{
  "id": 13429357,
  "title": "Gen Z's Always-Online Life: How Social Media, Constant Comparison And Digital Overload Are Fuelling Anxiety",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/gen-zs-always-online-life-how-social-media-constant-comparison-and",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-10T13:21:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/bhopal/gen-zs-always-online-life-how-social-media-constant-comparison-and-digital-overload-are-fuelling-anxiety"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Title: Gen Z's Constant Connectivity: The Mental Health Struggles of the Always-Online Generation\n\nAs the digital age continues to evolve, the mental health of Generation Z has come under scrutiny. For young people who are 'always online', a new set of anxieties and mental health challenges has emerged. Dr. Rahul Mathur, a consultant psychiatrist, notes that generalized anxiety, depressive symptoms, performance burnout, and identity or existential stress are increasingly common among Gen Z. He describes 'ambient anxiety' as a state of constant alertness driven by global news, social comparison, and rapid change.\n\nThe pressure to excel academically and early in one's career, coupled with financial concerns, relationship difficulties, and evolving family expectations, adds to this stress. Social media, too, plays a significant role in exacerbating these feelings. Dr. Apurva Tiwari, another consultant psychiatrist, explains that constant comparison, notifications, and excessive stimulation from social media can negatively impact self-esteem, concentration, and sleep patterns.\n\nRecognizing the warning signs of stress is crucial. Persistent worrying, racing thoughts, irritability, changes in sleep, poor concentration, withdrawal, loss of interest, and feelings of being overwhelmed are all indicators that stress may be affecting daily functioning. To combat these challenges, both doctors recommend maintaining healthy habits. These include regular sleep, outdoor activity, taking regular phone-free breaks, and switching off screens at least 60-90 minutes before bedtime.\n\nDr. Mathur also emphasizes the importance of offline time, physical activity, real-life connections, and learning to acknowledge emotions rather than immediately escaping them. Dr. Tiwari stresses the importance of seeking professional help early when dealing with mental health issues. The takeaway is clear: mental health is not about eliminating every uncomfortable emotion, but about developing healthy ways to deal with stress, staying connected offline, and recognizing when something is impacting one's everyday life. It's important for Gen Z to feel comfortable talking about their mental health, disconnecting when needed, and seeking help early when necessary.",
  "summary": "Indore (Madhya Pradesh): For Gen Z, being connected 24/7 has created a new kind of mental health challenge: the feeling of always being ‘on’. Anxiety, depressive symptoms, burnout, sleep problems, attention difficulties, social anxiety, self-esteem and body-image concerns are increasingly being seen among young people. According to Dr Rahul Mathur, consultant psychiatrist, generalised anxiety,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}