The anxious generation: New data confirms mental health crisis as Gen Z turns to pills and pews

• Gen Z is experiencing a severe mental health crisis, with 42% diagnosed with conditions like anxiety or depression and 60% relying on medication to manage symptoms.
• Experts link this crisis to a childhood “rewired” by smartphones and social media, which displaces real-world development and can alter brain function, fostering loneliness and a struggle for identity.
• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly worsened the crisis, with a quarter of Gen Z receiving a diagnosis during that period and nearly 70% saying it severely impacted their psychological well-being.
• Despite the crisis, Gen Z is notably open about mental health, with many discussing their struggles and one in five currently in therapy, though this openness exists alongside high clinical need.
• A counter-trend shows a segment of Gen Z seeking meaning through deeper religious engagement, with young churchgoers attending services more frequently than older generations, indicating a search for community and stability.

A sobering new report confirms what parents, educators and healthcare providers have long feared: Generation Z is in the throes of a profound mental health crisis.

The data reveal that 42% of young Americans born between 1997 and 2012 have received a diagnosis for a condition like anxiety, depression or ADHD, with a staggering 60% relying on medication to manage their symptoms. This troubling snapshot, emerging from a 2025 analysis citing Psychiatrist.com, underscores a generational shift in well-being that experts directly link to the smartphone-saturated, online-first environment that has defined modern childhood.

The findings powerfully reinforce the central thesis of social psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s influential book, “The Anxious Generation.” Haidt argues that the rapid adoption of smartphones and immersive social media has effectively “rewired childhood,” displacing critical, real-world developmental experiences with digital simulations. Neuroscience supports this, showing that excessive screen time can alter the brain’s structure and function, particularly in areas governing emotional regulation, attention and decision-making. Teens themselves report feeling these effects, with a Pew poll finding 56% feel lonely, upset or anxious without their phones.

For Gen Z, digital dependency is just one facet of a multifaceted pressure cooker. This generation has come of age amid significant economic instability, a pervasive decline in traditional community structures and a cultural landscape that often prioritizes online interaction over in-person connection. This has fostered a deep sense of disconnection. Commentary from figures like writer Bethany Mandel has described many young people as hollowed-out products of a culture that dismantled traditional avenues for finding meaning, leaving a vacuum easily filled by digital realms.

The toll of upheaval

The mental health data itself paints a picture of a generation weathering unprecedented storms. A related survey found that a quarter of Gen Z respondents received their mental health diagnosis during the height of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with nearly 70% stating the pandemic was severely tough on their psychological well-being. After facing years of lockdowns, restrictions and isolation, millions of young adults are struggling with new mental health issues. The lingering effects are a pervasive anxiety about the future, with overwhelming majorities expressing worry over finances, the economy and their general preparedness for adult life.

Characteristically, Gen Z is the most open generation yet in discussing mental health. They report comfort in talking about their struggles with peers and family and one in five are currently in therapy. The widespread use of medication, however, highlights the clinical severity of the conditions they are managing. This openness, while destigmatizing, exists alongside the reality that their need for treatment is historically high.

An unexpected trend: The return to sanctuary

Amidst this bleak landscape, researchers have identified a countervailing trend of deep significance. According to a comprehensive study by the Barna Group, churchgoers aged 18 to 28 now attend religious services more frequently than any other age group, averaging 23 services per year. This outpaces Generation X and Baby Boomers, marking what Barna calls a “historic generational reversal.” While overall religious affiliation may be declining, those young adults who do engage are doing so with greater commitment.

This surge in religious attendance among a segment of Gen Z is interpreted by researchers as a sign of spiritual renewal and an active search for meaning, community and timeless truth in an unstable world. The structured community, moral framework and call to purpose offered by religious institutions appear to be answering a profound need for connection that the digital world cannot fulfill. It represents a conscious turn toward anchors in a sea of algorithmic chaos, a quest for personal transformation and genuine meaning beyond societal false narratives.

Interestingly, despite these challenges, 79% of Gen Z believe their generation is the best at addressing mental health issues, while viewing older generations, particularly Baby Boomers, as far less adept at these conversations. This reflects a defining self-awareness but also a generational gap in understanding the root causes of their distress.

The bigger picture of faith

The Barna research on church attendance requires careful interpretation. It does not contradict broader studies showing a decline in overall religious affiliation among the young. Rather, it suggests a polarization: as many drift away from organized religion entirely, a committed core is diving deeper, attending more frequently. This may indicate that for those Gen Zers seeking answers, half-measures are insufficient; they are all-in on their search for substance, salvation and a reclamation of true identity.

“Generation Z is the demographic cohort that has come of age with an intrinsic, deep dependence on technology,” said BrightU.AI‘s Enoch. “This generation is characterized by its tech-savviness, institutional distrust and a cynical or reality-based perspective shaped by challenges like climate change and economic pressures. They are often described as hyper-aware and seeking change within existing political and economic structures.”

The story of Gen Z’s mental health is a tale of two trajectories: one line on a graph charts the alarming rise in diagnoses and pharmaceutical dependence, fueled by digital immersion and societal fragmentation; another, newer line hints at a yearning for transcendence and community, seen in the pews of local churches. Together, they depict a generation at a crossroads, grappling with the consequences of a revolutionized childhood while instinctively seeking the very things that revolution discarded: embodied community, moral clarity and enduring hope. Their future may depend on which path ultimately defines their journey.

Watch and listen to a discussion on Gen Z’s sense of entitlement.

This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.

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