The Silent Stress of Gen Z

Generation Z encompasses those born between 1997 and 2012. The first ‘digital natives’, Gen Z, has grown up with ubiquitous access to the internet and digital technology. While far more connected than any prior generation, many, nonetheless, report feeling isolated and disillusioned. Around the world, this generation is experiencing mental health challenges at alarming rates.

In 2024, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that one in seven adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 experienced a mental health disorder. In the U.S., a 2022 U.S. Census Bureau survey of 18-24-year-olds—done amidst the Covid-19 pandemic—found persistent feelings of nervousness or anxiety in 44 per cent, while 33 per cent reported feeling depressed or hopeless. In India, meanwhile, 63 per cent of young adults (aged 18-27) believe prioritising mental health is crucial to a happy life, according to the 2025 Burson Group report.

Such numbers illustrate how widespread mental health issues (and awareness) are among Gen Z. The generation that has grown up surrounded by smartphones and social media—navigating global instability, economic uncertainty, and climate anxiety—now finds itself at a mental crossroad.

Higher Education Under Strain

Indian higher education has seen remarkable growth over the last few decades. Today, there are more than 1,100 universities and 45,000 colleges, supporting more than 40 million students. The pressure to succeed academically in this hyper-competitive system—where outcomes, not well-being, are what count—is taking a toll. Many students report chronic stress, anxiety, depression, and emotional exhaustion.

Fortunately, there is growing recognition that mental health is an essential component of student development and success. In acknowledgement, the University Grants Commission (UGC) issued new mental health guidelines earlier this year. All colleges and universities have been instructed to establish dedicated mental health and wellness cells staffed by counsellors or psychologists. While such institutional reform is welcome, the fact remains that most higher education institutes lack qualified mental health professionals, and the counselling centers that do exist are too often underfunded and understaffed.

Culture and Stigma

Despite growing awareness, particularly among the more urban and educated, deep-rooted stigma remains a major barrier in India for those struggling with mental illness. Those in need may avoid help for fear of being judged as weak or unstable. Even among Gen Z, understanding and empathy for mental health issues can be lacking. The 2024 Fiama Mental Wellbeing Survey, for instance, found 83 per cent of young adults believe mental health issues carry no shame. Yet, paradoxically, 81 per cent of the same respondents would feel ashamed, personally, if they had to seek out mental health care.

Importantly, the Mental Healthcare Act of 2017 gives Indians the right to access mental health care. In practice, however, implementation is weak, especially in educational settings where early intervention could make a major difference. Indeed, many parents and professors still view stress as a normal part of student life, dismissing rather than addressing any concerns that arise. In effect, many students recognise the need for help but feel compelled to stay silent.

Economic Fallout

Research by Stanford psychologist Jamil Zaki indicates young adults today are less happy than those in middle age or old age. This contrasts with past generations, when young people were characteristically happier than either group. This is problematic. If a significant percentage of incoming university students are struggling with mental health issues, this will almost certainly affect retention, engagement, and drop‑out rates, as well as future work, employment and productivity.

Mental health challenges can have an economic impact as well. According to Deloitte’s ‘Mental Health and the Indian Workplace’ report, poor mental well-being costs Indian companies an estimated Rs 1.1 lakh crore (USD 14 billion) annually in lost productivity due to absenteeism, attrition, and other factors. When today’s students enter the workforce, these cost estimates are expected to multiply. Universities that ignore psychological well-being risk not only failing their students but also weakening India’s future economy.

Social Media and Technology

For Gen Z, social media provides both community and competition. Platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn have become new arenas of academic anxiety, every success highlighted and every failure magnified. Dopamine-driven engagement—likes, comments, and new followers—ensures repeated engagement. Users revel in validation and belonging from positive social feedback and wallow in disappointment, distress, and desensitisation from negative feedback.

Despite its many downsides, social media has given young adults a digital medium to talk about mental health, serving as a powerful tool for both support and awareness.

Educational content is widely shared, while hashtags like #MentalHealthMatters or #AnxietyDiaries have normalised conversations that were once considered taboo. Increasingly, mental health professionals are also using social media and other technology to share guidance and provide remote services like tele-counselling.

Emotionally Intelligent Campuses

To address this ongoing crisis, India must rethink how it approaches student mental health. These five steps are crucial:

* Integrate mental health into education— teaching emotional intelligence, self-regulation, stress management, empathy, and resilience alongside academics.

* Ensure colleges and universities have sufficient counselling staff to support their student body, at least one counsellor per 1000 students.

* Promote digital coping skills so students can navigate academic demands and social media challenges with more confidence and less risk of distress.

*Use data‑driven monitoring to track student mental health trends and analyse risk, as may be seen, for example, in a first‑generation student far from home.

* Make mental health outcomes a performance indicator of higher education institutions, just like research output or placement statistics.

A Collective Responsibility

Despite ongoing challenges, Gen Z student groups across India are creating peer-counselling programs, neurodiversity groups, mindfulness clubs, and mental health campaigns that push back against stigma. These actions and insistence that emotional well-being matters as much as grades are reshaping Indian higher education. As educators, we must recognise and support this movement, ensuring students can succeed academically without sacrificing their own mental health.

Views expressed are personal. The writer is Professor and Dean, School of Psychology & Counselling, O.P. Jindal Global University