I feel my generation, Gen Z, is very misunderstood by a lot of people. Usually the older ones – no offense – have many problems and critiques to give us. “Y’all are too grown,” “Y’all are immature,” and even “Y’all don’t know what life is without a phone.”

I can understand some things that the millennials say about us because they didn’t have the childhood we are having currently. So the acceptance of changes in the way we act, how we go about things, and how we deal with certain situations may be hard to wrap their head around. But I don’t see what there is not to like.

We’re so hilarious. Have you seen TikTok? Let me tell you, we Gen-Z kids run that app. It wouldn’t be as funny without us. I think older folks enjoy the entertainment we give but not all the other things that play a big role in day-to-day life. Like our personalities and how we carry ourselves. But that’s too bad.

We’re on every social media app, from Instagram notes to the Reels on YouTube, to your FYP on TikTok, we will always be seen, front center. And they don’t like it because they are envious maybe? Hmm, I don’t know, but they need to loosen up a bit because at the end of the day, we’re the new generation, we’re the new adults, and they can’t do anything about it.

We aren’t as bad as people make us out to be. We eat, sleep, laugh and share our opinions like everyone else so what’s the beef? Okay, we don’t take anything seriously but most of us are still kids. I was always told to enjoy my childhood, but when older folks see teenage girls wear wigs, want to keep their maintenance done, or even put on a glittery dress, they get infuriated. It’s almost as if they want teenagers to act the way they acted when they were younger, still playing with Barbies at 14. But that won’t happen. Why? Because we are in a different era of life.

We no longer have to go outside and play, or look at the newspaper to get our information on the world, because we have cellphones. Technology is advanced now. Hey, it’s not our fault we were born at a time when cellphones were very popular. If anything, parents should blame themselves because they are the ones giving and paying for us to have phones. If we think of it like that … is it really Gen Z’s fault for the way we act? I think not.

And oh my goodness, we aren’t “brainwashed.” I can’t even begin to explain how funny this is. Even the government was saying that social media is brainwashing Gen Z. But how is that true? I can agree that we’re easily influenced, but the thing is … anything you see on the internet is influential. This has been going on for centuries; if anything that’s how the world evolved. If America wasn’t influenced by other areas, how would we improve?

This goes the same for kids and teens. Even adults. Everyone has been influenced by something at least once in their life, so how is it we get called “brainwashed” just because we make jokes out of it? Exactly, it’s not fair.

Gen Z’s humor will forever be unmatched and everyone should agree with that. I hope one day, millennials understand where my generation is coming from. If not, it won’t matter anyway, they’ll be old by then.