Gen Z Voices https://www.sheknows.com All Things Parenting Tue, 02 Sep 2025 21:02:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.3 https://www.sheknows.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/cropped-sk-fav-icon.png?w=32 Gen Z Voices https://www.sheknows.com 32 32 149804645 Do Strict Parents Make Sneaky Kids? What Teens Think of Location Tracking, House Rules & More https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234919949/strict-parents-sneaky-kids-tracking-teens/ https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234919949/strict-parents-sneaky-kids-tracking-teens/#respond Tue, 02 Sep 2025 21:00:32 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=1234919949 At 17, I was in the woods at 4 a.m. with 20 of my friends — and my phone left behind in my bedroom. Definitely not my finest moment, but as a teen who was being tracked by Life360, it seemed like my only option.  

With modern day technology comes a host of things to protect your teen from, but it also offers ways to protect them. Unlike your own parents, who had no idea where you were or how to contact you as a teen, you are in constant contact with your own teen and have the ability to track their every move. (In a recent survey of our SheKnows Teen Council, nearly 78 percent of respondents said that their parents keep tabs on them via location tracking, with almost half of those using Life360.) But is it too much? Is obsessively tracking your teen actually taking away their freedom during such a formative time? 

As a Gen Z-er who was digitally monitored throughout my teen years, here’s my opinion: While tracking is a great thing for your teen’s safety, as a parent you need to be careful just how closely you’re hovering. While my parents were never the type to overly obsess, I will say that their constant access to my day-to-day activities made me a sneakier kid. The summer after my junior year of high school I was in a small beach town with twenty of my best friends, our days filled with retail and restaurant jobs, tanning, swimming, and an intoxicating sense of freedom. We all lived with our families but were so caught up in the antics of a high school summer that we were rarely home and practically on our own—that is, of course, except for our phones. The tradeoff of such independence was that we had to be reachable at all times and had tracking apps since we weren’t updating our parents with every move. 

I snuck out earlier that summer, only to be caught and grounded because my Life360 recognized when I got back home. So a few weeks later when my friend hosted a party at midnight and my entire friend group went, I knew how to avoid the punishment I was sure to get if caught.  Either my phone got left behind or I did, and there was no way it was going to be me. In hindsight, I know that I was risking a lot. I had no way of contacting anyone if I needed help, no way of soothing my parents’ worries if they found me missing, and no way of navigating the pitch-black woods I was biking into. But it was either brave the outing sans technology or miss out on a fun summer night with my friends, and in my teenage brain, the choice was clear. 

Now that I’m older, I’m allowed to come and go as I please and with that trust, my phone now comes with me. The moment my parents realized that I could handle the responsibility and make good decisions for myself was the moment I stopped being sneaky. They now actually know where I am, what I’m doing, and can contact me in an emergency, all because they relaxed their grip. 

Your teenager understands that your first worry is protecting them and ensuring their safety, but the last thing you want is to put that in jeopardy by making them fall back on deceitful, risky behavior. I’m not telling you to stop tracking your teen, but I am telling you to be careful of being too strict or too hard on them. You do not want to be the parent they’re scared to come to when things go south. Be forgiving when you catch them in the occasional rebellious moment, because if you’re not, then next time they’ll make sure they won’t get caught. If there’s one thing you take away from this, it’s that strict parents make sneaky kids — and a sneaky kid is an unsafe one.

It can be difficult to find the sweet spot between being too relaxed and being a helicopter parent, but I promise you it will be a whole lot easier if you talk to your teen. I asked three 16-year-olds where their parents fell on the spectrum, and if they agreed with the phrase “strict parents make sneaky kids.”

Kaya answered, “I think my parents are strict on some things, but for parties or something, they’re not, and that’s what I’m most mature in actually … [where] I have the most boundaries for myself.” Clive said his ‘very chill’ parents didn’t set many boundaries, which benefited him in the long run. “I think that teaches you to set your own boundaries, which is a lot more valuable,” he told me. “If you have a curfew from very young and you’re told you can’t do anything, you’re gonna want to actually break those boundaries. But if they’re not set for you, you kind of learn morally how those things are right.”

Joris, whose parents also didn’t impose many rules, said their relaxed and trusting approach made him more likely to listen when they did draw the line. “My parents are more chill and don’t put a lot of restrictions on stuff, so when they actually do put restrictions on things, I think I definitely listen more, or I’m more open to listening, because they’re normally cool with what I do.” So while some parents prefer to set every guideline for their kids, the teens I spoke with agreed that it’s better for them to figure out their own beliefs, boundaries, and practices without their parents’ interference. 

Gen Z has made clear that they are ready for independence — and parents, while that realization is hard to confront, you must let them learn to succeed and fail on their own. Simply put, being too strict is just as harmful for your teen’s future as not being strict enough. Find the middle ground by talking to your teen, and be the parent who can loosen the reins sometimes.

I was lucky enough to have parents that were readily available to me, but who quickly understood that there were things that I would need to learn on my own, through my own mistakes. If your teen is anything like the teens I spoke to, they are more than capable and ready to regulate their own lives. Just sit back and wait for them to find you when they need you.  

Interested in joining our Teen Council or learning more? Email us at teencouncil@shemedia.com.

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How I Outsmarted Life360: A Teen’s Guide to (Temporarily) Reclaiming Freedom https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234908248/teens-vs-location-tracking/ https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234908248/teens-vs-location-tracking/#respond Mon, 01 Sep 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=1234908248 I was a talentless, completely unstealthy 14-year-old, eager for some “teenage adventure.” It was freshman year of high school, and I had just snuck out for the first time, when I felt finally, totally grown. But like the novice that I was, I came trudging back through my apartment door in a clumsy manner. I left the spare keys lying out on the table and my shoes a mess. I went to bed totally assured that I had pulled off the greatest feat of deceit ever known, and I would never be caught.

This was not the case. When I opened my eyes the following morning, it was not because of an alarm, but because of my mom dangling the misplaced spare keys in front of my face.

Their resolution and “solution” from there on out was to track me using the popular app Life360. I am their only child, and not only is it their first time parenting in the digital age, but also their first time parenting in general. There is no older sibling to guide their choices for me. 

I was devastated at the time. My newly gained freedom had been snatched out from under me; I was being controlled under the hand of a suppressive regime. Back then, my parents had claimed that they tracked me for the sole purpose of making sure I was safe, but I didn’t totally buy it — and even if I did, I still wasn’t too thrilled about it. I assumed that safety went both ways, but they refused to give me their locations too. To me, it felt like a mechanism for control: a way for them to lurk in the shadows ready to crush my every unwise 14-year-old ambition. So, I had the natural reaction of any teen: I became sneaky, and I figured out the ways around Life360. 

Now at 17, they still have access to my location, and I don’t mind it nearly as much. We have good communication, and they (mostly!) always know where I am. But in the three years it took to get to this point, my friends and I got clever, and it took no more than a quick TikTok search.

Sneaky Option #1: 

I was at my friend’s house when I was 15, both of us victims of the Life360 epidemic, when we caught wind of a party we simply HAD to attend. That party was the place to be; everyone who was anyone was going to be there, and we knew what was awaiting us if we did (or didn’t) go. It was either social downfall or a months-long house arrest, so my friend and I were faced with the question of how to avoid surveillance when we were to be in bed strictly by 11. A TikTok video of a guy whose credentials were “former teenager” promised to have all the answers.

First, he instructed us to go to our settings and toggle on and off a few of the options under Life360. Then we were instructed to turn off WiFi and bluetooth so that our last known location would be saved as my friend’s house. We left the house and put it to the test. It seemed to work at first; our last location was saved and it didn’t show us moving, and neither of us had heard from our overbearing mothers: It seemed like a master plan. But something must have gone wrong — perhaps we connected to the party’s WiFi — so we were sentenced and put back in our pens. (I believe that Life360 has since fixed this clever hack, for any hopeful teen readers.) 

Sneaky Option #2:

This seems like the more obvious, but slightly riskier move: Leave the phone in question at home. At 16, two of my friends had the novel idea to take an Uber up to our other friend’s house in Connecticut at the ripe hour of 1 a.m. Of course, there was the question of how to pull this off sight unseen. The solution was leaving their phones in a pile under the bed (below the fake bodies constructed out of pillows). They took their computers instead, planning to connect them to WiFi in order to communicate with each other and eventually call the Uber home.

Against all odds, this one was pulled off. Some might say this was poor judgement and a little dangerous, but hey, if we weren’t tracked, my friends could’ve just brought their phones. I, too, tried this method once or twice, but never on a trip across state lines.

To be sure, tracking and safety can go hand-in-hand. But our parents were never tracked, and I know their parents weren’t either. And miraculously (as they might suggest), they are still alive to tell about it. What it must have been like to grow up in the good fortune of pre-technological times! The world used to be an open field of possibility for us teens; now it seems it’s more of a high tech police state run by our parents.

Perhaps the absence of tracking gave our parents a better sense of independence and autonomy. It certainly gave them fewer opportunities to lie to their parents. I think the term “safety” might be a larger umbrella of an excuse to control us; after all, we are their precious offspring, their legacy for the future world. But ironically, tracking in the name of safety often leads to more friction in parent-child relationships, and less opportunity to have experiences critical to growing up. Parents were never meant to know everything that goes on in the lives of their teens — it’s simply unnatural.

Mom and Dad, if you’re reading this, sorry! Forgive me! And I’d like your locations too … just to make sure everyone’s safe.

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In the Era of Butter Yellow & Pearl Headbands, Is Gen Z’s Modesty a Choice or a Warning Sign? https://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1234907873/gen-z-modesty-trend-fashion-politics/ https://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1234907873/gen-z-modesty-trend-fashion-politics/#respond Mon, 25 Aug 2025 11:11:07 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=1234907873 Somewhere on the corner of 57th and Lexington, I caught myself pausing at a crosswalk behind a girl in a chamomile-colored skirt that brushed her ankles despite the blistering summer heat. She wore a pearl-encrusted headband and thick white socks tucked into Mary Janes, her sweater — butter-yellow, cable-knit, and a size too big — clung to her shoulders like it belonged to someone else. She looked soft, practically spotless, and for a second, I thought she looked exactly like one of the Pinterest pins I saved a week ago tagged “clean girl” and “coquette.” 

She stepped into the crosswalk and vanished amongst the crowd, where it struck me just how many women were dressed exactly like her. Long skirts, long sleeves, high necklines. Tidy, sporting faint tones and dull hues. If you saw them from across the street, you’d think they could blend into the background of a painting. As I kept walking, I started counting. I stopped at six maxi skirts before I reached the end of the block.

I don’t know when it changed, exactly. It wasn’t like a season flipped and suddenly everyone covered up. It was more like the color slowly drained from the room, like the light shifted while we weren’t looking. Two years ago, every hot brunch spot was a parade of mesh, cutouts, chainmail tops, tiny dresses, and tiny bags. We were loud then, dressed like we were trying to scream with our bodies.  

Fashion has always been a cipher, tracking the pulse of the times; it’s how a nation dresses up its subconscious. The hemline index, a concept introduced in the 1920s, indicates that skirt lengths rise and fall with the economy. When the economy is booming, skirts get shorter. When it crashes, skirts lengthen. But what if the index needs a rewrite? What if morality, politics, and fear play more of a role in societal changes than previously thought? 

Hemlines got shorter in the 1920s because of a roaring economy and the empowerment produced by first wave feminism, most famously represented by Coco Chanel’s Little Black Dress.  However, hemlines lowered with depression in the ‘30s, while the decade of war in the ‘40s brought flak jackets and surplus trench coats with it. By the swinging ‘60s, shorter hemlines made a dramatic return as second wave feminism spread like wildfire. Although hemlines fluctuate with the times, one thing has remained consistent: the female body has historically been displayed or covered up based on the prevailing mood of a country. 

The aesthetic of the hour is modest, refined, and just shy of severe with long skirts, high necklines, and thick fabrics that feel vaguely puritanical. Even the color palette has shifted: away from saturated neon or expressive prints, toward browns, taupes, and the same mild “butter yellow” as government stationery. Gen Z, supposedly the generation of rupture and rebellion, shockingly doesn’t seem to be putting up a fight against America’s changing culture.  

And it’s not that I think the new aesthetic is ugly; quite the contrary. Sometimes I look at what’s trending and feel a strange sense of longing. I like the softness, the order, the placidity of pastels. On certain days, when I’ve had a hard week or the news is too loud or I just don’t want to be looked at, I’ll reach for a long skirt and a vintage cardigan and feel safer somehow. Not just covered, but smaller. Contained, the way a doll is safely kept in a box. But then I’ll catch myself in the mirror and wonder what exactly I’m dressing for. And more importantly: who

Although what becomes a trend often appears to be arbitrary, society’s invisible strings are always being tugged at by those in power. Governments across the globe are legislating modesty and pushing for conservative doctrines, while traditional gender roles are being repackaged as refuge and empowerment. It would be easier to believe that the new trends this summer are just a passing phase, if it weren’t for the headlines that keep reminding us, again and again, that the rights we thought we had were never as solid as we believed. 

In the past few years, several U.S. states have introduced or passed legislation reinforcing the power of the patriarchy while attacking women’s rights. From abortion restrictions to the destruction of DEI programs to the erasure of women’s contributions to history, these policies govern female bodies while simultaneously affecting how femininity is perceived across the nation. And, whether intentionally or not, a growing portion of young women are beginning to reflect America’s changing culture on their bodies. Some call it soft conservatism, others call it repression in a beige trench coat, but either way, we’re actively witnessing gender equality backslide like never before. 

The fashion industry, of course, claims otherwise. Designers argue that longer lengths are merely a return to elegance, a much-needed palate cleanser after the vibrant, maximalist upheaval of the early 2020s. But if you look closely, these silhouettes are evidently far more than just aesthetic choices. And there’s something especially haunting about the way modesty has rebranded itself to adapt to modern society. On TikTok, #modestfashion has over 12 billion views.

The language around it has shifted, too. “Feminine.” “Elegant.” “Clean.” All words that sound lovely, sure, but if you tilt your head, they start to sound like reminders: be quiet, be soft, take up less space. Some of the most viral creators are women around my age who layer long skirts over blouses and describe their style as “old money” or “subtle.” They do GRWMs where they speak in hushed voices and pair butter yellow dresses with pearl earrings and say things like “I just feel more like myself this way.” But I wonder: which version of themselves do they mean? And how much of that self is theirs, and how much of it is what we’ve all been told to be? 

I remember the day the Supreme Court decision on abortion dropped. Even in New York, where I knew my rights were technically protected, I didn’t feel safe. It felt like the ground had shifted, like something ancient and domineering had woken up beneath us. When I started my first year of college at WashU in St. Louis in the fall, it hit me even harder. Missouri had a trigger ban; abortion became illegal almost immediately. I remember one night in the library, overhearing two girls whisper about how far they’d have to drive — Illinois, maybe Kansas — if something happened. I watched them mouth the word abortion like a dirty word, a word that’s only fictional as long as you don’t utter it out loud.  

Post-Roe America is different. For Gen Z women, the reversal of constitutional protections was a psychological event as much as, if not more than, a legal one. Suddenly, the body became a battleground again. For a generation raised with modern feminist icons, the rise of conservative fashion can initially seem like a new form of agency. To cover up can feel like a considerable form of resistance. But sometimes it can also feel like surrender, especially if it’s not of your own volition. Either way, it’s impossible to separate what’s trending from the larger forces at work — forces that want to re-domesticate the female body and punish it for being difficult to control. We are witnessing, in real time, a visual negotiation of power. 

At the same time, it’s no secret that America’s political landscape is changing. According to Tufts’ CIRCLE, young voters skewed more conservative in the 2024 election than in previous years, potentially impacting the sense of nostalgia woven into this season’s fashion era. Butter yellow. Polka dots. Peter Pan collars. The aesthetic of the 1960s housewife is creeping back into pop culture; think Mad Men or The Stepford Wives, but without the irony. Women are dressing like characters in a story that someone else wrote for them, because someone else did write it for them. When girls start dressing like tradwives before they’ve even graduated high school, it begs the question: “Are we choosing this look, or is it choosing us?”  

I’ll admit, it feels strange sometimes to criticize something that on the surface looks so preciously harmless. A long skirt doesn’t hurt anyone, and Peter Pan collar is just a neckline. Yet when those styles come back en masse, at the same time as school dress codes get stricter, books are banned, and conservative lawmakers start talking about decency like it’s the 1950s, it’s difficult not to feel like something larger is happening. Ultimately, what’s unnerving about the return of long skirts isn’t the skirt itself. It’s the silent return of expectations that women have worked so hard to escape, the packaging of repression as elegance. Fashion is always political, even when it pretends not to be. Especially when it pretends not to be.  

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We Asked Teens to Test This New Gen Z-Approved Skincare Brand (& Psst: We Loved It Too!) https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234914056/teens-test-saint-crewe-skincare/ https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234914056/teens-test-saint-crewe-skincare/#respond Fri, 22 Aug 2025 19:59:38 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=1234914056 If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.

When it comes to skincare, teens and tweens are no longer swiping random products from their mom’s bathroom cabinet. They know what they like, they know what works, and they definitely know what looks good on their shelf. That’s why we were so curious when Saint Crewe, a buzzy new skincare line designed specifically with Gen Z in mind, launched with products that promise glow, hydration, and fun packaging without the “sticky, gunky” aftermath.

Saint Crewe’s mission is to make skincare inclusive, accessible, and genuinely enjoyable for younger users — while keeping things high-quality enough (dermatologist tested!) that parents and skincare lovers will reach for it too. Think bold, cohesive packaging, gentle-yet-effective formulas, and a playful energy that makes building good skin habits feel fun instead of fussy. The line includes four hero products:

Clean Beam Balmy Dream, a lightweight cleansing balm that melts off makeup without stripping skin

Team Gleam, a glow-boosting serum that hydrates and brightens

Water Whip Cream, a moisturizer that keeps skin soft without the heaviness

Goji Glow + Go Mist, a refreshing spray that sets makeup, soothes dryness, and adds a glossy finish

To see if the products actually lived up to the hype, we handed them over to a group of real teens (and one mom!) to test-drive — and their feedback was, well, glowing!

A Glow Teens Actually Noticed

“I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about the Saint Crewe skincare products, but I really was pleasantly surprised!” says Chloe, 18, who usually struggles with sensitive, dry skin. She reported zero breakouts, no irritation, and even got compliments from friends and family on how clear her complexion looked. Her favorite? The Team Gleam serum, which she said “made my skin glow” without feeling heavy.

Maxine, 15, agreed: “My skin was glowing after. It felt very moisturized but not oily or sticky.” She especially loved the serum’s consistency and scent, calling it her favorite of the lineup.

Saint Crewe Skincare Review: Teens Put It to the Test

Saint Crewe Team Gleam Serum

This daily water-gel serum is loaded with superfruit goji berry and microalgae, which helps balance your skin’s microbiome and fight against harmful blue light from screen time. Its weightless formula absorbs so quickly, it’s like it disappears into your skin.


Teen-Friendly Packaging

Saint Crewe’s playful packaging made a big impression. “It was really fun! I liked the color scheme, and the logo looks so good,” Maxine added. She suggested the brand go a step further with step-by-step numbers on the bottles (think: cleanser as step one, moisturizer as step four) — something that would make skincare routines easier for beginners.

The Clean Beam Balmy Dream cleansing balm got high marks for design, too, though it took a bit of work to dispense at first. And while Maxine wasn’t wowed by the mist’s spray nozzle, she admitted it still “felt really nice” once applied.

Saint Crewe Skincare Review: Teens Put It to the Test

Saint Crew Clean Beam Balmy Dream Cleansing Balm

This lush cleansing balm formula takes off everything while soothing bisabolol, ginger, and calming turmeric leave your skin feeling amazing. Transforming from balm to foam during use, Clean Beam Balmy Dream melts onto the skin as a milky rinse-off cleanser that can remove sunscreen, makeup, and grime.


Boys Put It to the Test, Too

Teen skincare isn’t just for girls — and Saint Crewe passed the boy test. Coby, 15, said of the Water Whip Cream: “I like how it doesn’t make my face feel all sticky and gunky after I use it.” His younger brother Corbin, 13, gave the products a stamp of approval, too: “It smells good. Not girly.”

Even if they weren’t always sure what the products were doing — “I’m not sure what it does exactly but it makes me feel like I’m doing something good for my skin,” Coby confessed about the serum — the boys reached for them regularly.

Saint Crewe Skincare Review: Teens Put It to the Test

Saint Crew Water Whip Gel Cream

This gel cream is light as air and expertly whipped for a flawless finish. With a boost of marine algae extract and vitamin E, it delivers deep soothing hydration and a natural glow.


Moms Are Fans, Too

Sometimes, the real test is whether a skincare-obsessed mom will use it — and in this case, the answer was yes. Corbin and Coby’s mom Rita admitted she used more of the Saint Crewe products than her sons did: “And I’m a skincare snob!” she confessed. “My skin gets really dry at night because I use retinol before bed, and I love waking up first thing in the morning and misting the Goji Glow + Go onto my skin and following up with the Team Gleam.”

Saint Crewe Skincare Review: Teens Put It to the Test

Saint Crewe Goji Glow + Go Facial Mist

Packed with powerful microalgae and goji superberries to help keep breakouts at bay, this super mist balances excess oil while supporting your skin’s microbiome. It delivers a dreamy, glowy finish and helps fight against harmful blue light. A refreshing spritz delivers a burst of hydration and a mood-boosting pick-me-up, any time you need it.


The Verdict?

From glowing reviews to actual glowing skin, Saint Crewe proved itself as more than just Instagram-worthy packaging. The products delivered hydration, ease, and that coveted Gen Z gloss that made both teens and parents want to reach for them every day.

Bottom line: If your teen (or you!) are looking for skincare that’s fun, effective, and family-approved, Saint Crewe is officially worth the hype.

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Teens Share What Adulthood Means to Them — & Where Parents Get It Wrong https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/videos/1234914160/teens-on-the-street-adulting/ https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/videos/1234914160/teens-on-the-street-adulting/#respond Fri, 22 Aug 2025 11:41:11 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?post_type=pmc_top_video&p=1234914160 Adulting can mean a lot of things, but for today’s teens, it often starts with the small, everyday tasks that give them independence. In this episode of Teens on the Street, we asked teens what makes them feel like adults — and what they wish parents understood better about their generation.

Several teens pointed to their jobs as a big marker of maturity. The responsibility of showing up, working alongside coworkers, and earning a paycheck makes them feel like they’re stepping into the adult world.

“Kind of putting in the grind, and being around older people at work really makes me feel like an adult,” one teen said about how their job at a local restaurant is a real introduction to the grown-up world. Another added: “I work in a job and [have] bigger responsibilities, like doing chores around the house and just helping out my parents.”

Others pointed to handling responsibilities at home. “Making my own breakfast, lunch, and dinner makes me feel like an adult,” one teen shared, while another explained, “My mom’s working, so I do my laundry, everything, by myself.” These daily acts of responsibility — cooking, cleaning, helping out when parents are busy — can feel like major steps into adulthood.

But while teens are busy proving they can handle life on their own, many feel like their parents don’t always see it. “Honestly, I think they overcomplicate it a little bit,” one teen said. “Sometimes they hover over us a little bit, and think that we can’t do stuff on our own, but we really can.”

Another frustration is the generational gap. One teen pointed out that while parents often insist they know what it’s like to be a teen, the truth is that growing up today is very different. “Especially with technology, I think that’s played a big role in how times have changed now compared to when they were kids,” explained one teen.

That difference in perspective shapes everything from how teens communicate to how they respond in certain situations. As one put it: “They might see some things differently as in how we’re supposed to react … because that’s not how we’ve grown up.” From the way teens learn and communicate to the way they see the world, this generation’s experiences aren’t a mirror of their parents’ — and teens want that to be acknowledged.

In the end, the message from teens is clear: adulting is about more than chores and jobs — it’s about the everyday independence of managing responsibilities, being trusted to figure things out, and being recognized for who they are now — not compared to who their parents were at the same age.

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When It Comes to Dating, Gen Z Girls Are Done Compromising on Core Beliefs https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234908302/gen-z-dating-political-dealbreakers/ https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234908302/gen-z-dating-political-dealbreakers/#respond Mon, 18 Aug 2025 12:42:03 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=1234908302 As a Gen Z college student, I’ve watched as, over the course of the past 12 months, my peers, friends, and significant others have been overtaken by the nation’s political strife. And while some of our generation can’t even legally vote yet, Gen Z is already carefully selecting their potential partners based on political alignment.

For older generations it might seem dramatic how seriously we take political affiliations, but you must understand that it’s our future that hangs in the balance. We’ve seen increasing polarization, and it has shaped our generation to view politics as a defining trait of a person’s character. So, parents, while it might be difficult to understand that this is the new reality of dating as teens and twenty-somethings, I’m here to show you exactly how Gen Z is dealing with their new normal and finding significant others. 

We polled our SheKnows Teen Council, a group of 100 teens across the nation, and asked their opinions of dating in today’s political sphere. We wanted to see just how deeply and strongly teens are worrying about their partner’s political alignments. Here’s what we learned. 

Simply put? Boys said that dating outside their affiliation was not a deal breaker, and girls disagreed.  
Gender and dating preferences aside, Gen Z has made clear how quickly politics are consuming their lives compared to past generations. Whether flooded with political agendas on social media or dispelling those with differing beliefs, our generation is in overdrive, and it’s clear that the stakes are higher than ever.

While older generations have overlooked diverging affiliations in the name of friendship and love, younger generations have realized that overcoming such a difference is unrealistic. When asked to rate its importance, our Teen Council scored having a similar political affiliation at a 69 out of 100 when deciding on a partner, and 50 out of 100 when deciding on a friend. While Gen Z is evenly split when it comes to wanting similar political ideals in friendships or not, our generation is much less willing to be so open when it comes to potential partners; shared political beliefs are quickly becoming a deciding factor for a second date. 

As a sophomore in college, I witnessed firsthand as my small campus divided into red and blue — some students proudly wearing MAGA hats in the dining hall, while others excitedly envisioned the first female president. But then one dreary November day I was met with a gradient of faces, some gleeful and cocky, others in mourning. I watched as some of the people around me went from close friends to opponents, high on their most recent win. 

If the world has seen anything in the past six months, it’s that voting has immense consequences — and my generation is fed up. As politics become increasingly important and divided, my generation — republican and democratic alike — isn’t willing to put up with fake niceties anymore. For many Gen Z-ers, it’s no longer a question of overlooking their partner’s beliefs, it’s a question of their personal comfort. 

Of our survey’s female respondents, only one answered that they would be somewhat comfortable, and none said they would be extremely comfortable dating someone with opposing political affiliations. The majority (85 percent) of female respondents said they were uncomfortable with it — either “very” or “extremely.” However, male respondents were more divided between comfortable and uncomfortable with the majority (57 percent) leaning towards comfortable — evenly split between “very” and “somewhat.”  

Comfort aside, we wanted to see just how drastic differing political ideals was for Gen Z when deciding a partner, so we asked if it was a deal breaker. 

Of our male respondents, not even one said that a differing political affiliation was a deal breaker; 57 percent flat-out agreed that it was not, while the remaining 43 percent said they didn’t know or that it depended. This stat, however, rivals female respondents who were much more divided. The largest answer was 38 percent from female respondents who answered ‘Yes’ about whether opposing political affiliations was a deal breaker — an answer that no men chose. The remaining 62 percent was split between “No,” “I don’t know,” and “It depends.” 

When it came to the reasoning behind such a choice, many of our female respondents made it clear that they believed political affiliation was a significant marker of an individual’s identity. One female respondent shared, “If someone’s political affiliations don’t align with mine, it’s highly likely that their values also don’t. And at the end of the day, a person’s core values and beliefs are some of the most important things about them.” Our male respondents, however, felt less strongly about their partner’s affiliation, noting: “It doesn’t really matter to me, and I guess it just depends on the type of person they are,” and “I really don’t care about what someone believes in politically, it’s not a deal breaker for me as long as they’re not extreme about it and make it a problem.” For some Gen Z men, while they may take their partner’s political affiliation into consideration, it doesn’t seem to be a deal breaker. Gen Z women, however, disagree. 

It’s clear that, regardless of their own political affiliations, Gen Z women are more hesitant when it comes to dating outside of their own political beliefs — but that pause seems lacking for their male counterparts. I’ve seen this phenomenon pop up throughout my own life many times in the past year as my male friends have gone against their own beliefs when it comes to dating, and my female friends have made it a priority. 

My theory? Women, whose rights are constantly on the ballot, must be pickier with their partners. Gen Z women, regardless of political affiliation, are more inclined to choose a partner who agrees with their beliefs, especially when those beliefs are so heavily attached to their own bodies. And Gen Z men? While some take affiliation into consideration, the definitive response is that they can more easily overlook politics in their dating prospects. 

My generation may seem too dramatic and too sensitive, but it is only because we have learned to be through the consequences of older generations. We are forced to inherit a world in which political strife is no longer civil. While our political candidates grow increasingly polarized, Gen Z has realized that sharing a bed, a meal, or even space with someone who disagrees with our own ideals is becoming more unlikely — especially for young women. 

As our country continues to divide into sides, colors, and candidates, younger generations have been forced to step up. In a world where rights, identities, and futures are on the line, Gen Z isn’t willing to risk incompatibility … in love or in politics.  

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Teens Reveal the Surprising Everyday Moments That Make Them Feel Like Adults https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234912178/teens-everyday-moments-feel-like-adults/ https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234912178/teens-everyday-moments-feel-like-adults/#respond Thu, 14 Aug 2025 16:33:12 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=1234912178 Ask a teen what things would make them feel like a grownup, and you might expect answers like “paying bills” or “living on my own.” But according to a recent SheKnows Teen Council Life Skills survey — and what Teen Council members told us in a separate, more in-depth discussion — adulthood often starts with much smaller, everyday milestones. Sometimes, it’s even about chores.

In our Life Skills survey, teens described the everyday actions that make them feel more adult. One respondent wrote simply: “Driving and doing work outside of school.” Another said: “The freedom of being where I want when I want.” The survey results reflect that independence: 64 percent of respondents started commuting to school alone between ages 10–12, but nearly half (48 percent) still rely on parents for rides. A significant number are working — 68 percent have jobs — and many are already handling household responsibilities like doing the dishes (87 percent), laundry (70 percent), and cooking (65 percent). One survey respondent summed it up as “Knowing how to care for myself.” And when they look ahead, an overwhelming majority — 95 percent — say the thing they’re most excited about when it comes to adulthood is “freedom.”

In a conversation with Teen Council members, they shared specific, personal examples of what makes them feel more grown up. For 16-year-old Gary, independence starts in the laundry room: “I do my own laundry on a regular basis. … Bro, if I don’t do my laundry, it doesn’t get done.” Juliet, 17, said her early introduction to self-management came through making her own appointments: “My mom does my laundry for me, but since I literally could use my voice and use a phone she has forced me to make my own doctor’s appointments and like get all the stuff together and everything … I would do it when I was like 9, 10 years old.” Gwen, 16, tied her adulting milestone to driving: “I live in Texas, so I got my driver’s license the day I turned 16, and it’s been really fun.” And for Clive, 16, the kitchen is a proving ground: “I cook my own meals. I think that’s absurd to do your own laundry if you don’t cook your own meals.” Greta, 17, agreed in part, noting: “I can cook my own meals, and I do sometimes … when I’m home alone, I will.”

Just don’t ask them to make their beds regularly. Sixty-five percent of survey respondents said they do, but Juliet begged to differ. “I think that’s a made-up thing,” she laughed. “I don’t think people actually do that.”

Whether it’s the survey responses or the in-person answers, the pattern is the same: teens link adulting to self-reliance. Understanding what makes teens feel like adults can guide parents in helping them prepare for life on their own. The survey shows the milestones they’ve already hit; the interviews reveal the nuance and humor of how they experience those steps. Your teen may not be fully in charge of their life yet, but if they’re managing chores, working part-time, scheduling their own appointments, and getting themselves where they need to be — whether that’s through a calendar app, a bike ride, or a newly earned driver’s license — they’re already building the skills they’ll rely on as adults, and getting a taste of the independence they can’t wait for.

Interested in joining our Teen Council or learning more? Email us at teencouncil@shemedia.com.

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Buy or Bye? Teen Girls Give Their Unfiltered Verdict on Today’s Hottest Fashion Trends https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/videos/1234911371/teen-girls-buy-or-bye-fashion-trends-2025/ https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/videos/1234911371/teen-girls-buy-or-bye-fashion-trends-2025/#respond Tue, 12 Aug 2025 15:50:41 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?post_type=pmc_top_video&p=1234911371 In a new segment called “Buy or Bye”, we asked four members of the SheKnows Teen Council — Olivia (17), Greta (17), Kaya (16), and Anaïs (16) to give their unfiltered verdicts on what’s worth buying right now and what’s better left on the rack — and they did not hold back.

Cheetah print came up with mixed reviews. Olivia didn’t hesitate: “It’s been overdone.” Greta agreed, and Olivia doubled down: “Once it reaches, like, the 12-year-old demographic, then you gotta let it go.” Kaya was a bit more forgiving, saying it depends on the material, while Anaïs thought the frenzy had calmed down enough for her to enjoy it again. By the end, Olivia had moved on to a new animal print crush — zebra — and a determination to “make it a thing.” 

Bubble skirts got a much frostier reception, with all four teen girls giving the trend red flags (eek!). Greta admitted, “I’ve seen people look cute with them, but I would never buy it,” and Olivia didn’t hesitate to say the same. Kaya said the name alone “just reminds me of, like, the Victorian era,” and Anaïs simply wasn’t into how they looked.

Micro shorts, on the other hand, had way more fans, garnering green flags across the board. Kaya called them “very 2000s” and said she liked them; Anaïs thought they were cute and easy to style; Greta said she’d definitely buy a pair. When talk turned to where to shop, Greta mentioned Edikted, and Kaya pointed out new collections from Hollister and Aeropostale — both brands currently enjoying a Y2K-era resurgence. In fact, Hollister recently overtook Lululemon as the top apparel brand among upper-income teen girls, according to Piper Sandler’s Spring 2025 “Taking Stock With Teens” survey.

Like micro shorts, cowboy boots were an easy “buy” for everyone. Greta said, “I have a pair and I love them.” Olivia even has a sentimental pair: “My dark brown ones are my mom’s old Frye boots that she got when I was born … they’re vintage.” (Parents, let’s take a moment of silence for those of us old enough to have teens who refer to our own teenage style as “vintage.”) That mix of personal history and trend is right in line with teens’ current love for nostalgic, unique pieces — a big reason vintage shopping is booming, with ThredUp’s Resale Report predicting that the secondhand apparel market in the United States will reach $74 billion by 2029. 

When the topic turned to mixed-metal jewelry, it became clear Greta was ahead of the curve. “I have both silver and gold jewelry, and I kind of just started wearing them together ’cause I didn’t care that much, and then the trend started, and I think it’s cute,” she said. Olivia agreed, admitting Greta had been doing it long before most people she knows. A self-professed “hardcore gold girl,” Olivia only recently started mixing metals with her rings. Greta swears by vintage store finds — “It’s the best thing to have since it’s not basic” — and Olivia’s on the same page: “I like my jewelry to be very unique.” That hunt for individuality is a consistent theme in teen fashion right now, with the need to be “not basic” likely one of the main forces behind the uptick in thrifting.

From animal prints to accessories, our “Buy or Bye” game made one thing clear: trends may come and go, but the way teens make them their own — and call out what’s tired — is what really keeps fashion interesting.

Interested in joining our Teen Council or learning more? Email us at teencouncil@shemedia.com.

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Dear School Administrators: Our Phones Are Lifelines, Not Just Distractions https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234908184/banning-phones-in-schools-harmful/ https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1234908184/banning-phones-in-schools-harmful/#respond Mon, 11 Aug 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=1234908184 Dear School Administrators, 

You say it’s for our own good — but banning phones in school misses the point. For teens in 2025, our phones aren’t just distractions; they’re planners, tools, and lifelines to the outside world. Taking them away doesn’t solve problems, it creates new ones. 

Let’s start with what should be the most urgent priority: safety. Since Pre-K, we’ve crouched behind bookshelves and desks, locked classroom doors, and stayed silent in the dark during lockdown drills to practice for the unthinkable. While law enforcement claims that phones “distract children from remaining focused” during emergencies, in a country where school shootings are heartbreakingly common, communication during an emergency is a lifeline, not a luxury. Asking students to lock away the device that could connect them to their families or first responders is dangerous. And when society still hasn’t taken real action to prevent gun violence, banning our phones — the only connection we might have in a moment of crisis — feels like a complete misalignment of priorities. 

I’m not denying that phones can be distracting. And yes, some studies suggest that phone-free classrooms can help students improve focus. However, phones are critical to how we stay connected, informed, and in control of our day-to-day lives. 

So much of our daily school and extracurricular infrastructure is now online: teachers post assignments on Google Classroom, the vast majority of our textbooks and classroom materials are online, and after school clubs communicate through text chains or messaging apps. Even our daily morning announcements are posted on Instagram. We need our phones to know when sports practices are canceled, to organize carpools, or to figure out where to meet friends. Administrators may think we’ll “just talk to each other” like it’s 1983, but that’s no longer the world we live in. Our phones aren’t keeping us from real life; they’re a key part of how we navigate it. 

Even Rice University’s Vikas Mittal, in a piece supportive of restrictions, admits that cell phones “offer a measure of safety,” “expose students to academic information,” and provide “individualized learning platforms.” Banning them outright ignores all those benefits, especially for students who use phones responsibly or rely on them for learning, support, translations, or digital tools. 

Let me be clear: I understand the intent behind limiting phone use. No one wants students scrolling through TikTok during Algebra. But effective policies need nuance and balance, not blanket bans. Give teachers the power to manage their classrooms. Let students check phones during lunch or after they finish all of their classwork. Don’t make a rule that assumes every student is an addict, every teacher is powerless, and every ping is a distraction. Schools should be preparing us for real life — and in real life, we need to know how to manage our tech, not pretend it doesn’t exist.

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Teens at a Table: How Gen Z Really Feels About Curfews, Location Tracking & Gaining Independence https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/videos/1234910584/teens-at-a-table-independence/ https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/videos/1234910584/teens-at-a-table-independence/#respond Fri, 08 Aug 2025 20:13:42 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?post_type=pmc_top_video&p=1234910584 In this episode of Teens at a Table, host Ajani joins SheKnows Teen Council members Sophie (19), Clive (16), and Greta (17) to talk about a milestone every older teen eventually faces: independence — when it starts, what it requires, and how it changes the way they relate to their parents (and their curfews!).

For Greta, the first taste of independence came when she was allowed to walk to school on her own. Sophie called getting her license a turning point: “I think around when I was 16, I probably felt like that was a big jump in my independence because I was able to drive … being able to get to places by yourself is a huge step forward.” Clive’s came in a different way: “I live in a rural area, so I started to be able to go to town and buy my own food and do my own stuff without my parents.”

Greta agreed that early on, independence was mainly anything that involved “not being with your parents,” while Clive pointed out that “if your parents don’t let you go out, ever, you kind of start to think it’s, like, a fun thing … [but] if you’re allowed to go out from a young age… you learn to handle yourself.”

Despite their increasing autonomy, the teens said, their parents still stifle it occasionally. Sophie said, “I feel super boxed in when I’m not on top of my own stuff — they get, like, very strict.” For Greta, it’s her screen time being monitored: “It wasn’t that high, but it was, like, mainly on social media.” Sophie revealed, “My mom was logged into my Instagram for so long … when I was maybe 13 or 14, I just made a Finsta [fake Instagram account] that she wasn’t logged into.”

Curfews were another thing — especially for the college students, who were navigating the territory of being independent at school, then returning home and back to the house rules. “I was pretty shocked that they were giving me curfews … all of a sudden I came home and they were like, ‘Oh, you have to be home at this time,’” reported Sophie. 

On location tracking, though — one area where you might expect the teens to protest — the group was surprisingly chill. “I don’t care,” said Clive. “I track my mom more than she tracks me.” Sophie agreed: “I actually do feel safer with them having it … just in case anything happens.” Greta admitted her mom is “very active on the tracking app,” and Sophie laughed about how it can “expose me with the time that I come home.”

College is a whole new frontier when it comes to independence, and Greta, heading into her senior year of high school, says when it comes to college she’s most nervous about “making friends and finding my people.”

“I was just so nervous about college in general,” Sophie related. “I was worried I wasn’t gonna make friends … but the second I got there, I realized I was really stressed for no reason. Like, I had the best time.” Therapy helped, she said: “Being able to talk about how you feel and have someone that you trust is really important … especially at school when your family’s not there.”

When it came to the hardest part of college life, Sophie said it was “being able to organize what is most urgent … I was always told kind of exactly what to do, and then when I got to college, I was, like, ‘Wait, there’s no instructions.’” For Ajani, it was time management: figuring out “when would be my time for work and studying … when would be my time for seeing my friends or going to the gym.”

The consensus? Independence is exciting, but it’s also a learning curve — one that teens are still navigating in real time. See everything they had to say about it in the video above.

Interested in joining our Teen Council or learning more? Email us at teencouncil@shemedia.com.

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