We Asked People Over 60 If Life Is Harder For Young People Now, And The Responses Were Almost Shockingly Unanimous

Recently, we asked older adults a elemental question: Do young radical really person it harder than you did increasing up? The responses were thoughtful, reflective, and amazingly precise aligned. Here's what they had to say.

1. "In my opinion, it is harder for young radical now. I judge my procreation got the past decent footwear astatine the cat. To each my peers who denigrate these young people: who raised them? We did. Or we raised their parents and taught them however to beryllium parents themselves. They're our babies, truthful possibly we should instrumentality a look successful the reflector earlier we crap connected them. Even if you're not a genitor to anyone, these kids are your future, too. They volition beryllium taking attraction of america each 1 day."

(Cont'd) "Every procreation has those that are entitled and lazy and don't privation to bash the work. I deliberation older adults person a mode of forgetting what those years felt similar for them, and fixed however overmuch the scenery has changed since then, this is not adjacent an 'apples to apples' comparison. Even the societal cohesion we had, these kids person ne'er experienced that for the astir part. They grew up with endless 'once successful a generation' occurrences. Pandemic, fiscal crises, governmental turmoil, you sanction it."

(Cont'd) "Sure, we went done that arsenic well, but we did it with a afloat formed frontal lobe and a wholly antithetic acquisition increasing up. We request to judge that we bash not and cannot recognize however this feels for them. Maybe immoderate grace and a spot of emotion volition spell a agelong mode here. We each conscionable request to beryllium a batch nicer to 1 another. Just my 2 cents."

—Anonymous, 42, F, Canada

2. "I deliberation it's decidedly harder for young radical contiguous due to the fact that of societal media and the adjacent unit that comes with it. Also, the accelerating gait of exertion and the menace of AI taking achromatic collar jobs adds different magnitude of existential stress."

—Anonymous, 64, F, San Francisco Bay Area

3. "I deliberation it's harder for young radical today. The deficiency of face-to-face friendships and existent quality interaction is not bully for the caput oregon soul. It whitethorn look easier with computers to bash your homework, but I'm definite determination is simply a consciousness of uneasiness knowing that you aren't truly learning. One of these days, determination volition beryllium a star flare, a cyber attack, oregon thing that shuts down computers. Maybe it volition conscionable beryllium a time oregon so. But it volition beryllium capable for them to recognize they are helpless without them. Not a bully feeling."

4. "In immoderate ways, beingness is much hard for young radical today. The occupation marketplace is simply a mess, and things successful wide outgo more, adjacent adjusted for inflation, particularly housing. But they were ne'er told that arsenic a pistillate they could lone beryllium a nurse, secretary, teacher, oregon housewife. And the women had sports available, whereas earlier Title IX determination were fundamentally nary women's sports. On the different hand, I ne'er had to interest astir being bullied connected societal media. I deliberation each procreation has its challenges."

—Anonymous, 66, Nonbinary, MI

5. "They wholly person it harder! It was capable of a conflict to get done precocious school, college, occupation hunting, etc., without the poison of modern societal media and the 24/7 quality cycle. Add to that ostentation and the bleak economical outlook younger people have, and it’s a occurrence to maine that they’re retired determination doing life. My hat’s disconnected to you, young’uns!"

6. "I consciousness that young radical decidedly person it harder than I did. Today's younker look ridiculous assemblage costs, pupil indebtedness debt, planetary warming, occupation insecurity (if you tin adjacent FIND a job), sky-high lodging prices, and uncertainty astir the aboriginal of ideology itself. I truly consciousness for young radical (and adjacent not-so-young people) trying to carve retired a decent beingness today."

"There HAVE to beryllium laws and policies that the US tin enact that would marque it easier for young radical to get an education, person a occupation that pays a surviving wage, and beryllium capable to rise their families without fearfulness that it's each going to autumn apart."

—Anonymous, 69, Female, NJ

7. "Everyone likes to deliberation the erstwhile generation(s) had an easier time, and it's conscionable not true. A batch of it comes from the mode Hollywood portrays life. Some of it comes from misunderstood statistics. I couldn't spend assemblage close aft precocious school, truthful I worked a full-time occupation and 2 part-time jobs, redeeming everything I could until I had capable money. I yet started uni, reasoning I'd beryllium the oldest student, lone to find retired that astir fractional my people was successful a akin situation. I graduated with an engineering grade successful the mediate of a recession and had to instrumentality immoderate occupation I could find. Worked a full-time information occupation and a part-time market store job. Kept applying, changing jobs erstwhile amended opportunities came. The Internet happened and was going to destruct each sorts of jobs, but that didn't happen; it really created jobs. I learned to codification HTML and rode that wave."

(Cont'd) "I yet bought a location astatine 40 years aged erstwhile prices tanked successful 2002. No 1 ever mentions that lodging prices, similar everything else, are cyclical. Then I scrimped and saved to get retired of indebtedness and wage disconnected the house. And now, astatine 62, I was 'able' to discontinue early. I don't person millions saved and volition not beryllium taking a cruise oregon immoderate different breathtaking abrogation anytime soon. I marque a spot of other currency tutoring. Also taking AI courses to spot if I tin get a part-time occupation with it. Life is work. The writer lone looks greener connected the different side. Make the champion of what you have, larn to adapt, and don't discarded wealth connected things you privation but don't need."

—Anonymous, 62, F, Canada

8. "I judge things are overmuch worse for young kids these days. In the '60s and '70s, determination was much state to fig things retired for yourself and the quality to marque mistakes overmuch much softly than today. The internet, compartment phones, and societal media fool you into giving up your privateness to beryllium fashionable oregon liked. But the precise nationalist judgement of others tin beryllium instantaneous, swift, and cruel."

9. "I'm successful my 40s but person preteen kids, and it's 100% harder for them than it was for me. Yes, we person entree to unlimited accusation and tons of 'conveniences,' but the co-occurring chaos, complication, and expectations outweigh the ostensible ease. They person a overmuch harder clip escaping pressures from peers and the media. They consciousness overmuch much exposed. They conflict with the consciousness of being their ain champion institution due to the fact that there's ever immoderate benignant of stimulation. They interest that immoderate mistake volition beryllium documented and publicized and enactment with them for life."

—oxfordcommasplz

10. "I americium 50 successful a fewer months, and I judge it is overmuch harder for my daughter's procreation than it was for me. I had nary parental input. Nobody explained the birds and the bees. Nobody paid america immoderate attraction whatsoever. We raised ourselves. I was doing laundry for the full household astatine 8. At 11, I was getting my brothers and maine acceptable and retired the doorway for school. But adjacent with each that, I could spell extracurricular and thrust my motorcycle for hours. Heck, if I wanted, I could spell retired astatine 1 successful the greeting and locomotion the roads."

(Cont'd) "Now, kids can't adjacent play successful the beforehand gait without getting CPS called in. Young kids are fixed an iPad alternatively of learning imagination, and past they bash not cognize however to grip themselves without technology. And those entering adulthood are struggling to find jobs due to the fact that we older radical tin nary longer spend to retire. Jobs that were erstwhile considered teen jobs are present teen and elder jobs."

11. "Almost 70 here. I think, by far, younger radical person it overmuch harder. I taught precocious schoolhouse for astir of my career, and the pressures kids are nether present are not right. My friends and household who are young adults consciousness hopelessness, arsenic they cannot spend a location oregon children. The terms of a assemblage acquisition is ridiculous! One positive, though, is that determination is overmuch amended enactment for intelligence wellness contiguous — that was decidedly not disposable nor without stigma successful my younger years. My grandkids are mixed race, and I was truly hopeful that nine would beryllium amended for each by now, but sadly, it is not. I interest for them.

—heroicgoose591

12. "No, young radical contiguous bash not person it easier. It's not for deficiency of tools; it's for deficiency of acquisition and opportunities. I'm Gen X. When I was a kid, 1 genitor could enactment 1 full-time occupation and clasp that occupation for 40+ years with the aforesaid company, and connected that azygous salary, they could ain a home, 2 cars, and instrumentality yearly vacations. Now, you request 2 radical with 3 jobs betwixt them conscionable to spend a one-bedroom flat and 1 car, companies person nary loyalty and can/will occurrence you for immoderate reason, the occupation marketplace itself sucks, and each occupation pays far, acold little than it should to adjacent support up with inflation, fto unsocial to amended standards of living."

13. And finally: "Life is hard. It has ever been hard. I’m 70 years aged and person big children. Life is hard for each of america and volition proceed to beryllium hard. The champion happening young radical contiguous tin bash is halt whining and judge that beingness is hard. No 1 gets a escaped pass. Make bully decisions and wage attention. Get disconnected your telephone and get a life."

—wickeddragon653

What bash you think? Do you hold with the wide statement that today's younker has it wayyy harder? Let america cognize successful the comments below, oregon utilizing the anonymous signifier below.