If you find yourself frowning upon something someone younger is doing, that most likely means one of two things: you’re either too old to understand what the current youth is up to—as most of us probably are—or you’re simply a grumpy person in general, which is an entirely different matter.
If you belong to the former category, find comfort in the fact that you are far from the only one baffled by all sorts of youngster trends. Be it a new hairstyle every other male under insert a certain age here is walking around with or activities teenagers are taking part in, it might not be easy to identify with a generation that grew up in an entirely different world. But we should probably at least try to understand them, no matter how confusing it all is. (Goodness knows, we’ve gone through a phase of trends our parents found odd, too.)
If you’re curious about what are some of the things young people do that absolutely baffle those older than them, scroll down to find netizens’ answers to an ‘Ask Reddit’ thread on the matter started by u/Fyre-Bringer to find out.
#1
I guess there’s like elementary schoolers with a skincare routine now?? That’s nuts….
Electric-Sheepskin:
I saw some people in the skincare addiction sub today recommending that a 17-year-old get Botox and retinol for the lines on their forehead. Insanity.
Image credits: retrosnot86
#2
Literally commiting crimes as part of social media trends. Especially the “licking ice cream at the store and putting it back” challenge, that’s a straight up health code violation.
Image credits: Heroic-Forger
#3
Taking parents to job interviews.
Lincoln_Park_Pirate:
It just happened at my workplace for the first time (television). Blew my mind. Mom waited in the lobby but came in for the negotiations. Applicant was 26 years old.
Image credits: Tsquare43
#4
Just fully watching videos in public with no headphones. Where are your headphones? I don’t want to hear your TikTok clips.
Image credits: Kataddyr
#5
Becoming addicted to nicotine. I thought younglings would be a little less stupid than us.
Image credits: computer_crisps_dos
#6
Broccoli haircuts.
Image credits: Johnny_Menace
#7
Making every single phone call via speakerphone, especially when holding the phone directly next to the side of their head because they can’t hear.
Image credits: veni_vidi_vici47
#8
Binge watching short videos compiled so you never watch anything with a plot or storyline. Just tons of 10-60 sec videos and most of them suck.
Image credits: hey_nonny_mooses
#9
Gen X here. I don’t understand the eyelash thing where they’re so long and fluffy that you look like Snuffleupagus. I also don’t understand the nails that are so long you can’t function. Like, how do you wipe?
Image credits: nrkelly
#10
Mostly Im baffled by how poorly educated young people are these days. History, Geography, Sciences, Maths, Literature..so much knowledge is missing.
Image credits: ZapatillaLoca
#11
That literacy rates are plummeting. This one is so confusing! How can you be the chronically online generation unable to read?
#12
I use my phone a fair bit, but it’s really hard to imagine it being my *only computer*. I need at least 20 inches of screen, a trackball and a keyboard with physical buttons just to *think* properly. I don’t want to budget my battery to last all day in case an important text comes through. I want my internet signals sent over a hard wire. When my computer stops working, I want to open it up and swap the broken part with a better one.
But if my web analytics are at all a representation, more than half of everyone is only looking at the internet through their phones.
Image credits: gameryamen
#13
I’ve trained 3 early 20s co-workers now that don’t use the Shift key to capitalize letters. They hit caps lock, type the letter to be capitalized, then hit caps lock again.
I can’t wrap my head around it.
Image credits: mowglimg
#14
Creating GoFundMe pages for cosmetic surgery and/or procedures.
#15
Not knowing how to use punctuation. The lack of punctuation drives me nuts. I shouldn’t have to read something 50 times because you don’t know how to place a period or a comma when needed.
#16
Doing incredibly embarrassing things for social media attention.
Image credits: hazzmg
#17
Vaping. Isn’t it clear by now that inhaling fumes is not really a good idea?
Image credits: LordGigu
#18
Allowing every one of their friends on Snapchat to know their location at all times. Like seriously. My 23 year old coworker and her friends are constantly revoking and then reinstating their visible location depending on if they’re happy or mad with each other. If someone notices that they can’t see where another person is, they’ll actually bring it up, wondering what they did to upset them. Her best friend will ask her friend to check her boyfriends location, and whichever friend he told her he’d be with, to make sure they match. I told my coworker that it’s weird for everyone you know to know where you are.
At least I can kinda understand family members knowing, but even then, my siblings don’t need to know where I am at all times, and my parents should maybe stop constantly checking once I hit 18? 21 surely. Lol. Her sister will text her asking why she went certain places because she constantly checks location on her. They have an app on their phones specifically so they can always see where family members are. Her dad texted her once she got home and didn’t come inside after 5 minutes. He knew she just drove up. She was simply typing out a reply a text to a friend before getting out of her car. Again…she’s 23.
Idk, I guess if you grow up with it, you don’t think it’s weird. I’m 43, I certainly didn’t grow up with people having the ability to know where I am at all times unless I told them or called them.
Image credits: CallejaFairey
#19
All the self labeling. When I was young, we avoided labels at all costs!
Image credits: 1mamapajama
#20
I’m not really too baffled, I just see a lot of worrying trends.
The main thing that concerns me is the steep decline in mental health among young people since smartphones went mainstream and we got the internet in our pockets. I’m not shocked at all to see it but it is very bad.
#21
The popularity of “nuisance streamers” with younger folks. I don’t find being a public nuisance even a little bit entertaining or funny, especially when its being filmed.
Also just in general the trend of filming, photographing and trying to make “content” out of their entire life in some vain hope of becoming internet famous. I don’t get it. Last thing i’d ever want to do is have my entire life posted on the internet.
#22
I listened to a 23-year-old (more than a decade younger than me) say she wanted to start ‘preventative Botox.’ Girl…
#23
For a generation that loves social media, we are very anti-social. Lots of us cannot hold conversations or try to avoid them entirely. Another thing is how terrible literacy is amongst this generation while also loving social media. Cell phones have caused pure brain rot as people cannot function without them at all which baffles me. My parents didn’t buy me a phone until I was a sophomore in high school and it drove me nuts when people asked me how to do this or that without thinking prior to use common sense and figure it out. Critical thinking hit a massive decline from what I have noticed as well. Hope this comment isn’t harsh but being a part of one of the young generations I’m frustrated and annoyed. Please enlighten me if I am just wrong about any of this.
#24
I know a girl that had plastic surgery by the time she was 19.
When I first met her, she was literally a ten. Now, she’s funny looking.
Image credits: Whydidyoudothattwice
#25
I run a restaurant, and employ a bunch of young people. EVERY dude under 25 has bangs, some significantly longer than the rest of their hair. I call them *Flock of Seagulls*. They don’t get the reference.
Image credits: OldTimeyFappingGhost
#26
Making fun of another kid because they don’t have a specific water tumbler. It sounds like somebody is trying to parody “making fun of other kids for having the ‘wrong’ brand of clothes or phone”.
#27
Assaulting people as a prank.
#28
Anything Andrew Tate.
#29
Millennial here: Baffled at the number of people having children with various “baby daddies” and “baby mamas” that all seem to be horrible people. Do they not vet their partners at all before making them parents? It’s like there’s not even the expectation anymore that two people would raise their kids together.
(Note: This probably sounds judgemental, but I genuinely am just baffled.).
#30
Being unable to read beyond sight words.
Like they CAN read, but not the same way you and I assumably can. They can read words but only because they are recognizing the word itself the same way you might recognize the picture of a bee as a bee or when you read now a lot of it IS sight reading in that you’re likely not reading this comment sounding out all the letters- but if you came across a word you didn’t know you’d likely have the skillset to read it anyways or at least give an educated guess.
I worked as a teacher and this past year I’ve been hearing more and more complaints from the higher grades/up even into highschool that their students by and large aren’t able to sound out words/read like we were taught to. That’s not to say NONE can but it’s a significant issue that absolutely baffles me.
Like, I legitimately can’t tell if this is some elaborate joke and they forgot to cue in the laughtrack to cue me in or what; but from the conversations I’ve had they know what letters make what sounds like “a” makes “ay” and “ah” but not how to USE this information functionally when presented a word they don’t know before. This skill just.. apparently wasn’t challenged and because the kids presumably COULD read (by sight) the issue wasn’t recognized until recently. I’m honestly hoping this is JUST our small towns issue and not widespread as I don’t even know where to begin dismantling such a profound oversight.
#31
Young people seek information by watching TikTok content rather than Googling the answers. If you have a lot of time to spare, you will often get good info, but I’m middle-aged, and I’ve always been a big reader. I will do almost anything to avoid having to watch stuff (or listen, for that matter) when I can more quickly visually skim and immediately determine if the information is relevant to me and seems legit.
#32
Calling anyone with a different opinion a troll. I see it over and over and over. I do not understand and I can only feel pity.
#33
Not being taught to tell time by where the hands are on a clock.
#34
I can’t understand why today’s kids want to watch YouTube videos of kids or adults opening up new toys and playing with them! Why would any kid want to watch someone else play with toys instead of their own?
#35
Giving up. I work with some twenty-somethings, and many of them are completely defeated. They don’t think they’ll ever own a home or have a meaningful career or get out of debt. They just throw up their hands and resign themselves to a life of drudgery, bills and the occasional weekend bender.
They don’t want to be astronauts or engineers or rock stars, they just want to escape reality by way of d***s, videogames and endless screen time.
Who is going to rule the world?
#36
One thing that baffles me is how much time and energy the younger generation spends on social media. It’s amazing to see how much they are constantly on their phones, checking notifications, posting updates, and scrolling through endless feeds. I can’t imagine being so connected to technology all the time and not taking breaks to be present in the moment. It’s a completely different way of living that I struggle to understand.
#37
Refusing to learn to drive. I absolutely understand not wanting to, preferring to live places where you don’t have to because of good walkability/transit/bikability, etc. But just being unwilling to learn at all? It’s an important life skill and there might be an emergency where you have to!
#38
I see that the youth contingent of mega churches is growing.
#39
Bringing back those thin 90s brows again… its a lesson we all must learn the hard way, it seems.
#40
Grammar. I’m not even talking about missing commas and s**t I just want them to know the difference between “you’re” and “your”
#41
Making fun of kids for “no show” or “ankle” socks. WTF is that about?
#42
Not dating someone bc of the phone they have….
#43
Today on reddit one told me they refuse to show up to an initial job interview that is in person. They demand the employer use zoom to interview them. It was baffling.
#44
The hyper reaction crowd. They focus on a single sentence or concept and jump to virtue signaling on issues that are either none of their business, or they’re unqualified to speak about it.
This loud minority is so confidently incorrect that they’re basically boomers at this point.
#45
Mullets, will we never learn?
#46
Not knowing how to use a computer.
#47
Generation alpha. How come there are young girls wearing adult clothes at such a young age? I’m a gen z I was wearing clothes from justice lol??.
#48
Not using condoms. My generation was raised hearing about Ryan White and seeing Very Special Episodes about why we didn’t want AIDS and everything else. Apparently some younger people aren’t worried about it anymore.
#49
I’m almost 28, and an 18-year-old I work with mentioned how guys ask for her Snap. I guess the days of asking for phone numbers are completely gone. I’m not too surprised because I prefer Facebook Messenger over the texting app, but it’s still so weird that we don’t get phone numbers anymore, apparently.
Image credits: puertorican
#50
Children as young as 12 drinking coffee before school. Wearing fake nails and fake eyelashes.
#51
Gen Z and their constant self-diagnosing.
#52
They don’t use ctrl+v ctrl+p.
#53
Wearing earbuds at work during a shift on an active, collaborative team. (I think earbuds aren’t a problem at all for quiet, focused work, or work where there’s not much need to speak with others at a moment’s notice.)
I understand that many of them can easily hear things, but in my brain, earbuds carry a strong “do not talk to me” message that makes it hard not to see them as inappropriate at work unless someone is hunkering down for a longer, quieter solo task.
At worst , I see them being a hazard in certain workplaces (my own workplace for example, a metal fabrication lab, a lack of full attention could lead to nasty consequences), and at best, I think they send a less than respectful message to coworkers.
I suppose that people have no obligation to treat their coworkers with more than the minimum of respect and courtesy, but I figure that having some friendly connections at work could make each shift more enjoyable for everyone.
#54
I find many younger people to be very fearful. Hyper fixating on the worst possible outcomes even though the actual chance is so low its not worth worrying about
Those people are gonna get older and be hit with many regrets.
Image credits: sonicfluff
#55
Face tattoos. I don’t really have a problem with tattoos generally, but come on man, it’s your face.
#56
Cheating on homework. I get it, I got it, you caught me red handed because it’s something I did at some point and I think everyone does. But it’s way more rampant and way worse these days to the point that you start to get concerned. I was also reading books like crazy as a teen? Scrolling on your phone has become so normalized, I don’t see books in public anymore.
#57
Something that puzzles me about the younger generation is their dating and relationship habits. They tend to use apps and online platforms, relying on swipes and algorithms to meet people. It’s a big shift from the traditional way of meeting through friends or at social gatherings, and it seems like it makes it harder to build deep, meaningful connections.
#58
Obsession over the infamous, *stanley cup*.
#59
There was a group of teenagers in the parking lot talking about scientology, and they were thinking it was a neat religion, like a bunch of them were genuinely interested.
I’ve never hit a child before…but holy hell their brains needed to be reset.
#60
I don’t understand any of their slang. What the hell is a fanum tax?
#61
Millennial here.
They take our style, some of which is from our cringiest years, and some of which is from our parents during those years, tweaked it just slightly, and now look at us and tell us that we need to dress like them otherwise we look like millennials.
First of all, we invented all that s**t. 2nd of all we don’t think it looks good anymore. Third of all why would a millennial want to look like somebody 10-20 years younger than them? Also why do they think we want to impress them? I don’t go to toddlers for romance advice, I’m sure a s**t not going to whatever generation is behind me for fashion advice when they look like some of my worst photos from my most awkward years.
I’m incredibly glad that they have found their sense of style and enjoy what they’re wearing. I don’t give a s**t if they were a toilet seat around their neck. But I do give a s**t that they try to make me feel like the crazy person for not wanting to do that… I look my age because I am that age.
And for millennials trying to look like 25 year olds, I don’t give a s**t. Don’t tell me I look out dated. I look exactly how I’m supposed to look.
Also I find people who are obsessed with keeping up with trends are just cogs in the machine of consumerism, advertising, and mass consumption while the planet is burning down around us. Not exactly the kind of people I look to for advice or anything really.
#62
Sweatshirts in the summer.
#63
The kids don’t know what the jazz is all about.
#64
The rising support and voting for extreme right parties/pundits among young people in the West. The people leading these parties will ruin everything resembling a future that you might have. These are awful times to become an adult in, but they do NOT care about you or your plight as a younger generation.