom of speech plays out. Moody was sworn into the U.S. Senate this week to replace Sen. Marco Rubio, the new U.S. secretary of state.

More measures are expected across the country during 2025 legislative sessions.

A new bill in would prohibit anyone under the age of 16 from creating social media accounts without verified parental permission. A similar bill was introduced in , but with an age limit of 18. A prefiled bill in would set the age at 13.

To verify age, some apps may require all users to upload a photo of their ID. This could be of particular concern for adult users who would have their full legal identity tied to their social media account, said Ash Johnson, a senior policy manager at the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, a think tank focused on public policy surrounding technology.

Rather than an outright ban on social media accounts for users under a certain age, increasing transparency and accountability measures for social media developers would improve the safety of the apps, Johnson said.

She pointed to California as an example. The state’s Age-Appropriate Design Code Act was partially from enforcement by a federal appeals court last year. It would have required companies to ensure that online services likely to be accessed by children are designed to eliminate the risk of harm to them.

Parental controls, Johnson said, also could make it easier for parents to oversee their child’s media presence by deciding what content they can access.

Instagram’s new , for example, automatically place teenage users into an account that limits who can contact them and the content they see — and anyone under the age of 16 will have to get parental permission before changing any of the safety features.

“It would give children a really customizable experience on social media depending on their individual developmental needs,” Johnson said.

A lot of the laws around the country are specifically designed to prevent younger people from either accessing certain content online or entire social media platforms, said Goldberg, of the Freedom Forum. Changing the way in which social media developers control who can and can’t have an account could change what people see on their feeds.

“We’ve seen a lot of this, especially at the state level, which is concerning,” he said. “Many of the laws that we are seeing proposed — and even passed — raise First Amendment concerns.”

States go to court

States also are turning to lawsuits to address social media effects on young people.

In October, attorneys general in California, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia TikTok, alleging violations of state consumer protection laws.

Led by California Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta and James of New York, the lawsuits allege that TikTok exploits and harms young users and deceives the public about the social media platform’s dangers.

Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a similar suit that same month accusing TikTok of violating a protecting children online. The law prohibits digital service providers from sharing, disclosing or selling a minor’s personal information without permission from a parent.

TikTok has disputed the claims, calling them “inaccurate and misleading” in a . The company says its platform is safe for kids and offers time limits and parental controls.

States have also taken aim at Snapchat and Meta. In September, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, filed a against Snap Inc., Snapchat’s parent company, alleging the app’s developers were ignoring reports of sextortion, failing to implement age-verification rules, admitting to features that connect minors with adults and more.

And in 2023, more than Meta, claiming Instagram and Facebook worsened the youth mental health crisis.

The social media companies need to be held accountable, said Julie Scelfo, of Mothers Against Media Addiction.

Scelfo, a career journalist who covered youth mental health for years, said she was disturbed after finding out that more and more young children wanted to commit suicide as social media became more mainstream.

“Social media can connect people for positive things, but it has also been a very convenient conduit for all of the worst forces in society,” Scelfo said.

But tech companies are winning some fights — and going on the offensive.

In addition to the partial block of the Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, a federal judge has until Feb. 1 another California law designed to protect children from addictive feeds. The Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act would prevent social media platforms from providing minors with “personalized feeds.”

Across the states, companies are challenging dozens of laws restricting social media — and in some cases, they’re winning.

“I think that shows that courts are skeptical that either there’s no proof behind the goals of the legislators or that they’re not being precise enough,” Goldberg said. “So, I’m skeptical. I don’t think this is going to help because there will always be ways for children to access content on the internet or social media — it’s almost impossible to truly enforce.”

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.

By 2030, Gen Z will make up . These young people represent the future of education, and K-12 leaders need a comprehensive plan for attracting and retaining them.

As superintendent of Bellwood School District 88 near Chicago, I believe teaching can be an attractive career choice for today’s youth. I’m proud that 21 Gen Z teachers (11% of our instructional staff) are working at Bellwood, where nearly all our students are identified as low-income. Here are five strategies I’ve found to be effective in recruiting and retaining Gen Z educators.

First, we used the shortage we experienced as an opportunity to innovate. Like many districts nationwide, we saw our teacher retention rate plummet during COVID. At the start of the 2020-21 school year, 48 of Bellwood’s 167 full-time educators did not return. But because the administration sought new ways to position Bellwood as an employer of choice, the retention rate increased from 71% in 2020 to 79% in 2022. In 2023, it reached a seven-year high of 87.5%. 

We reimagined classrooms to make them more functional and inviting for teachers and students. We also expanded recruitment by teaming up with the teachers union and local colleges. In partnership with , we launched a “grow your own” talent initiative this year, which aims to create a diverse pipeline of future educators from within the community by developing a residency-like advancement program. One candidate piloted the program last school year, nine candidates began the certification program this fall and 10 will enter the cohort in spring 2025. One of the administrative assistants in the program has already transitioned to a teaching role.

Second, we’re making sure young people know that teaching is a largely stable career that brings significant value to society. Education is one of the , with high demand across the country for qualified teachers — especially in hard-to-fill subject areas like special education, bilingual education, and math. But in the 2020–21 school year, just 591,000 students were enrolled in teacher preparation programs, a decline of from 2010-11. 

In Bellwood, teaching is seen as a way to give back to the community. Many of the staff have deep roots here, and 38 have been with the district for more than 10 years. Some have spent as many as 20 years here. This commitment is a powerful draw for those who value purpose-driven work. Bellwood’s “grow your own” program shows prospective teachers that the district is invested in their success, which encourages them to invest in their students in turn. 

Third, we leverage Gen Z’s desire for professional growth and career flexibility. Research suggests these benefits are extremely important to today’s  young adults. , more than three-quarters of Gen Z employees want more opportunities to learn new skills, and 61% would like to move up in their careers or increase their responsibilities. 

Teaching can be a dynamic career choice, with opportunities for advancement into positions of leadership, policy or advocacy. This is something that district leaders should emphasize in their recruiting. But, they must also walk the walk.

In Bellwood, educators have access to flexible career pathways that align with Gen Z’s expectations for growth. We engage teachers in discussions about their own professional development, ensuring they feel a sense of agency and investment in their career trajectory. We have that count toward master’s degrees, with financial incentives tied to their professional advancement. Recognizing educators and supporting their ambitions makes the profession more appealing to the next generation.

Fourth, because new teachers likely have significant financial challenges such as student debt, policymakers and district leaders can make the profession more attractive to young people by creating affordable pathways such as apprenticeships, loan forgiveness and other incentives.

Bellwood’s on-the-job training program, created in partnership with BloomBoard, offers prospective educators a teaching degree paid for by the district. Instead of requiring participants to quit their jobs to complete a student teaching internship, they work full time in K-12 classrooms for the duration of the program, with hands-on practice and learning fully integrated into their workday. And instead of writing papers or taking tests, participants submit lesson plans, videos of themselves teaching and student work to their professors.  In addition, the district offers stipends and bonuses to teachers willing to take on hard-to-fill positions.

Lastly, Gen Z can be attracted by promoting teaching as a field ripe for innovation. Gen Z’s digital skills are essential in today’s classrooms, where how and what students need to learn is rapidly shifting as technology evolves. District leaders can appeal to young people by positioning teaching as a career where their understanding of technology can lead to meaningful change.

Bellwood’s investment in tools such as Chromebooks or tablets for every student, interactive whiteboards, fast and reliable wi-fi, and Google Workspace, ensures that the district’s classrooms are equipped for Gen Z educators to create dynamic and interactive learning environments. We also provide training on the use of technology for instruction, and district leadership has created a culture where teachers can feel safe to innovate and try new approaches in their classrooms, including lessons that incorporate new technology, project-based learning, or cross-curricular collaboration.

By investing in innovative recruitment and development strategies, districts can attract and retain the next generation of educators — ensuring students’ long-term success.

This story was published in collaboration with Headway, a new initiative at The New York Times. Chalkbeat and Headway have been to educators and high school students since February. We have heard from more than 1,000 students and 200 teachers across the nation.

This presidential election year, young Americans are navigating a chaotic world of information, often with limited tools to distinguish what’s credible, what’s questionable, and what’s downright false.

A found that while many young people can detect images generated by artificial intelligence with ease, they struggle to differentiate news from commentary and advertisements and regularly encounter conspiracy theories on social media. Eight in 10 respondents said they believed at least one of those conspiracy theories.

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and their peers told us that they regularly encountered false information online about the election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump. Some teachers have dedicated and fact-checking.

And many students have told us they have gained confidence in spotting falsehoods. We asked more than 1,000 students about what tips them off that a piece of information might be false or misleading, what’s their approach to verifying information, and what advice they have for other teenagers. Here’s what we heard.

Responses have been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

How teens know if information is sketchy, made up or manipulated

“If the content I’m seeing is triggering an extreme emotional reaction in me — rage, fear or joy, to name a few — without offering nuanced context, it leads me to think that it might be designed to mislead. When I encounter something that seems absolutely certain about morally and politically complex topics, such as the Israel-Hamas war, without acknowledging alternative views or uncertainties, I suspect it’s oversimplifying reality to push an agenda.”

— Sena Chang, 18

College freshman at Princeton University in New Jersey

“Articles that sound sketchy, made up, or manipulated are a red flag. Some media sources get rid of the bits and pieces of context that make a situation understandable. And media outlets sometimes contradict each other. Check and cross-check media. When a true piece of media spreads like wildfire, some media outlets will try and get attention from the situation and end up spreading lies about the situation. That’s why I find most articles about popular controversies annoyingly eye-rolling.”

— Antonette Davis, 14

Freshman at Central High School in Philadelphia

A single source doesn’t cut it for verifying what’s true

“I verify my information by getting it from multiple sources, not just people online who are crediting the original article I read. I also look at the information presented in the article from the perspective of a person who doesn’t know anything about the topic and see if the article and the ideas presented still make sense.”

— Yoni Zacks, 17

Senior at the Blake School in Minneapolis.

“More often than not I look it up on Google and read about it on a more reliable website. For example, if an article makes a claim about a piece of legislation, I try to find the full text of the cited legislation to better understand what it’s saying.”

— Olivia Garrison, 17

Graduated in 2023 from Davidson Academy in Reno, Nevada

“There’s a tool called Google Reverse Image Search that I use to check the origins of viral images or memes to see where they first appeared and if they’ve been repurposed out of context. During events like the presidential debate, I also looked at multiple websites offering real-time fact-checking like The New York Times to help contextualize what I was hearing and identify when what the candidates were saying was misinformation.”

— Sena Chang

“To verify information, I try to listen directly to candidates or their campaigns. I find this is the easiest way to understand the candidate’s policy plans, opinions on certain issues, and overall decorum. While commentary can be helpful, it often includes opinions that make me perceive certain things a certain way. Therefore, I find it important to directly hear from a political candidate first. Afterward, I listen to and watch video media with commentary. It helps me compare my understanding to someone else’s and clarify things I might not have fully understood.”

— Meghan Pierce, 18

Freshman at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, Illinois

How young people navigate a world of misinformation

“As a teenager, I get a lot of my information from social media. I know many other teenagers get their information this way, too, so my word of advice is to be aware of the algorithm and how you’re fed information usually from one side. You’re not getting the complete story, so do your research instead of trusting one source!”

— Emma Luu, 17

Junior at Pine Creek High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado

“Check anything you think is misleading with a quick search and cross-check if it’s legitimate or not.”

— Arnav Goyal, 14

Freshman at Olentangy Liberty High School in Powell, Ohio

“Become aware of media bias, and do your best to consider different perspectives and stay open-minded while being aware of media bias.”

— Lucas Robbins, 17

Senior at Mandela International Magnet School in Santa Fe, New Mexico

“My (unpopular) take is that fact-checking is easier than it seems. … ​Social media serves as an integral egalitarian news source where anyone can create and share primary source information no matter where they live in the world. However, using social media as a sole source of information can be dangerous. Sometimes even recognizing satirical news sources is hard — I have been a victim of thinking The Onion was a real news source. You don’t have to research every single headline you ever see. The internet can be an overload of information at times, and choosing to disconnect is a skill young people need. However, if you see something that raises eyebrows, understanding the context is just a Google search away.”

— Kush Kaur, 17

Freshman at Collin College in McKinney, Texas

Teenagers are inundated daily with a mix of credible information and fake news. Out of necessity, they’re sharpening their instincts to identify misinformation and building skills to verify or debunk it. Their advice is clear: Stay mindful of algorithmic influence, avoid relying on a single source, and remember that it’s OK to step back when it all feels overwhelming.

Need more insights? Explore the resources below.

Caroline Bauman is the deputy managing editor for engagement at Chalkbeat. Reach her at cbauman@chalkbeat.org.

Erica Meltzer is the national editor at Chalkbeat, where she covers education policy and politics. Reach her at emeltzer@chalkbeat.org

This was originally published by . Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. Sign up for their newsletters at .

This week, Maniar saw Clinton speak again, this time at the Democratic National Convention, the first since Roe was overturned, where she’s volunteering and attending as a guest of .

She’ll be flying straight from Chicago to Boston on Thursday and then moving into her freshman dorm at Harvard University Friday. She plans on studying  government, education and Spanish and continuing her work as a youth organizer.  She’ll also be spending time in Boston Public Schools helping teach civics education and curriculum through Harvard Civics.

This election cycle, Maniar has been particularly motivated to collect signatures for an abortion amendment that will appear on the November ballot in her home state. If passed, Amendment 4 would establish a statewide constitutional right to abortion up until fetal viability, a major shift from Florida’s current law, which bans abortion after six weeks except in rare cases. 

Currently, related to abortion are certified for the 2024 general election, the most on record in a single year. Vice President Kamala Harris, now leading the Democratic ticket, is seen as a particularly and has already done much to win over Gen Z.

In an interview with ����Ӱ��, Maniar said she thinks these ballot measures can mobilize youth voters, who are feeling particularly energized both by the abortion issue and Harris’s campaign more broadly.  

“I think autonomy right now to young people means a lot, because — especially in this state — we know what it feels like to feel like you have none,” she said. 

In late July, Harris spoke with Maniar’s peers when she made a virtual appearance at the Gen-Z-led Voters of Tomorrow summit.

“We need your support,” Harris said. “In this election we know young voters will be key, and we know your vote cannot be taken for granted. It must be earned. And that is exactly what we will do.” 

Vice President knows she must earn our generation’s votes, and that is exactly what she will do.

— Voters of Tomorrow (@VotersTomorrow)

Days before leaving for the convention where Harris will accept her history-making nomination, Maniar talked politics with ����Ӱ��’s Amanda Geduld.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

����Ӱ��: How did you first get involved with local politics and civic engagement?

Rhea Maniar: When I was 9, my parents took me to a Hillary Clinton rally in Sanford, Florida, in 2016, and they’ve never been the most politically involved people, but they saw that this election was really exciting because it was our first female nominee from the Democratic Party. And they took me in a shirt that said “Future President.” I think ever since that, I’ve just been hooked. 

I actually signed up to volunteer for Hillary Clinton on my own — after my bedtime — on my mom’s computer. I snuck in afterwards, and then they called my mom because I didn’t have a phone, so I just put her phone number, and they’re like, “Can we speak to Rhea Maniar?” And she was like, “You can, but she’s like 9 and in bed.” So I ended up phone banking at a neighbor’s house … and that was kind of my first foray into politics: Me and my mom phone banking together for 2016.

… In 10th grade, I did the Florida Senate Page Program … and then I also met Rep. Anna Eskamani, who kind of became my biggest inspiration and mentor in this process. And she offered me an internship just as I was going into 10th grade, and that internship was life changing for me. It was my first experience on the legislative side.

… That summer was also the summer that Roe v. Wade broke. So that was insane. I was a rising sophomore in high school. I couldn’t drive, but I was at the rallies, and I planned events all centered around really advocating for Roe v. Wade, and that summer was amazing. 

… I spent the majority of my senior year really talking to adults and advocating for the fact that high schoolers are here, college students are here. We’re ready to get the vote out in 2024, but we need adults to really get us the resources.

You mentioned your experience with the Dobbs decision and your response to that. Can you walk me through that a little bit? Do you remember hearing about that decision for the first time, what your immediate response was and what you’ve done around that issue since?

Yeah, when it broke out … I think everyone at Rep. Eskamani’s office was just shocked, but we didn’t have any time to be shocked. It was time to get to work. 

So this meant we jumped into planning the rallies and the events and the speaker panels, and so it was crazy, because we didn’t expect such a large response from the Central Florida community. But sign-ups for our rally and our march were going out the door. So many people showed up. We didn’t know what to do. I think, like, three or 4,000 people showed up, literally, on that day. They just dropped what they were doing to come and we were so grateful for the fact, but also that was our first time really seeing, “Oh my God. People who are not typically involved with these kinds of things are coming out in full force.” There are so many civically engaged people here who this is their first kind of major protest, major rally, major movement. 

…  And so since, we’ve been trying to capitalize on that type of energy, and I think that we’ve been really effective in the fact that abortion access affects everyone — even if you’re a man. I think for a lot of Floridians, this is definitely top-of-mind with the new ballot initiative. 

And so part of our job was explaining the ballot initiative and why it was so important in November to come out and vote … 

What made it so exciting to see this in 2024 is — we knew that abortion was literally the number one issue on top of Florida students’ minds — college students, especially — along with rent and housing and education. But abortion after Dobbs quickly rose to the top of that. 

… The fact that voters will literally have the chance in November 2024 to actually speak their minds on this and make sure that their legislators actually represent them in their best interests, was something that I think is really powerful to a lot of Florida students, and it’s definitely something that we are trying our best to uplift and then make as obvious as possible. 

… Whenever we did voter registration at schools, we would also have petitions for the 18-year-olds, just to make sure that we were really helping to get that ballot on the table and to pass the threshold.

So what will it mean for youth voters that this abortion ballot will be on the ticket this November?

I think it means a lot to youth voters, because with the combination of having such a powerful and energetic candidate at the top of the ballot — obviously Kamala Harris has greatly improved her numbers in polling amongst youth, especially in Florida — I think what that means is a higher chance of success for our down-ballot races, which are obviously just as important. 

Obviously, we have Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who is running against Rick Scott [both Tuesday in the U.S. Senate race]. We have a bunch of really competitive, flippable seats in [state] House districts and Senate districts that are literally right in colleges —UCF [University of Central Florida], FSU [Florida State University] and FAMU [ Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University] in Tallahassee — and so I hope, I am pretty sure — that the abortion amendment has done its job in that we’ve excited these voters, we’ve prepped them, we’ve informed them that so that they know that this year, abortion is on their ballot. 

And I think that in November, we’re going to see record-breaking — or at least higher — turnout amongst youth voters aged 18 to 29 than we ever have seen, because with the combination of abortion, weed [Florida ballot measure to ] and Kamala Harris, I think — and obviously massive outreach efforts on behalf of the Florida High School Democrats and the Florida College Democrats — I think all this combined is just a recipe for success, and I don’t really see it going any other way at this point. And I’m very glad I can say that.

When you’re tabling or giving out petitions, what are you hearing from young people about this ballot measure — and about the issue of abortion, more generally — within this political climate and then also within the context of the upcoming race?

I think in a world where our governor has made the decisions constantly for high schoolers … and we’ve kind of lost autonomy over that — over what our teachers can say in school, what books we can have in school, what’s being taught, what can we take — I think autonomy right now to young people means a lot, because especially in this state, we know what it feels like to feel like you have none. 

And so that’s why the abortion ballot initiative — and just in general … amendments — are so popular …

It sounds like this ballot measure brings a sense of empowerment to a population in Florida that — like you said — feels like their autonomy has been taken away. And I’m wondering, for young people in states that don’t have a ballot measure coming up in November that deals with this issue, what is your message to them?

… My message to folks in states who are passionate about abortion, but don’t know where to start because they don’t have a ballot amendment, is, I’d always say, organize your community. There’s power in numbers. There’s power in voices. All you have to do is start speaking up, whether that’s planning events, whether that’s registering your friends to vote, and whether that’s calling and emailing your representative and knocking down their door. I would say anything helps.

Outside of abortion, what are other issues that you hear young people getting really excited about this election cycle?

I think especially in Florida, rent is a really, really big problem. And so many older folks will come up to me and be like, “Oh, what issues matter to young people?” And most of the time I’m like, “The same issues that matter to you.”

Young professionals are also looking for places to work, jobs and homes … We held a and that was top of mind. Property insurance is a massive deal here — especially to young people who are just getting on their feet, who have a college degree, who need a job and need rent help. Things have become so ridiculously unaffordable for everyone. 

The second priority was abortion. The third one was education, because obviously our public colleges have seen such a major shift with political ideology and the governor trying to get his hands into curriculum. The fourth one is usually always gun control — being the state of Pulse, being the state of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School [scenes of massive shootings in 2016 and 2018]. Especially to our high school students, who have lived high school every year, having to do active shooter drills every two months, I think this is a really top-of-mind issue. 

And Gen Z is one of the most diverse generations in history — racially, ethnically, ideology-wise — and we have a very large population of Gen Z who identifies [as] LGBTQ. And so I think the queer community here is also being very outspoken that their issues are also top of ballot, because Florida has done a very poor job with that. So those are probably top five.

So now a question about you: Will this November be your first election?

Yes, I’m actually old enough to do it in our August primary, so I just did that.

Amazing. And how did it feel to be a first-time voter?

It was so fun. I put the sticker on my computer. I took a picture. I wanted to memorialize this moment. After organizing around so many issues for so long, I felt really good to finally mark my name down on the ballot — and I’m really excited to vote in November.

The annual “end of year report card” from and the surveyed more than 2,000 students in grades 5 through 12, who gave their schools’ an overall grade of “B-” — the same score for the .

But students ages 12 to 19 had disparate opinions depending on their household income, with lower income students giving a “B-” compared to higher income students giving a “B” grade.

Stephanie Marken, Gallup senior partner for U.S. research, said students’ “neutral” remarks are concerning — particularly among those from lower income families who are “even more likely” to miss out on the support needed to thrive in school.

“At a time where we need an education experience to be anything but average, we continue to see students give their schools neutral scores on the metrics that matter most,” Marken said in a statement.

Here’s a snapshot of how students graded their schools this year:

Disclosure: The Walton Family Foundation provides financial support to ����Ӱ��.

Mayor, a 12th grade student at Santa Susana High School in Simi Valley, said she is often just going through the motions in her classes where she feels disconnected from her schoolwork.

It’s the work after school that excites her.

“If you’re not engaged with school and involved in clubs and have a group of friends that help you stay around, I understand why you wouldn’t feel that sense of comfort and purpose going to school,” Mayor, 18, told ����Ӱ��.

Mayor is one of many Gen Z students who feel disenchanted and disconnected from school.

A from and the surveyed more than 1,000 Gen Z students between the ages of 12 to 18, finding that less than half enrolled in middle or high school felt motivated to go to school. About half said they do something interesting in school every day.

The report found the most influential driver of Gen Z students’ happiness is their “sense of purpose” at work and school, with more than 60 percent considering themselves happy.

The sentiment among Gen Zers has forced educators nationwide to shift their strategies and way of thinking to find new ways to engage students — from offering a range of elective classes, such as graphic design and culinary arts, to internships that sync up with careers they’re interested in. 

This shift also comes as a growing number of high school students value on-the-job training over other postsecondary options, including a four-year degree.

Mayor said the survey results were “honestly not that surprising.”

She said many of her classmates have grown disconnected from school because teachers often position students’ future success with how well they perform in traditional academic courses.

“I’ve seen a lot of students struggle…but they’re good at other things like art or sports, and I feel like that’s something teachers should recognize and hone in because not every student is going to be good at academics,” Mayor said.

Tackling Student Disengagement

Courtney Walker, an assistant principal at Carrolltown High School in Georgia, addresses student disengagement by offering elective classes including graphic design and culinary arts. She also has students take career aptitude tests to gauge their skills.

“Anytime we add new elective courses, we use the [career aptitude test] data to help us plan courses that align with students’ interest that they could be very talented and successful in,” Walker told ����Ӱ��.

Walker said high school students who have already completed graduation requirements are “plugged into internships.”

“We had a student a couple of years ago that really knew he wanted to become a pilot so we were able to set up an internship at the West Georgia Regional Airport,” Walker said.

“We really want to make sure we’re providing students with opportunities to dig into fields that they really are passionate about,” she added, “so that they don’t just graduate from high school but also have a plan and support in place to be successful in that plan.” 

Kimberly Winterbottom, a principal at Marley Middle School in Maryland, said students need to feel “connected” with both their peers and adults, such as teachers or mentors they trust. 

“We spend a lot of time trying to connect kids to what they’re interested in, whether it’s joining a club, or if they’re struggling connecting them with an adult they really respond to,” Winterbottom told ����Ӱ��.

Winterbottom added how having direct conversations with students on the importance of engaging in school has proven helpful.

“Adults don’t spend a lot of time explaining to students the reasons why but I feel like when we do some light bulbs go off and students start to understand and become more invested,” Winterbottom said.

Disclosure: Walton Family Foundation provides financial support to ����Ӱ��.

Kids, teens and young people, who researchers say are historically more likely to be optimistic than older generations, are overwhelmingly concerned about peers’ and their own mental health, as well as their futures and the nation’s political environment.

“Gen Z is a group of people who care and have gone through a kind of collective trauma — I think we see it,” said Amanda Lenhart, lead researcher with Common Sense Media, which has just released a “They’re kind of fed up. They’re worried about the future and they really would like people to pay attention.”

When asked what would improve life for children in the United States, Gen Z said a better education system. They and voters point to a need for increased mental health care offerings and affordability, job preparation classes and free after-school programming. 

For Gen Z, schools are “where they see an opportunity for assistance and amelioration,” Lenhart explained. Across party lines older members of the generation shared the same desire: for schools to provide more wraparound services like health care and food pantries, aligned more with the community school model. 

Lenhart and fellow researchers are interested in what will come when the remaining Gen Z youth reach voting age, because “they have a lot of frustration about what they see as a little bit of a kicking of the American dream in the teeth. That is, a sense of my own opportunities are diminished; I see my peers burdened with this mental health crisis.” 

For many, feeling frustrated and stressed has impacted future aspirations: An overwhelming 75% of Gen Z has interest in at least one STEM field, with the next most popular fields being healthcare and arts, media or journalism – areas that offer long careers and support society. 

Yet many feel their goals are out of reach: less than a third will pursue STEM, according to . Outside of environmental science applications, the majority haven’t been exposed to foundational material like computer programming or coding, robotics, or electrical circuits.

Here’s a recap of four key findings from the nearly 3,000 12-26 year olds surveyed late last year by Common Sense Media, Gallup and the Walton Foundation.

1. Mental health & gun violence are the most concerning issues for kids and teens right now.

Nearly a third of Gen Z feels that youth mental health challenges are the most pressing issue for their generation, with girls and white children citing the issue more than their peers. When asked about top concerns at schools specifically, the number grows dramatically: 53% said mental health. 

They attribute the cause of the mental health crisis to two main sources: bullying or discrimination, and social media. 

About 21% of Gen Z feels gun violence is the most pressing issue for their generation — even more so for Black kids and teens, 28% of whom cited gun violence. 

In just the first month of 2024, about were wounded or killed by gun violence. 

2. Most of Gen Z are interested in STEM careers, but less than a third plan to pursue them.

A major gap is emerging between desire and preparedness for STEM careers. The gap is even more stark for girls, who are less likely than peers to pursue the field, to a lack of mentors who students can identify with, imposter syndrome, and facing stereotypes about who is capable. 

“Half of gen Z is far less confident than the other half that they’re even good at this,” said Gallup pollster Zach Hrynowski of the gender gap, adding that prior research has confirmed the importance of having diverse STEM teachers and mentors, who can help students break through inadequacy, fear or systemic barriers. 

Having a teacher or mentor that looks like you or has shared life experiences can make a world of difference. For a Black student to have a Black computer science teacher, Hrynowski added, could “make you more likely to want to step through that door that currently is not something that you’re being pulled through by virtue of the curriculum.”

Simultaneously, there’s a huge discrepancy of middle and high school STEM offerings across the country that has left the majority of Gen Z high schoolers unexposed to basic courses and curriculum such as computer programming, 3D design, cybersecurity and hydraulics. 

Researchers fear a potential hit to the American economy. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of STEM jobs will increase 11% by 2032. About , in fields like engineering and computer science, may go unfilled by then if pipelines aren’t built up imminently. 

3. Most of Gen Z believe better education is the key to improving lives of children in the US

The majority of voters across party lines agree with young people — about 53% point to the education system as a saving grace for children in the U.S.

Likely voters, including some older Gen Zers, say their top education priorities are getting kids to read at grade level, teacher burnout and associated shortages, bullying, and student mental health. They believe individualized learning plans, increased teacher pay, more social, emotional and mental health support, and smaller class sizes would make the biggest impact. 

At the same time, young people feel like political priorities are misaligned. About 60% of Gen Z believe politicians do not reflect the needs, desires, and experience of young people in this country well. 

“They feel like people in elected office and people in positions of power aren’t listening to them, not doing a good job of representing what young people need,” said Lenhart.

4. They’re still optimistic: 70% of young people think they’ll be about the same or better off than their parents in adulthood

Despite coming of age during periods of extreme violence, social unrest, and historical traumas, including 9/11 and a pandemic, Gen Zers are still more cautiously optimistic about their future prospects than voters writ large. 

In contrast, only about 22% of likely voters who are not parents believe children today will be better off than they are now. 

Yet a majority of parents of color are in hopeful alignment with Gen Z: 60% of Black parents, 62% of Asian American and Pacific Islander parents, and 52% of Latino parents say kids today will be “better off.” Just over a third of white parents believe this to be the case.

Black kids and teens are the most hopeful subgroup, with just over half saying they will be better off. 

“The more we can help create a functional adulthood for our teenagers and our young adults,” Lenhart said, “where they’re not worried about meals, health care, their own safety, their ability to take care of their families when people get sick … if we can make that better, then people will feel better.” 

Disclosure: Walton Family Foundation provides financial support to ����Ӱ��.

Overall college enrollment surged by 2.1 percent in fall 2023 compared to last year’s decrease of 0.9 percent, according to the .

But freshmen enrollment for this fall declined by 3.6 percent, particularly among 18- to 20-year-olds in four-year institutions — reversing last year’s promising 4.6 percent increase. Instead, community colleges led enrollment gains, particularly among freshmen over 21.

The enrollment increase among all freshmen at community colleges signal students’ growing interest in programs such as healthcare and construction offering short-term commitments that lead to direct employment connections, the report found.

Doug Shapiro, executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, said in a statement the freshmen decline is a “troubling sign” for four-year institutions as young students opt out.

“This disparity in age aligns with the disparity in the kind of schools and the types of programs students are now choosing,” Shapiro told ����Ӱ��.

Here are four key takeaways from the report:

1. Young students ages 18 to 20 led freshmen enrollment declines.

Freshmen enrollment, particularly in the 18 to 20 age group, declined by 5.2 percent despite last year’s 4.5 percent increase.

However, freshmen in the 21 to 24, 25 to 29 and over 30 age groups increased by 14.3 percent, 17.4 percent and 24.4 percent respectively.

The freshmen enrollment trend was not expected as more students applied to college for the 2023-24 academic year than last year, reported.

Shapiro said the age disparity stems from young students’ reluctance to choose traditional four-year institutions — opting instead for community colleges and certificate programs.

“This is something that should not be news to anyone at any four-year institution,” Shapiro said.

“If you’re less confident the job you get, even after earning a degree, is going to pay you significantly more than what you could make right now, it makes sense why young students would focus on short-term programs that have more direct connections to the workforce,” he added.

Kevin Carey, vice president of education policy for , told the strong job market has exacerbated difficulties for four-year institutions to recruit high school graduates.

“A lot of four-year institutions are competing with the job market,” Carey said. “Some of those shorter-term degrees could represent an attempt to compromise with it.”

2. Community colleges led undergraduate enrollment growth.

Undergraduate enrollment gains particularly come from community colleges — accounting for nearly 59% of overall growth.

Community college enrollment also increased by 4.4 percent compared to last year’s 0.1 percent decline.

This growth suggests community colleges are starting to recover after taking a hit during the pandemic, the report found.

Shapiro said this aligns with the age disparities seen in freshmen enrollment as older students are more likely to attend community college over four-year institutions.

“Community colleges have only now started to improve,” Shapiro said. “To me, that signals students are looking for shorter programs, shorter commitments of time and more direct employment linkages.”

Thomas Brock, director of the , told shifting attitudes toward four-year institutions have had indirect benefits for community colleges.

“Whether it’s around affordability, debt, preparing for the job market, I think perhaps in some ways the negative press has been a little more directed toward the four-year sector,” Brock said.

3. White student enrollment declined as Black, Latino and Asian students grew.

Black, Latino and Asian students lead overall undergraduate enrollment growth — increasing by 2.1 percent, 4.2 percent and 4 percent respectively.

White students declined by 0.9 percent, a continuation of last year’s 4.8 percent drop, but Shapiro said this is in part due to the ending race-conscious admissions.

“Part of the apparent decline we see in white students is because they’re not revealing their race,” Shapiro said.

He added how these demographic shifts trickle down to , with less white students graduating compared to their Black, Latino and Asian peers.

4. Male student enrollment grew at nearly twice the rate of female students.

Undergraduate male enrollment increased by 2.2 percent compared to female enrollment that increased by 1.2 percent. 

The gender disparity continues the greater impact the pandemic had on women the past two years, the report found.

Shapiro said this is in part due to job market growth in careers like construction and manufacturing that historically favor men.

“It’s a small difference, but it’s been steady,” Shapiro said.

Compared to other generations, few Gen Zers, born between 1997 to 2011, feel prepared for their future and less than half are thriving in their current lives — far fewer than millennials, according to a new report.

In stark terms, the report lays out Gen Z’s concerns — revealing what once was status quo no longer meets the needs of young people.

“This is a critical moment for youth and for the adults supporting them,” said Romy Drucker, director of the Education Program at the Walton Family Foundation, adding the survey’s findings will “generate insights and perspectives to help us all be better guides, better listeners, and better partners as the next generation rises.” (Drucker was co-founder of ����Ӱ�� and serves on its board of directors; she played no role in the reporting or editing of this article) 

More than 3,000 Gen Zers were polled by and the through a national survey that will follow the same group for three years — paving the way for tracking trends one-time studies can’t measure.

The survey, which includes more than 2,000 K-12 students and nearly 1,000 no longer in school, highlights Gen Z’s need for an education that matches the reality of the world they live in.

“Empowering Gen Z to achieve their goals and aspirations requires that schools provide students with relevant experiences and education that will help them navigate the workforce,” said Stephanie Marken, Gallup partner and executive director for education research in a press release.

Here are 15 key takeaways from the survey:

Disclosure: Walton Family Foundation provides financial support to ����Ӱ��.

A new found two in five Gen Z students agreed with the statement: “The pandemic has made me less interested in pursuing higher education.”

Middle school students, generally 11 to 13 years old, not only contribute to the trend but also lead the view that work experience is more valuable. 

That attitude has translated into an 8% decline in college enrollment from 2019 to 2022, showing how attending college is no longer a given for Gen Z.

“Seeing the way many Millennials are saddled with insurmountable debt from the higher ed system, and knowing from their online lives that other paths are possible, these high school and even middle school students are reconsidering if they even need college to be successful,” wrote in the report.

Gen Z advocates Brian Femminella, co-founder and chief executive officer of , Bella Santos, community leadership board president of , and Ian Gates, policy and program quality fellow of talked about key takeaways from the report:

1. The vast majority of Gen Z middle school students say they don’t see a future pursuing college.

YPulse found 80% of Gen Z middle school students and 85% of high school students plan to go to college compared to 100% pre-pandemic.

Gates, 22, said pandemic-era online learning showed younger Gen Z students how monotonous taking classes can be — whether they’re in middle school, high school, community college or a four-year institution.

“[Gen Z] is thinking about different options now,” Gates told ����Ӱ��. “A lot of us are thinking about non-college careers…like being a Youtuber, influencer and other alternate paths like that.”

Femminella, 23, said his own college education didn’t necessarily help him start his mental health company.

“When I see how a lot of younger kids would rather do something else, I applaud that,” Femminella told ����Ӱ��. “We need more folks that want to do different things and shouldn’t fall into the stigma of college being a must.”

2. Gen Z students are more likely to find Google and YouTube more helpful than a teacher.

YPulse found Gen Z students were more likely to choose Google and YouTube over a teacher when asked: “If you wanted to learn something new, what resources would you use?”

Santos, 20, wasn’t shocked.

“There is often not a ton of oversight when it comes to how choosy schools are with who gets to teach — especially in public schools,” Santos told ����Ӱ��. “Teachers and the system in which they teach aren’t always suited for success to begin with.”

Gates said disparaging parent attitudes towards teachers and school curriculum also had an effect on how Gen Z grows up to question the value of a college education.

“With the parental rights movement, certainly when you’re telling your kid ‘hey your teachers are trying to indoctrinate you and make you communist and make you gay’ it obviously gets to them,” Gates said.

Gates added how states such as Florida, which have banned and , contribute to Gen Z’s disinterest in pursuing higher education by not exposing them to diverse courses. 

3. Gen Z college students struggle to stay interested in their classes and believe they don’t teach practical skills.

YPulse found 55% of current Gen Z undergraduate students and 38% of Gen Z graduate students found their classes not relevant to their lives — in part because college doesn’t teach practical skills such as mental health skills, cooking and personal finance.

“Learning should be an enriching experience no matter what your interests are,” Santos said. “Yet school systems are often set up to just drill information into people’s brains.”

Femminella said mental health concerns should be the foundation on which professors shape their curriculum. 

“There are some moments when students in college need to have a mental health day because they’re overworked,” Femminella said. “There’s not a lot of outlets and resources until it’s too late…and you’re really in the midst of a mental health crisis when there’s ways to avoid that.”

Femminella also said colleges should require personal finance and cooking courses.

“A lot of colleges forget that when Gen Z students close their computer, they’re a human and have to go do other human things like pay bills, cook and clean,” Femminella said. “I think it’s something that should just be incorporated into the entire university structure.”

4. Gen Z students wish they learned about alternative career paths growing up.

YPulse found that 74% of Gen Z students wish they learned more about alternative career paths compared to a traditional college education.

Santos said the social stigma of not attending college is declining among Gen Z students.

“I don’t think it’s for everyone, I don’t think it’s necessary, so it makes sense that other people in my generation see that,” Santos said.

Gates added how this is especially true for students who come from immigrant families and used to feel “the pressure that college is just what’s next.”

“Gen Z knows people are graduating college with all these loans,” Gates said. “They’re taking that into account, especially those from lower income families, and asking themselves if college is really worth it.”

5. Gen Z students believe work experience is more important than a college education.

YPulse found that 57% of Gen Z middle school students and 49% of Gen Z high school students believe work experience is more important than a college education.

Femminella said work experience has been the most helpful tool to his success.

“When you’re in your field and you get to practice, you also get to fail,” Femminella said. “And by failing you learn the most, and that’s been invaluable to starting my company.”

But education today is in a time of disruption and transition. In many respects, it’s not meeting the needs of young people as they enter a changing workforce. 

Maybe it’s time to ask high school students what they need most. 

The “Question the Quo” nationally representative survey of high school students ages 14 to 18 does just that. It documents Gen Z high schoolers’ views and shifting priorities on education and work. It was conducted by the nonprofit ECMC Group in partnership with VICE Media, the seventh survey report since 2020.

It turns out that Gen Z high school students have new and sensible ideas about the relationship between their K-12 education, going to college and starting a career. They want K-12 to provide them with practical knowledge and skills that lead to more education, training and career options after graduation than they now have. Policymakers and educators can and should take these views into serious consideration as they map out new programs and reforms.

Here are four main questions Gen Z high schoolers have on their minds as they think about their futures.

Do we need a college degree?

Gen Z is skeptical about the value of a traditional four-year college degree. They question whether it delivers sufficient return on investment, having heard stories about student loans and debt. Around half (51%) are thinking about pursuing a college degree, down more than 10 percentage points since before the pandemic and 20 points since shortly after COVID began. Other of young people and adults find similar skepticism about the value of a four-year degree.

On the other hand, 65% of Gen Z high schoolers who responded to “Question the Quo” believe education after high school is necessary. But they want options such as online courses, boot camps and apprenticeships.

What skills should K-12 schools teach us?

The practical mindset concerning college also applies to what young people want from high school. Gen Z places a priority on learning life skills along with academics — things like financial literacy, communication, problem-solving and understanding their own and others’ emotions, which are overlooked in the traditional K-12 curriculum. They value good grades and practical, real-world skills. They also have an entrepreneurial spirit, with a third wanting to start their own business.

Nearly 8 in 10 (78%) believe it is important to develop these practical skills before they graduate from high school, so they are better prepared to decide on career paths. These views are consistent with other of the American public and young people on these issues. 

How can work and life coexist?

Gen Z high schoolers are not only interested in making money; they also want time for their personal lives. They see work-life balance as an important priority. In fact, two of the top factors that impact what they will decide to do after high school — long-term earning potential and physical and mental health — have remained consistent throughout ECMC’s seven surveys. In other words, young people yearn for meaningful work that leaves room for personal development and leisure. Their approach to careers echoes a holistic perspective on the need for a healthy balance between work and personal life, which was a key theme of the December 2021 report from the on youth mental health.

How do I achieve my dreams?

Gen Z high schoolers want to learn on the job and over their lifetime. More than two-thirds say their ideal post-high school learning should be on the job through internships or apprenticeships (65%) or through hands-on learning in a lab or classroom (67%). Only a third say their ideal learning would be only through coursework. More than half (53%) want more formalized learning throughout their life. And 8 in 10 believe government and employers should subsidize, pay full tuition or provide direct training for students. 

Gen Z high schoolers do not reject formal academic learning. Rather, they want a system that is more flexible and personalized in its approach to learning and work than what they have now. They are asking K-12 schools, colleges, employers and other stakeholders to think differently about how best to prepare them for jobs and careers. 

Disclosure: Walton Family Foundation provides financial support to ����Ӱ��.

, a music therapy app created by founders Brian Femminella and Travis Chen, reduces students’ stress and anxiety through audio and visual beats tailored to the needs of each user.

The goal for Femminella, 23, and Chen, 24, is to use the healing effects of sound as an approach to help students combat pandemic-induced stress so they can focus in the classroom.

“We’re not a program, we’re a tool,” Chen told ����Ӱ��. “We’re a tool that complements existing social-emotional learning curriculum and guides students along the way as they try to relax and improve their mental health.”

SoundMind launched in November 2021 and has gained over 100,000 users — in addition to reducing their stress and anxiety levels by 46%.

From districts in Los Angeles to New York City, SoundMind has partnered with schools nationwide to help teachers, counselors and administrators gauge their students’ mental health.

The science behind SoundMind centers around their music development team that utilize clinically-proven research.

“It’s rooted in thanatosonics…or the relationship between sound, violence and the human relationship,” Femminella told ����Ӱ��. “That’s something we found very useful as we developed our binaural beats.”

Femminella noted as students’ use the app, the built-in artificial intelligence creates more personalized sounds.

Through SoundMind’s online platform, educators have the opportunity to check in on their students’ anxiety and depression levels.

The platform provides real-time data for educators to better understand trends between their students’ happiness and learning capacity.

“The response we hear is that it’s transparent and gives them more insights,” Femminella said. “We’re able to help admin feel like they can actually see what’s going on in their classrooms.”  

Chen added how schools particularly enjoy the suggestions page that provides strategies for educators to remedy their students’ specific mental health needs.

“Our platform is comprehensive, immersive and interactive,” Chen said. “And we’re really proud to be in this specific time where we can help schools with their students’ mental health journey.”

To increase the app’s accessibility, Femminella and Chen partnered with to not only provide students with tablets and wireless service through the but also a SoundMind membership.

“We recognize that 55% of students are on this program so there was a very big need for us to do this,” Chen said.

For Femminella and Chen, mental health advocacy stems from their personal stories.

Femminella and Chen originally met as randomly selected roommates when they interned for the U.S. Congress.

“Over time we really bonded and started going to dinners together and had brainstorming sessions later at night,” Femminella said.

As time progressed, Femminella and Chen discovered their mutual interest in mental health advocacy — which eventually led to the creation of SoundMind in their University of Southern California dorm rooms.

Femminella noted his LGBTQ and military background plays a large role in his understanding of social-emotional wellness.

“I joined the military at a young age and had a lot of political aspirations in regards to how I saw the mental health space and how soldiers were struggling,” Femminella said. “I’ve seen folks in these environments feel small so being able to give a voice to people who feel powerless is something really impactful for me.”

Chen said his Asian American roots reinforce his desire to destigmatize conversations around mental health.

“There’s a lot of competition in the AAPI community in regards to AP scores and SAT classes to name a few,” Chen said. “I remember personally struggling with my own mental health in high school and I knew I had to do something about it.”

Chen believes the power of social media has shaped the landscape of youth mental health.

“Nowadays students are hiding behind screens,” Chen said. “So instead of disciplining and telling them what not to do, how can we meet them where they’re at?”

As SoundMind continues to grow, Femminella regards their work with SoundMind as a testament to how impactful Gen Z leaders can be.

“We hope to be the pinnacle of what it means to push hard and be furious about how youth in our country are struggling,” Femminella said.

A Wednesday panel at the Mackinac Policy Conference highlighted the influence of young people in Michigan’s political, social and economic environments, while also calling attention to issues most pressing to Generation Z.

Moderator Angelique Power, CEO of the Detroit-based grantmaking organization the Skillman Foundation, was joined on the panel by youth education activist Imani Harris, Black Lives Matter in All Capacities Co-Founder Evamelo Oleita and Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit).

Power opened the panel discussion by emphasizing the role of Gen Z in today’s public policy. She said that the generation’s diversity would be an asset in future policymaking.

“They are intersectional in their identities, and also in their analysis of what our issues are, and in their proposals for solutions to these problems,” Power said. “They are the largest generation alive – over a quarter of the U.S. population, over a third of the world population.”

Both of the youth speakers on the panel represented Michigan social justice organizations – Harris serves as the communications lead for 482Forward, an education justice organization dedicated to Detroit student success, and Oleita is also a member of the Skillman Foundation’s President’s Youth Council.

Oleita described how she and her friends were motivated to start Black Lives Matter in All Capacities after learning about the detainment of Grace, a Pontiac student who was put in a juvenile detention center for failing to complete online school assignments in 2020.

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“We did an overnight occupation outside the detention center where she was being detained, and at 16 and 17 years old, that was really scary,” Oleita said. “And I still don’t know how we did it, but the following morning Grace was released. And we cried, we celebrated, but we understood that Grace being released was only such a small part of this journey.”

Oleita said that Grace’s story introduced her to the issue of criminalization of Black girls in Michigan schools, and that she’s been working since then on education justice issues.

Harris’s focus on education inequity came at a young age, when she said she began noticing teachers at her Detroit high school having to work without pay and increasing vacancies in her school’s staff. The experience inspired her to contact her elected officials and start speaking about what she was seeing at school.

“I was just seeing my experience around me and not feeling like it was being reflected in the conversation,” Harris said. “So instead of trying to tell people how I felt on a smaller scale, I wrote my first op-ed, and it went really far.”

Tate noted that the forthcoming state budget would include several measures relating to equitable funding for Michigan schools, which Power said is a key issue for Gen Z voters. He said that education issues, including special education funding, mental health support and free and reduced lunch and breakfast would all be addressed by the currently passed House version of the budget.

“I think it points us in the right direction,” Tate said. “But I think there’s certainly more that we need to do there.”

Harris’ and Oleita’s passion for organizing isn’t uncommon for members of Gen Z. Power said that in areas where Michigan lags behind on voter turnout and engagement, Gen Z is showing up.

“Not only are young people concerned with public policy, they are making some pretty big gains, including securing 150 million and mental health funding for schools,” Power said. “And Michigan Gen Zers led the nation in youth voter turnout in 2022.”

Tate said that as a legislator he’s seen the impact of that turnout firsthand, whether in the power of a Gen Z voting bloc in Michigan or new members of the legislature that are the youngest in state history, but that there’s still a way to go on fully integrating young people into the policymaking process.

“I think the work that Gen Z members have been doing and been able to advocate for is starting to get reflected, but I think there’s certainly more throughout our process,” Tate said. “I think that starts with individual members really engaging in their districts and then in their communities.”

Harris said that intergenerational conversations are a key part of making young people feel heard and that they can be active participants in public policy, but that they have to be conducted with trust and understanding. She said it’s important to set boundaries and expectations before forming an intergenerational relationship.

“They might be transactional sometimes, or they might feel like tokenism even though that’s not the intention,” Harris said. “Because that base conversation was not had about, ‘What’s our goals; what’s our vision? What’s our dream for this?’”

The panelists also discussed education solutions like the weighted funding formula, which would aim to direct state per-pupil funds in higher concentration to school districts classified as higher-need, as well as a pressing question for Michigan’s : How will the state retain its young people as they grow up?

Harris moved back to Detroit upon her graduation from Northwestern University, but Oleita, a freshman at Michigan State University, isn’t sure yet whether she’ll remain in Michigan after graduation. She faces the same decision that many young Michiganders are: Move out of state to pursue more opportunity, or try to find it here at home?

“I want to stay but I don’t know if I will,” Oleita said. “And if I do stay it’ll definitely be because of the people, especially in Detroit.”

Oleita said that transportation access is a key factor in her decision on where to put down roots post-grad.

“You look at places like New York, where they have reliable and accessible transportation everywhere,” Oleita said. “I think it’s really interesting that we call ourselves the home of the Motor City, but we don’t have reliable transportation everywhere.”

Both Harris and Oleita agreed that to retain young people, Michigan needs to refocus its priorities.

“How are we caring for our young people?” Oleita said. “Are we putting the same amount of effort and love that we put into so many other things in our society back into the most valuable assets, which are our youth?”

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on and .

The Career Z Challenge is designed to highlight innovative efforts to provide real-world learning to high school students. It’s part of a Biden Administration initiative launched last fall called aimed at helping prepare students to fill millions of jobs as they graduate high school. Finalists will receive a portion of $2.5 million in funding to help guide the department’s efforts to expand sustainable, high-quality programs nationally. 

“An education system reimagined for the 21st century engages youth of all ages in the power of career-connected learning and provides every student with the opportunity to gain real-life work experience, earn college credits and make progress towards an industry credential before they graduate high school,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona . 

Amy Loyd, assistant secretary of the department’s Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education said they hope to expand promising examples of collaborative work between educators, businesses, industries, nonprofits and other community stakeholders.

What these efforts look like will vary, she acknowledged, pointing to examples like , a nonprofit that embeds college and career readiness advisers in public high schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul, and to match students with employers offering work-based learning opportunities. 

The administration wants to scale up apprenticeship programs in high schools, particularly in rural areas where students struggle to find lucrative careers and companies often have trouble finding skilled workers. 

Loyd also emphasized the department’s interest in helping communities access remote work-based learning opportunities.

She hopes to see career pathways that may be “leveraging technology in new ways so that students can stay in their hometown … and stay connected to the community and the global economy.” 

The deadline to for the is June 7. The department will reward new work-based learning programs and expansions of existing ones.

Apprenticeships, trade schools expand

of all U.S. high school graduates were ready for college or career last year as employers scrambled to fill more than 11 million job openings, especially in sectors like tech, clean energy and health care, according to a report from the Education Trust.

There has been a growing movement to create more internships and apprenticeships for young people, both to help their job training and fill open positions as people shift careers after the pandemic and Baby Boomers retire. 

The number of , before dipping during the pandemic. The department’s is part of a national push. 

At the same time, — just as enrollment at traditional four-year colleges and universities has .  

Enrollment in mechanic, culinary and repair programs saw enrollment increases of more than 11% from spring 2021 to 2022, . And enrollment in construction courses increased by 19.3%. 

Students typically cite affordability and a desire for a clearer career path as rationales for choosing trade programs over a more traditional college path.

To prepare students for such programs, career academies and similar efforts that allow students to earn college credit in high school have grown. But such programs hinge on the needs of local communities.

That’s why the department is looking at how such communities are designing work-based learning programs to “respond to the needs that employers have today and the needs that we’re projecting into the future,” Loyd said.

South by Southwest Edu returns next week to Austin, Texas, running March 6–9. As always, the event offers hundreds of panels, discussions, film screenings and workshops on education policy, politics, innovation, and of course, this being 2023, the rise of artificial intelligence.

One keynote session will feature the renowned architect Frank Gehry chatting with his younger sister, educator Doreen Gehry Nelson, about creativity, critical thinking and collaboration in education. In another, pollster John Della Volpe will share new data from the November 2022 midterm elections and discuss how to engage with rising Gen Z leaders. 

In yet another, filmmakers will screen a new documentary featuring Oakland-based activist Kareem Weaver, who, fed up with bleak reading scores in his home city, filed a petition with the NAACP demanding change in early reading instruction. 

There’s actually too much to see and hear in the span of just four days, so ����Ӱ�� has streamlined the selection process. We’ve scoured the schedule to highlight a few of the most significant presenters, topics and panels that might be worth your time. 

Here’s a highly subjective list of 23 sessions you shouldn’t miss in 2023:

Monday, March 6:

: In this session by two educators and a psychologist who treats addiction, panelists will share the neuroscience behind teen brains’ unique susceptibility to tech — and how adults can help students fight it via a science-based digital media curriculum and resources designed to empower teens to develop healthy relationships with their devices. .

: The LEGO Foundation’s Bo Stjerne Thomsen joins experts in early childhood education, critical thinking, and game-based learning to discuss how educators can chart student progress in hard-to-measure areas while kids play. This discussion will explore new ways to engage kids in creative play in a way that develops essential skills and new methods for assessing growth. .

: The lab director of Community & Implementation at Stanford d.school joins two leading philanthropic leaders to explore opportunities for change that happen when we treat our schools as “vital pieces of community infrastructure.” Panelists will discuss what we unlock when educators draw on what students are capable of across physical space, tech innovation and social connection. .

: The pandemic exposed millions of students to the opportunities and limitations of virtual learning. Three years after the most significant disruption to schooling in recent memory, a panel of educators and advocates ask how virtual learning can reshape how we recruit, train, hire, and deploy teachers and how a virtual education workforce could provide new solutions to ongoing staffing problems. This session is moderated by ����Ӱ��’s Greg Toppo. .

: The pandemic accelerated a looming teacher shortage, with a twist: Just 20% of teachers are people of color, even as non-white students comprise the majority of U.S students, according to the Education Trust. Yet 40% of public schools do not have a single non-white teacher on record. How can we rethink teacher recruitment and training to ensure that teachers represent the students they serve? This panel explores a national initiative to recruit 1 million teachers of color over the next decade. .

: Polarization in education policy threatens to erode the broad support that schools have long enjoyed. The Aspen Institute and a bipartisan group of state policymakers developed Opportunity to Learn principles to undergird a new, positive bipartisan agenda for improving public education. The panel features Aspen’s Ross Wiener as well as two state lawmakers (one Democrat and one Republican) to explore how this approach can help rebuild support for public education. .

: Mesa Public Schools, Arizona’s largest school district, has committed to building team-based staffing models in half of its schools. It now has 30 schools with innovative staffing models, and early results are promising. This panel features a representative of Mesa schools as well as two scholars from Arizona State University, which is partnering with the district on new ways to address teacher shortages and workforce design. .

Tuesday, March 7:

(keynote, livestreamed): In this keynote session, renowned architect Frank Gehry chats with his younger sister, Doreen Gehry Nelson, about their respective careers, sharing their perspectives on the roles that “creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration” play in education. Gehry Nelson created a well-known method of design-based learning, a teaching methodology that has been applied in K-12 classrooms worldwide since 1969. .

: In this session, the National Association for Media Literacy Education will discuss implementing “train-the-trainer” models for scaling media literacy education and instruction in schools, districts and communities. This session is led by Donnell Probst, a NAMLE associate director and former college reference librarian. .

: Adequate school funding is a key to educational attainment, but the benefits don’t stop there. It affects earnings, crime and poverty, research shows. Join a panel of experts from the Learning Policy Institute, the Public Policy Institute of California and the Tennessee Department of Education to hear how funding becomes more equitable to ensure better outcomes, especially as schools tap federal pandemic relief funds. This session is led by The Dallas Morning News’ Eva-Marie Ayala. .

: Emerging approaches to demonstrating mastery, as well as advanced computational methods, hold the power to improve assessment while reducing time and administrative costs. Hear leaders across research, government and philanthropy talk about how innovation is creating the assessments of the future. .

: This new documentary film features Oakland-based NAACP activist Kareem Weaver, who was fed up with bleak reading scores in his own community and filed a petition with the NAACP demanding change in early reading instruction. The session also features American Public Media’s Emily Hanford, whose breakout podcast “Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong” is shining a light on the Science of Reading. .

: For the first time, Arizona State University is offering its courses for credit through YouTube. The partnership, called Study Hall, aims to help potential college-goers navigate higher education by earning credit for their first year of college online. The session features Study Hall’s Hank Green, a popular YouTuber who has been called “one of America’s most popular science teachers.” His videos have been viewed more than two billion times on YouTube. .

: About 15 million students in the U.S. live with unstable internet access — or no access at all. A $65 billion broadband-for-all plan is in place, but the effort isn’t expected to reach the last mile for all students until 2030. In the meantime, what are low-barrier options for students without internet access to access carefully curated resources of digital content on their devices? Hear Endless OS Foundation’s talk about alternatives. .

Wednesday, March 8:

: John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, has been called one of the world’s leading authorities on global sentiment, opinion, and influence, especially among youth in the age of digital and social media. In this discussion hosted by the Walton Family Foundation, he’ll share new data from the November 2022 midterm elections and the panel will explore how to engage with rising Gen Z leaders to bring their unique vision for unity and collaboration to fruition. . 

: In this 90-minute interactive workshop led by Stanford d.school educators, participants will engage in the fundamental concepts underpinning Artificial Intelligence through symbolic play and hands-on design work. Participants will learn how AI can be used to address societal challenges, explore classroom applications, identify ethical implications and prototype different outcomes for social justice and the education system. .

: Experts say K-12 schools must increasingly offer education that’s personalized, skill-based, and interdisciplinary. But traditional school transcripts are ill-suited to capture the richness of these approaches. This panel discussion by representatives of the Mastery Transcript Consortium, the XQ Institute, the Aurora Institute and Big Picture Learning will explore insights and lessons learned from their credential design efforts. .

: Pandemic learning loss has engendered countless tutoring initiatives nationwide. Could tutoring be not just a short-term fix but an enduring feature of the U.S. education system? And what does research show about the benefits of online and hybrid models? This session, featuring former Tennessee Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman and current Tennessee Chief Academic Officer Lisa Coons, will look at new research and on-the-ground implementation of evidence-based tutoring programs that improve outcomes for all students, particularly those historically excluded from such services. .

: As the pandemic recedes across the U.S., K-12 superintendents are retiring in droves. Top executive-search firms say business is brisk, with departures as high as any in recent memory. The American Association of School Administrators last fall found that about one in four superintendents had left their jobs in the past year, a marked increase from previous years. In their wake they leave a shallower recruiting pool. So is it time to rethink the superintendent pipeline? Should districts be more engaged in succession planning and growing future superintendents from within? This panel explores Texas school districts that were intentional about developing leaders and whose boards picked high-performing successors from within, allowing the district to keep raising the bar without losing momentum. .

: Educators should be intentionally designing the learning experience, say two experiential learning experts from the Minerva Project, an innovative college program that has made waves in higher education. This workshop will show how they design integrated online and offline immersive experiences that connect the curriculum to the real world “using awe and wonder as pedagogically useful tools.” .

: As drag queen story hours come under fire from conservatives nationwide, advocates say it’s more important than ever to understand their aim: Using drag as a traditional art form to promote literacy, teach about LGBTQ lives and activate children’s imaginations. This session, featuring three drag queens, will discuss the importance of LGBTQ family programming. .

Thursday, March 9

: This session features of Sandy Hook Promise, who will discuss the group’s “Know the Signs” school shooting and violence prevention programs. The session will bring together leaders who are equipping students with social and emotional skills to spot warning signs in their peers and intervene safely.

: In this session, two educators from the Groundswell Project UK will talk about young people and extremism, and how we can best challenge hate narratives in our schools and communities. Groundswell has been working in schools to counter hate narratives from the far-right to Islamism to misogynist extremism and other forms of violence. This session will offer best practices to educate youth on these issues. The session will also include personal testimony and examples of how young people can be misguided into extremist thinking — and how to help support vulnerable young people. .

Disclosure: The Walton Family Foundation and XQ Institute provide financial support to ����Ӱ��.

Some 27% of all people ages 18 to 29 cast ballots, more than in any recent midterm election except 2018, according to estimates from Tufts University’s .

“Despite being consistently told that young people do not vote, Gen Z turned out in huge numbers during the midterms,” Santiago Mayer, executive director of the youth-led organization , said in a . “Young people are overwhelmingly pro-democracy and Gen Z showed that we are excited and ready to take part in shaping what we want our future to look like.”

Young people’s ballots overwhelmingly broke for Democrats, who claimed 63% of their vote in U.S. House races. Only 35% favored GOP candidates, exit polling by the revealed. 

President Joe Biden expressed his gratitude on Twitter Wednesday. 

“You voted to continue addressing the climate crisis, gun violence, your personal rights and freedoms and student debt relief. Thank you for making your voices heard,” the president .

In what was widely predicted to be a “red wave” Tuesday night amid rising inflation, Democratic candidates out-performed pre-election polling, picking up a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania and fending off formidable GOP gubernatorial challengers in several states. 

“If not for young people, we have a starkly different result,” said John Della Volpe, director of polling at Harvard Kennedy School and author of , on .

The party in power almost always suffers stark losses in the midterms when the president’s approval rating is low. The question of who will control the U.S. House and Senate remains outstanding as election officials continued to count ballots in Arizona and Nevada going into the weekend and a Dec. 6 runoff election looms in Georgia.

While 63% of 18- to 29-year-olds voted blue, the same was true of only 51% of 30- to 44-year-olds, 44% of 45- to 64-year-olds and 43% of those 65 or older.

“Youth turnout helped the Democrats defy political gravity,” observed Varshini Prakash, executive director of the , a youth organization devoted to stopping climate change. 

The high degree of mobilization came, Prakash argued, despite “massive under-investment” in the issues that benefit the younger generation such as protecting the planet.

Pundits noted that analysts may have failed to accurately factor in young people’s votes in the Election Day leadup because they failed to connect with them.

“Last I checked, young people, they don’t even take calls from their mothers. I can’t imagine they take calls from pollsters,” MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle .

Pollsters were also faulted for missing how potent the abortion issue remained for all voters, even while concerns over the economy gained ground. Jack Lobel, a Columbia University political science major and Voters of Tomorrow’s deputy communications director, the day after the election that his group had done its own polling and knew the loss of reproductive rights was an imperative for young voters.

“We saw that abortion was certainly a top issue. I think young voters recognize that when Roe fell, it may have been the first of many rights to fall,” he said.

Gun violence and the prevalence of school shootings were also key “motivating issues” pushing youth voters to turn out for progressive candidates, said Lamia El-Sadek, executive director of March For Our Lives. It should be a lesson for those running for government office in years to come, she said.

“The pathway to victory for candidates running in 2024 is to make bold commitments — like passing an assault weapons ban, raising the age to buy a firearm and requiring background checks for every gun sale.”

Student debt cancellation may have also pulled young people left. President Biden canceled up to $10,000 for federal borrowers and $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients in September, a move that those under 30. However, a U.S. District Court judge in Texas the move on Thursday, putting relief in legal limbo. The federal government quickly appealed the decision. 

Meanwhile, in Florida, voters elected the , as Democrat Maxwell Frost, 25, won the state’s 10th Congressional District with 59% of the vote. Elsewhere in Florida, Republicans saw a near-sweep, including in school board elections.

Here’s how youth showed up in some of the nation’s key races this season, according to the Tufts analysis:

• In Pennsylvania, where Democrat John Fetterman won a U.S. Senate seat by just a 3-point margin, youth ages 18 to 29 preferred Fetterman 70% to 28% 
• In Wisconsin, where Democratic Gov. Tony Evers won re-election also by a 3-point margin, young voters favored Evers 70% vs. 30%
• In Georgia, where the U.S. Senate race went to a runoff with less than 1 point separating the candidates, youth cast ballots for Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock 63% to 36%

In all of those races, the Republican candidates were backed by former President Donald Trump and espoused support in varying degrees for his false campaign to deny the 2020 election results. The strong youth vote was seen as a of those attacks on American democracy and the electoral process young people embraced.

“Young voters were the deciding factors in many close races,” co-founder Eve Levenson said. “We have more than earned our seat at the decision-making table.”

But those stereotypes have little basis in reality, according to the book, Fight: How Gen Z is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America, released earlier this year. 

John Della Volpe, author and director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School, analyzed the generation’s stressors and biggest motivators — and found Zoomers are more action-oriented, politically engaged and optimistic than portrayed.

Zoomers show up at the polls in historic numbers, for instance, while experiencing higher rates of depression and anxiety than older peers. Young people in the U.S. have grown up in an era marked by record gun violence, the opioid epidemic, threats to fair elections, the pandemic, economic recession and police brutality, Della Volpe notes.

“Rather than melting … just kind of turning away, when you see all this chaos, which would be what a lot of people would expect,” Della Volpe told ����Ӱ��, “[Gen Z] has actually become more focused, more motivated, potentially more angry, and more concerned about creating justice, not just for themselves, but for all those who are vulnerable across the country.”

In 2021, 61% of Zoomers agreed the government should do more to reduce poverty; 64% agreed basic health insurance is a right, according to the Harvard Institute of Polling. Both rates are up about 20% when compared to 2015’s results from millennials. 

And in the words of Alex, a Black high school student in the Midwest, Gen Zers “can be extremely effective leaders, as many of us have been educating ourselves on social issues for a lot of our lives.” 

“We are more empathetic, tuned in to the news, and educated,” Alex told Della Volpe. 

Zoomers are also painfully aware of the differences between themselves, born in the late 90s and early 2000s, and people born prior who would not have had the experience of fearing death at schools, theaters, or grocery stores.

“An older generation would not understand walking into a classroom and thinking about how easy it would be for someone to shoot it up,” said Grace, then 20, naming what she thinks older generations fundamentally misunderstand in one of Della Volpe’s focus groups. “The same daily weight on an adult’s shoulders over bills or taxes is what children feel about living or dying.” 

Below, explore five myths media and older generations get wrong about Gen Z: 

1. Myth: “Zoomers don’t show up at the polls”

In both the 2018 and 2020 presidential election, Gen Z’s turnout broke records. When over a third of eligible young people cast a vote in 2018, it nearly doubled 2014’s rate. 

Young voters, according to hundreds of focus group findings, are overwhelmingly eager to address some of society’s most pressing challenges. 

“Because it’s my responsibility…to do everything I can to make the world even just a little bit better. Even if it’s not the world that I would like to see, I cannot in good conscience allow the status quo to continue,” a Gen Zer from Western Pennsylvania notes in the book, explaining why she’d vote despite not being fully supportive of Biden. 

“…Clean and healthy environments, access to quality education, those are values that this generation just doesn’t compromise on,” Della Volpe said. “And currently, my perception is that there’s only one party developing solutions to address these issues, these systemic issues, including racial justice, policing, we can make a long list… any party that does not address those issues will become irrelevant in the future.” 

2. Myth: “Gen Z is too soft or sensitive.”

There’s a perception that Zoomers “melt” under the pressure of the moment, perhaps because they are twice as likely as Americans over 30 to experience anxiety and depression — likely in part due to the social and political trauma they’ve experienced. They’ve experienced chaos without healing across divides for a common goal, Della Volpe explained.

53% say they had little interest in doing things; 48% had trouble concentrating; and 28% thought about self-harm or believed they’d be better off dead, according to a Harvard poll conducted over two-weeks in March 2021. 

Simultaneously, there’s incredible empathy and resilience among young people eager to , talk about mental health and “seek help and closure”, Della Volpe said, to find ways to thrive.

“I dropped out because the cause of my depression and anxiety was taking so much of my time that I wasn’t getting any work done,” Katherine, then 19, said in a focus group. “My new homeroom teacher was really, really supportive, and helped me…so I could actually get towards graduating… just having someone to talk to saved me.”

3. Myth: “Young people don’t want to have hard conversations.”

In the thousands of conversations Della Volpe has held with young people of varied demographics across the country, he cannot remember a single time the group turned contentious. 

Often, he said, they found the meetings therapeutic.

“There are so many opportunities to have meaningful conversations about income inequality, climate, sexuality, racism…Search for those opportunities and try to engage, keep an open mind,” Della Volpe said. “Young people would welcome debates and different points of view.”

One way he imagined this happening more regularly in schools is to open up cafeterias, parking lots, or auditoriums for conversations or listening sessions where young people could vent, talk through what they’re witnessing in the world. 

“The direction of the country is also a new weight and a new challenge to them. So it’s helpful for parents and teachers to look for opportunities to engage in those conversations, rather than run away from them,” he added. 

4. Myth: “Gen Z is all liberal or socialist.”

Young people are not fully aligned politically. While a third support socialism broadly, only 15% identify as socialist. About 45% support capitalism — a rate that climbed to 54% among people shown a definition before sharing their opinion. 

When shown definitions of traditional socialism, support dropped to 24%. 

As one group of undergraduates explained, they’re looking for a form of capitalism that rewards everyone, not just the most privileged and wealthy. Zoomers look to learn from capitalist economies where healthcare and family are still prioritized, in places like Norway. 

“While everyone’s becoming more progressive, there’s a sense of pragmatism and diversity that exists kind of below the surface,” Della Volpe said. 

5. Myth: “Zoomers can’t deal with face-face interactions.”

“That’s because [they] have grown up behind a screen or with a smartphone in your hands. I don’t think that’s a zero sum game,” Della Volpe said of the assumption. 

Growing up with unprecedented access to the internet created a generation both adept at technology and emotionally intelligent. Gen Zers are communicators, comfortable with the nuances of remote work, how to leverage social media and express emotion or share resources on TikTok.

“What I’ve found, especially my qualitative research, is this personal agency — this ability to not just speak in developing relationships with friends, but also to use your voice to speak out for justice,” Della Volpe said.

“This Supreme Court does not represent Gen Z or the future we imagine for our country,” , the youth-led organization behind the protest, wrote in a press release signed by several other youth-powered groups including and the . 

“Young people are appalled and horrified by the leaked Supreme Court decision to strip all people who can become pregnant of their basic right to choose.”

Hundreds of youth activists rallied outside the U.S. Supreme Court Thursday evening denouncing the leaked majority opinion set to overturn the landmark 1973 decision, which guarantees federal constitutional protection of abortion rights. More protests are planned in cities across the country in the coming weeks, organizers said.

Eve Levenson, who emceed the Thursday event and is a senior at George Washington University, said the rally was meant to send a message to elected officials.

“It was really about making it clear to those in power … how much Generation Z cares about this issue,” she told ����Ӱ��.

Generation Z includes individuals roughly born between 1997 to 2012, or those currently ages 10 to 25. A majority of abortion patients nationwide are , and 37% are 24 or younger.

Organizers estimate that there may have been nearly 1,000 young protesters outside the Supreme Court, Levenson said, some who traveled from as far as New York state. Another 40,000 viewers watched the stream on Twitter and 80,000 watched on TikTok. Many youth who could not make the trek to the nation’s capital are now planning their own local demonstrations, she said.

The rally was “100% Gen Z led,” Levenson explained, including many high school-age organizers. On the evening of May 2, when the leaked draft majority opinion published by revealed that the Supreme Court appears poised to reverse Roe, her group chat of youth organizers exploded, she said. Someone suggested the idea of a rally in front of the Supreme Court and “it kind of just came together really quickly from there,” said the college senior.

“We all felt so galvanized,” added Levenson. “[Young people] are for bodily autonomy, we are for access to abortion, we are for reproductive health care and people are really pissed off to see those things taken away.”

Speaker Soraya Bata, a student at Georgetown University, pointed out that over a dozen states have trigger laws set to immediately ban abortions should Roe fall. Her home state of Florida in April passed a law banning the medical procedures just 15 weeks into pregnancy, replacing a previous rule that allowed abortions within the first 24 weeks. States including Oklahoma and Texas have recently passed similar restrictions.

“Some people won’t even know that they are pregnant at that stage,” said the young leader. “These laws mean that the only people who will have access to abortions are wealthy Americans who can afford to travel out of state.”

Nearly half, 49%, of those who had abortions in 2014, the most recent year for which data are available, were . Another 26% made less than twice the level, meaning 3 in 4 people seeking abortions had little, if any, disposable income.

Addressing the crowd Thursday, Sofia Ongele, a youth activist with , took aim at the underlying logic put forward in the leaked Supreme Court draft.

“Justice Alito’s core argument is that abortion is ‘not deeply rooted in this nation’s history and traditions,’” she said. “Our nation’s history is marked by genocide, slavery [and] classism. … We owe it to our ancestors to fight for a better world than they had.”

Contraception, the young speaker explained, saved her life. In 2018, she received an emergency blood transfusion after her periods caused extreme anemia. Since then, she has used hormonal birth control to regulate her cycle.

“To stay alive, I had to have complete control over my body,” said Ongele. “Should anyone infringe on those rights, my health and safety would immediately be threatened.”

Though many of the organizations behind the rally self-identify as nonpartisan, several speakers implied there would be political ramifications for officials who oppose policy measures to protect reproductive rights, along with other issues such as addressing climate change, LBGTQ rights and health equity. The young protesters were by Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, who ​�ċis running for re-election in a Georgia race that could determine whether Democrats maintain control of the Senate.

“Our politicians work for us,” said Melissa Altschiller, an organizer with March for Our Lives. “If they continue to make decisions about our bodies, we will continue to make decisions about their jobs.”

Roughly two-thirds of 18- to 24-year old voters in the 2020 presidential election voted for Joe Biden, NBC revealed — 11 percentage points more than any other age group. Between Generation Z and Millennials, who on many social issues, are eligible to vote in the 2022 election cycle. 

“I think we’re going to see young people continuing to organize around this going forward,” said Levenson.