25 Unique Things About Gen Z Kids

Today's kids, Gen Z, are growing up in a world that is much different than the world their grandparents, and in many cases, even their parents, grew up in. 

Much of the change is tied to the rapid advancement of technology.  Being digital natives, Gen Z kids have some unique experiences. 

Here are 25 of them.  

1. A phone is used more for video games, finding directions and watching videos, than it is for talking. 

2. What is a floppy disk?

3. Emojis are how they express their emotions.

4. Amazon means shopping rather than a river.

5. They've never seen, much less used a JCPenny catalog.

6. Hide and seek for them is searching for Pokemon in a virtual world.

7. They use laptops and tablets more often than desktops.

8. They teach their grandparents how to Facetime and Skype, so they can see them.

9. They have never been limited to watching a television show at a specific time.

10. They've never heard the squeal of dial-up internet.

11. They'd rather text than talk.  They spend less time than any previous generation communicating verbally.

12. Being bombarded by information causes them to scan rather than read. 

13. They live at home longer than any previous generation.

14. Gen Z has an average attention span of 8 seconds compared to the 12 second attention span of their Millennial parents.

15. Not having an internet connection causes major stress. 

16. They have very little experience consuming traditional broadcast news, which makes them more susceptible to "fake news."

17. Gen Z is the most racially diverse generation in America.

18. "Watching a movie" means turning on Netflix more than it means going to an actual theater.

19.  Making a Christmas wish list means sending your parents links to what you want. 

20. Ask them who their favorite celebrity is and they'll mention a YouTube personality. 

21. Video has always been HD.

22. They get their questions answered by a digital assistant on their phone or one that sits on the kitchen counter. 

23. Wiki, yes. What is an encyclopedia?

24.  Bulletproof backpacks must be purchased out of necessity. 

25.  Attending church faithfully means once a month. 

Keep these things in mind as you connect with them and seek to minister to them.