What’s Different About the Transition to Adulthood Today?
Almost Everything
Except hope. For many, the traditional markers of adulthood seem out of reach. Young adults growing up today face unique, overwhelming, complex challenges we could never have imagined. It’s important to understand how all this shapes our lives.
Compare today with the traditional emerging adulthood milestones: finishing education, leaving home, entering the workforce, getting married, and becoming a parent. Each of our ascending adults faces a unique, more complex, seemingly insurmountable combination of challenges,
Here’s what’s new:
We’re witnessing a disturbing rise in mental health issues, addiction, exploitation, and suicide rates in young adults. According to the Pew Research Center:
In 2024, 61.5 million adults, including 11.6 million young adults (ages 18 to 25), reported having a mental health condition, up from 58.7 million adults and 11.5 million young adults in 2023.
COVID-related school closures, remote learning, and shifting schedules really disrupted our kids’ academic progress, routines, and social development. These changes widened learning gaps and created uneven access to quality online instruction, worsening existing inequities.
About one in three young adults in the United States lives with a parent—and among those ages 18 to 24, the figure is more than half.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Pew Research Center
The impact of significant events like 9/11, mass shootings, and the rise of political polarization creates a constant background of threat and conflict that we all take in, highlighting systemic issues like racism and discrimination.
Dating: “Talking,” “hanging out,” and “situationships” often replace clearly defined dating relationships. Two people can spend time together without agreeing on whether they are exclusive or even “dating.”
Gender identity and sexual orientation are discussed more openly, and young adults are more flexible about what relationships could look like.
Foreign Policy: 2024 Pew Research Center study on foreign policy goals
During my ascending adulthood, 1980, off the coast of RI
Automation, AI fears and general doom, and gig work- think DoorDash—and changing employer expectations are reshaping what we consider "career readiness" today. Traditional career paths feel less certain than ever.
Economic pressures, such as skyrocketing food, gas, and housing costs and unstable job opportunities, are taking a toll on family stability and mobility.
Common experiences of racism, prejudice, and exclusion not only impact mental and physical health but also affect school outcomes and trust in institutions like the police and government.
The influence and source of the news. Highly visible public figures can rapidly spread misinformation through social media. A 2024 Pew Research survey found that adults under 30 are much more likely to get news on social media than older adults.
Social media can be a double-edged sword. It allows for identity exploration, but it also amplifies peer pressure, comparison, harassment, and exposure to predators. Instead of building community, these platforms can be dangerous and damaging.
The necessity of screens and smartphones, and the way technology has transformed attention spans, sleep patterns, and social interactions, is profound. Young people are exposed to much more unregulated content: recreational, educational, and harmful, too early and often without proper supervision.
Climate Change: Roughly 59% of adults aged 18 to 29 believe climate change will make their local community a worse place to live over the next 30 years.
