Ring, ring, ring – don’t expect Gen Z to pick up

Phone calls are becoming a relic of the past with many Generation Z citizens avoiding them altogether, thanks to increasing communication via social media.

A recent UK survey found that approximately 70 per cent of 18–34-year-olds have telephobia and prefer texting over phone calls. Roughly 23 per cent of them never answer an incoming call at all.

Approximately 79 per cent of New Zealanders are actively using social media, with a large proportion of these being Generation Z.

One of non-callers is 20-year-old AUT student Lucia Bell who partly avoids answering phone calls because of potential scams.

“Our generation has been so drilled into phone scams. That’s probably where my suspicion [towards phone calls] comes from,” she says.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old UOA student Natasha Munn says her avoidance depends on her relationship to the caller.

“I associate phone calls and FaceTime with people I’m very close with.

“It’s better communicating over text because I can plan it out more,” she says.

Experts say that while young people are increasingly communicating with others via social media, there are concerns that it is also affecting their communication skills.

Youthline Clinical Improvement Lead Liz Hosking-Clement says that social media has helped educate many young adults.

“[Social media] is where young people are getting their news, it's where they're connecting with their peers. Obviously, there's so many positives to that,” she says.

On the other hand, their daily experiences are also affecting to young people’s willingness to pick up the phone.

“Not many people have landline phones anymore, so the ability to gain those micro skills and experience from doing that on a day-to-day basis is not there.”

While there is public concern surrounding this avoidance of phone calls due to social media, Hosking-Clement says the positives far outweigh the negatives.

“I think that's just a sign of the times in the way that life and technology have moved forward,” says Hosking-Clement.

There’s a concept called the Papageno effect, which is the idea that sharing stories of hope or healing, or recovery, can have a significant impact on people's mental health.

“It’s a significant factor in what makes [youth who are struggling] feel better in those moments where they might be having really dark thoughts,” she says.