Younger Generations Are Stepping Up to Save the World

If it feels like the world is burning, that’s because it is. Between climate disasters, economic instability, and political unrest, every headline seems to confirm what young people already feel in their bones: the world is in crisis, and they are the ones expected to fix it.

For many young people, there’s a suffocating sense of responsibility, an unspoken demand to solve problems they didn’t create. While older generations debate policies and profit off industries that contribute to climate change, they are the ones marching in the streets, organizing online, and lying awake at night wondering if we’ll have a livable planet in fifty years. Add in skyrocketing rent, student debt, a job market that feels impossible to break into, and the constant barrage of bad news, and it’s no wonder so many young people are exhausted before they’ve even had a chance to build a future.

56% of young people have lost faith in humanity and believe the world around them is doomed. And why wouldn’t they? The weight of the world quite literally resides on their shoulders and they haven’t been properly equipped to handle it. Not to mention, this unrelenting pressure is detrimental to the state of their mental health.

“What makes this so heartbreaking is that these young people aren’t to blame for the state of the world they’re inheriting. Yet, they bear the mental and emotional toll of trying to process these overwhelming realities while being told they will be responsible for fixing it,” says Hidden Strength CEO and Founder Linsey Lunny. 

Millennials came of age during the Great Recession, Gen Z grew up with active shooter drills and climate catastrophes, and Gen Alpha is being raised in an era where pandemic lockdowns and social media-fueled anxiety are just normal parts of life. Sometimes, it feels like there really wasn’t a time that didn’t feel this pessimistic and concerning.

The hardest part about all of this? The expectation to stay hopeful. Younger people’s mental health is taking a plunge as they navigate this feeling of impending doom. They are told to go to therapy, take deep breaths, and “focus on the good,” but how can they do that when it feels like everything around them is falling apart? 

“The effects on their (younger people) mental health are undeniable; from chronic stress and anxiety to feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness, even an increase in suicide ideation that we’ve been witnessing at Hidden Strength,” adds Lunny. 

For many, activism has become a coping mechanism. Protests, petitions, mutual aid networks—these aren’t just political actions; they’re survival tactics. Taking action helps fight the feeling of powerlessness. But it’s also exhausting. The burnout is real, and it’s hitting young people hard.

Older generations can’t just acknowledge the mess they’ve made—they need to actively present younger people with the tools to fix it. 

“We owe it to the coming generations to create safe spaces for dialogue, equip them with tools for resilience, and acknowledge their concerns as valid and urgent. Otherwise, they’ll be forced to pay the consequences of our actions without our help.”

That means funding education, prioritizing mental health support, and creating real pathways for young leaders to step into positions of power. It means policy changes, not just empty promises. If they truly want the next generation to clean up their mistakes, they need to stop hoarding resources and start investing in a future where young people aren’t just left to struggle, but actually given a fighting chance to succeed.

The world might feel like a mess right now, but that doesn’t mean young people are giving up. If anything, we’re more engaged, more aware, and more determined than ever. Yes, the weight of the world is heavy—but we’re carrying it together. And that, at least, is something.