Adolescence and anti-social behaviour — the new norm

News.com.au - 22/04
Dodging plans with a “sorry, I’m sick” text, spilling tea in the office kitchen, and ghosting like it’s a competitive sport — welcome to the new normal.

Dodging plans with a “sorry, I’m sick” text, spilling tea in the office kitchen, and ghosting like it’s a competitive sport — welcome to the new normal.

For Gen Z and Millennials, these once-rude behaviours are now just part of everyday life. But is this digital-age detachment, harmless self-care, or are we raising a generation fluent in fakeness?

The findings come from a survey of 2503 Australians by the Lighthouse Consumer Tracker: March 2025 Update, conducted exclusively by the News Corp Australia’s Growth Intelligence Centre (GIC).

The survey found a surprising 30 per cent of Aussies confess to lying or making fake plans to avoid seeing someone. Gen Z tops this anti-social t...
[Short citation of 8% of the original article]