The Gen Z stare. Now, you may have heard about this, but chances are, if you haven’t, you will know exactly what we’re referring to. After all, we needed a name for the emotionless and uninterested stare that is being utilized by an entire generation of people. Newspapers across the country are writing about this stare, marking one of the first generational battles between Gen Z and Millennials taking place on TikTok. 

Interactions with retail workers or customer service representatives often result in a vacant, empty stare. This is the Gen Z stare. Some have claimed the stare stems from annoyance from rude customers, a reaction resembling that of a “deer in headlights” or an absence of social language due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that the Gen Z stare stems from thousands of hours of childhood spent passively watching a screen over simply talking to people.  

Generational battles are nothing new; older generations criticize each new generation with complaints about their behavior, work ethic or challenges to the status quo. Millennials, like Gen Z, have also been criticized for their blank stares during classroom lectures. However, Gen Z can attribute their uncomfortable and mindless stares to causes beyond boredom. One reason that can explain the prevalence of the Gen Z stare is social media. These platforms enable large groups of people to complain en masse about younger members of society. The Gen Z stare is not entirely made up, though; we are all members of the first generation to grow up with the internet. 

Incorporating social graces into a conversation can trigger this stare. For many young adults and college students, formative years of social development were spent in the isolated walls of their homes during the pandemic. The only social outlets teens had were through a screen. Most interacted through the sophisticated, reality-warping algorithms of Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. Communication through an app with a sea of faces that may involve passive swiping is quite different from talking to someone face-to-face. For Gen Z, the pandemic and being surrounded by phones from an early age has had disastrous consequences. 

Some exhausted parents of young children during the pandemic kept them preoccupied with their phones. After the pandemic restrictions were lifted, this behavior persisted. In restaurants, we have both observed toddlers watching TV shows or playing video games while parents laugh or drink alcohol with their friends and family. This trend is worrisome. Dr. John Hutton led a study at Cincinnati Children’s involving MRI scans analyzing the brain structure of 52 children aged three to five. The team analyzed the thickness of the surface (cortical thickness) of the brain’s “gray matter,” and the depths of canyons (sulcal depth) between folds present within the brain. Both are established measurements of brain development. Higher screen time usage was associated with lower CT and lower SD. This one study only added to prior findings with frightening conclusions.  

The Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA, found that screen time may be associated with delayed development in young children. Using a validated screening tool, one-year-olds exposed to over four hours of screen time showed more delays in communication, problem-solving and social skills once they reached the ages of two and four compared to children with less screen time. These findings support a 2018 NIH study that found that children who spent at least two hours of screen time scored lower on language and thinking tests. Even more concerning, some children who were on screen for over seven hours experienced thinning of the brain’s cortex. These issues, however, are not just limited to cognition.  

A study by the American Psychological Association, APA, revealed that, the more children engaged with electronic screens, the more likely they were to develop socioemotional problems. These issues range from anxiety and depression to hyperactivity and aggressiveness. Children with anxiety or depression may be more likely to withdraw from social activities. The Gen Z stare expertly demonstrates: If someone continually second-guesses themselves, they may freeze when interacting with others. Another theory has emerged for why this phenomenon might occur: An overreliance of screens may cause missed detection of others’ social cues.  

Language and face-to-face communication have been the defining factors of the human species for many eras. However, with less emphasis on in-person interactions and more hiding behind screens, soft skills are becoming a lost art. Simple things like maintaining eye contact, affirmatory gestures and responses — the crux of active listening— are becoming increasingly rare in youth today. According to a study examining the impacts of limited screentime on interactional skills, it was found that children who were away from screens for five days showed significant improvement in reading facial emotions. And this makes sense; the more exposure children have to face-to-face conversations and interactions, the better attuned they become to understanding the magnitudes spoken by nonverbal cues. Language, though an excellent resource, is not always enough, especially when trying to understand those who aren’t ready to communicate verbally. Moreover, playdates and in-person meet-ups now occur less frequently. Increased screen time and pandemic isolation have reduced spontaneous play, and this absence of socialization likely delays social development.  

Without these interpersonal interactions that were once considered a normal feature of childhood, Gen Z social skills develop more slowly compared to our parents and grandparents, who spent thousands of hours face-to-face with one another. Gen Z has spent far more time with digital devices in the place of companions than any generation previously. The Gen Z stare is an interesting side effect of this overreliance on devices that reveals the ramifications of rampant screen use with little to no moderation. What the phenomenon also indicates is that social media platforms can spread backlash and negativity much quicker than any other communication medium. The Gen Z stare may be a meme that everyone forgets about in a few months, but the viral sensation may also be a warning about the ill effects and irreversible damage of increased screen usage.