On paper, a 14-year-old and a 26-year-old both fall under the Gen Z umbrella. In practice, they might as well have grown up on different planets. Research published in Current Psychology found that Gen Zers who came of age during Covid (those who were 18 to 24 when the pandemic hit) reported lower resilience but greater openness to change. Meanwhile, younger Gen Z, shaped by lockdowns, remote learning and long stretches of isolation, are entering adulthood with an entirely different lens on the world.
Covid didn’t just shape Gen Z — it split it. Some have even started calling it Gen Z 1.0 and Gen Z 2.0: those who were already in college or graduated when the pandemic hit, and those whose coming-of-age was defined by it. Add in the rise of TikTok, algorithm-driven platforms and AI tools like ChatGPT, and the gap only widens.
In a generation already allergic to easy labels, Covid drew a deeper divide, and it is one we’re still only beginning to understand.
To see how that divide plays out up close, I sat down with my 14-year-old stepsister Kaylee (Gen Z 2.0) to compare notes with myself (26, Gen Z 1.0). A conversation across two sides of the same generation, and a question: are we really that different after all?
What’s your screen time?
Kaylee: About 3 hours a day.
Julia: My daily average is 4 hours on my phone — but if you add my laptop, it’s probably 5 billion.
Low-rise jeans: yes or no?
Kaylee: Yes!!
Julia: Big yes. Favorite style.
What social media app do you spend the most time on?
Kaylee: Instagram.
Julia: Same.
What are you reading?
Kaylee: 1984 by George Orwell.
Julia: I just finished Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar.
How do you talk to your friends?
Kaylee: iMessage.
Julia: Group chat. Text.
What was (or is) your favorite subject in school?
Kaylee: English or biology.
Julia: Lit!!!!
Morning routine?
Kaylee: Outfit, skin/makeup and then hair!
Julia: I’m strict about it. I meditate, journal and gua sha every morning.
What age feels “old” to you?
Kaylee: 50+.
Julia: 26. My current age.
What’s the last thing you saved on TikTok?
Kaylee: A golden retriever puppy.
Julia: A video Tinx posted about a New Yorker article I want to read.
What’s the most “basic” thing you do?
Kaylee: Dress the same as everyone else, lol.
Julia: I love my Ugg minis and making TikTok recipes.
If you could be your current age in any decade, which would you pick?
Kaylee: The ’90s!
Julia: Me too! I’d kill to be a writer at Vanity Fair during that time. Dream era.
Are you vocal about political issues?
Kaylee: Only about things I feel educated on.
Julia: Yes. I’m especially vocal about women’s reproductive rights.
Do you think the world is messed up?
Kaylee: Certain parts, yes.
Julia: Unfortunately, absolutely.
Describe the current president in one word.
Kaylee: Money.
Julia: Greedy-racist-idiot-loser-Cheeto.