Don’t fix Gen Z; learn how to guide them instead

 

THERE is a temptation right now to look at young Malaysians and wonder what has gone wrong. We hear the familiar complaints: they are impatient, too sensitive, entitled, glued to their phones and resistant to authority.

Maybe we are asking the wrong question.

Instead of asking, “What is wrong with Gen Z?”, perhaps we should be asking, “How can we guide them without trying to fix them?”

This generation is coming of age under circumstances that are genuinely different. Many experienced COVID-19 disruptions during their formative years.

They have never known a world without social media. They are watching artificial intelligence reshape work in real time while carrying another burden many adults underestimate: climate anxiety.

The numbers are striking. A UNICEF Malaysia survey found that 94.3% of young people are worried about climate change, while 83.2% reported experiencing at least one climate-related hazard during the previous year. These are not personal failings. They are conditions shaping an entire generation.

So how do we show up for them?

The first step is surprisingly simple: listen before you advise.

When a young person says, “I don’t know what I want to do with my life,” our instinct is often to launch into a lecture about discipline, education or finding a stable career. What if we started somewhere else?

“What is troubling you?”

Listening does not mean agreeing with everything they say. It means creating enough trust for an honest conversation to happen in the first place.

The second step is to guide rather than prescribe.

Many of us grew up believing success followed a familiar formula: good grades, a respected university and a conventional career.

That path still works for some, but today’s labour market is changing much faster than previous generations experienced. Employers increasingly value adaptability, communication, digital skills and problem-solving alongside academic qualifications.

Young people do not need us to hand them a script. They need opportunities to discover their strengths, build practical skills and understand that meaningful careers can take different forms.

They also need room to fail safely.

A generation protected from every setback may become less prepared for real life. Set reasonable boundaries, but allow space for experimentation, mistakes and learning from consequences.

The same principle applies to technology.

Telling young people to “just get off your phone” misses the point. Their devices are classrooms, workplaces, social spaces and information hubs all at once. The real lesson is not digital avoidance.

It is digital wisdom: learning how to question information, recognise manipulation, protect privacy and maintain healthy boundaries.

Responsibility matters just as much as guidance.

We constantly tell young Malaysians they are “the future,” yet too often deny them meaningful roles in the present. That contradiction breeds frustration.

Give them opportunities to lead community projects, organise school programmes, start small businesses, drive environmental initiatives and work alongside older generations. Responsibility builds maturity more effectively than endless lectures about it.

Perhaps the hardest lesson is for adults themselves.

If young people seem anxious or uncertain, we should also ask what kind of world we have handed them. Housing has become less affordable.

Technology changes careers faster than ever. Climate risks are becoming more visible. These realities shape how young Malaysians think about their future. 

KT Maran is a Focus Malaysia viewer.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.

- Focus Malaysia.