Why Gen Z Is Going Analog: What It Means for Parents

One of the most surprising cultural
shifts of the mid-2020s is the analog
turn among Gen Z — the generation
that grew up as digital natives, the
first to have smartphones in childhood,
the first to navigate adolescence on
social media. Research on Gen Z attitudes
and behaviors finds a growing and
deliberate movement toward analog
experiences — physical books, vinyl
records, film cameras, handwritten
journals, and face-to-face connection —
as a conscious response to the digital
saturation of their childhoods.

This article covers what the research
shows about why Gen Z is going analog —
what is driving this shift, what it
tells us about digital childhoods,
and what it means for parents raising
children today.

Who Is Gen Z

Research on generational cohorts
defines Gen Z as those born approximately
between 1997 and 2012 — making them
between approximately thirteen and
twenty-eight years old in 2026.

Key features of Gen Z’s childhood:
The first generation to grow
up with smartphones from early adolescence.
The first generation to navigate
all of adolescence on social media.
Heavy exposure to digital content —
YouTube, TikTok, Instagram —
from childhood.
Significantly less unstructured
outdoor play than previous generations.
The generation most significantly
affected by the adolescent
mental health decline identified
by Twenge and Haidt.

What the Analog Turn Looks Like

Research on Gen Z consumer behavior
and cultural attitudes finds several
specific analog trends:

Physical books. Research on
book sales and reading habits
finds that physical book sales
have remained strong — and
in some categories grown —
among Gen Z readers who report
preferring physical books over
e-readers for their tactile
quality and freedom from notifications.

Vinyl records. Research on
music consumption finds that
vinyl record sales have grown
significantly — with Gen Z
a primary driver — attracted
by the intentional, focused
listening experience that vinyl requires.

Film photography. Research
on photography trends finds
a significant revival of film
photography among Gen Z —
attracted by the deliberate,
present-moment quality of
film that digital photography
and smartphone cameras do not replicate.

Handwriting and journaling.
Research on writing habits
finds growing interest in handwritten
journals, notebooks, and correspondence
among Gen Z — as a deliberate
analog alternative to digital note-taking.

In-person social experiences.
Research on Gen Z social preferences
finds growing preference for
in-person social experiences —
dinner parties, board game
nights, outdoor activities —
over purely digital social interaction.

Digital detoxing. Research
on digital wellness finds growing
interest among Gen Z in deliberate
digital detoxes — periods of
intentional disconnection from
digital devices.

Why Gen Z Is Going Analog

Research on Gen Z attitudes and
motivations identifies several specific drivers:

Digital fatigue. Research on
Gen Z wellbeing finds that
many Gen Z individuals report
significant digital fatigue —
exhaustion from constant connectivity,
constant notification, and
the always-on nature of digital life.
The analog turn is in part
a rest from digital saturation.

Social media disillusionment.
Research on Gen Z and social
media finds growing disillusionment —
recognition that social media
has contributed to anxiety,
comparison, and reduced wellbeing.
Many Gen Z individuals are
deliberately reducing social
media use as a mental health choice.

Desire for presence and intentionality.
Research on Gen Z values finds
a growing desire for presence —
for experiences that demand
full attention rather than
competing with notifications.
Analog experiences — a book,
a vinyl record, a film camera —
demand presence in ways that
digital alternatives do not.

Nostalgia for a simpler childhood.
Research on Gen Z attitudes
finds significant nostalgia —
even among those who grew
up digitally — for the simpler,
less connected childhood experiences
of previous generations. The
analog turn is partly a reaching
toward the childhood experiences
they did not fully have.

Mental health awareness. Research
on Gen Z mental health awareness
finds that Gen Z is the most
mental health-aware generation —
and that many Gen Z individuals
are making deliberate lifestyle
choices — including analog choices —
based on awareness of the
mental health effects of digital saturation.

Authenticity seeking. Research
on Gen Z values finds a strong
orientation toward authenticity —
and a perception that analog
experiences are more genuine,
more personal, and more meaningful
than their digital equivalents.

What This Tells Us About
Digital Childhoods

Research on Gen Z’s analog turn
and its causes provides several
important insights about digital childhoods:

The first fully digital generation
is reporting significant costs.
Research finds that Gen Z —
who grew up most fully immersed
in digital technology — are
reporting the costs most clearly:
anxiety, comparison, digital
fatigue, and a sense that something
important was missing from
their childhood.

Unstructured analog experiences
were genuinely missed. Research
on Gen Z nostalgia and analog
preferences finds that many
Gen Z individuals report missing
the unstructured, offline experiences
that previous generations had —
suggesting these experiences
have genuine developmental value
that digital alternatives do not replicate.

Digital saturation in childhood
produces fatigue in adulthood.
Research on Gen Z digital
fatigue suggests that heavy
digital immersion in childhood
and adolescence does not produce
lifelong enthusiasm for digital
experiences — it can produce exhaustion and deliberate retreat.

What This Means for Parents
Raising Children Today

Research on Gen Z’s analog turn
has several practical implications
for parents of younger children:

The analog foundations matter.
Research on child development
and Gen Z’s own experiences
suggests that establishing
strong analog foundations in
childhood — unstructured play,
nature, reading, creative activities,
in-person connection — provides
the experiential richness that
digital experiences do not replicate.

Delaying social media is validated.
Research on Gen Z mental health
and social media — and Gen
Z’s own growing rejection of
social media — validates the
research-supported approach
of delaying social media as
long as possible.

Digital balance is a genuine
parenting goal. Research on
Gen Z’s analog turn suggests
that the goal of digital balance —
technology used purposefully
and in moderation alongside
strong analog foundations —
is not only research-supported
but is what the first digital
generation is seeking for themselves in adulthood.

Children benefit from analog
experiences their parents might
not have prioritized. Research
on Gen Z preferences suggests
that children who grow up
with strong analog foundations —
who read physical books, play
outdoors, create with their
hands, and connect face-to-face —
may be better served than
those whose childhood is primarily digital.

Try This This Week

Practice 1 — The Analog Introduction Practice
What it is: A deliberate introduction
of one new analog experience
into your family’s weekly routine —
inspired by what Gen Z is seeking.

How to do it: This week introduce
one analog experience your
family does not currently have:

A family board game night.
A visit to a library — choosing
physical books together.
A film photography experience —
even a disposable camera.
A family vinyl listening session.
A nature walk without phones.

Why it works: Research on
Gen Z’s analog preferences —
and on the developmental benefits
of analog experiences — consistently
finds that intentional, present,
hands-on experiences produce
genuine enjoyment and genuine
developmental benefits that
digital alternatives do not replicate.

Practice 2 — The Phone-Free Family Time Practice
What it is: A deliberate daily
period of phone-free family
time — modeling the intentional
disconnection that Gen Z is
seeking for themselves.

How to do it: This week establish
one daily phone-free family period:

Phone-free mealtimes — for
all family members including parents.
Phone-free evening time —
one hour before bed.
Phone-free weekend morning.

Hold it for all family members —
including parents.

Why it works: Research on
family connection and digital
devices consistently finds
that phone-free family time —
maintained consistently — significantly
improves family connection,
conversation quality, and the
sense of genuine presence that
Gen Z’s analog turn is seeking.

Practice 3 — The Physical Book Practice
What it is: A deliberate daily
commitment to physical books —
one of the most consistent
analog preferences of Gen Z
and one of the most research-supported developmental practices.

How to do it: This week establish
a daily physical book reading time:

A specific consistent time —
before bed, after school.
Physical books — not e-readers or tablets.
Child chooses what to read — for pleasure.
Even fifteen to twenty minutes daily.

Why it works: Research on
reading and development — and
Gen Z’s own preference for
physical books — consistently
finds that reading physical
books for pleasure produces
significant benefits for vocabulary,
comprehension, empathy, and
sustained attention that digital
reading does not fully replicate.

The Bottom Line

Gen Z’s analog turn is one
of the most revealing cultural
phenomena of the mid-2020s —
the first fully digital generation
deliberately choosing the analog
experiences they did not fully
have in childhood. Research
on Gen Z attitudes finds that
this turn is driven by digital
fatigue, social media disillusionment,
desire for presence, nostalgia,
and mental health awareness.

For parents raising children
today — Gen Z’s analog turn
is both a warning and a guide.
A warning that digital saturation
in childhood produces costs
that only become fully apparent
in adulthood. And a guide
toward the analog foundations —
unstructured play, nature,
physical books, creative activities,
in-person connection — that
research and experience both
suggest children most need.

Sources

Twenge, J. M. (2017).
iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected
Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious,
More Tolerant, Less Happy —
and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.
Atria Books.

Haidt, J., & Allen, N. (2020).
Scrutinizing the effects of
digital technology on mental health.
Nature, 578(7794), 226–227.

Gray, P. (2013).
Free to Learn. Basic Books.

Skenazy, L. (2009).
Free-Range Kids. Jossey-Bass.