People Over 70 Secretly Judge Younger Generations For These 11 Habits
Many people in older generations don't seem to understand the habits of young people these days.
CREATISTA / Shutterstock The generational divide continues to be quite apparent as society evolves and young people embrace all new trends and lifestyle choices with fervor. Those who have lived through multiple decades of advancing technology and cultural shifts can't help but notice and subsequently judge the habits of those who are much younger than they are.
People over 70 have truly lived through many significant moments in history, so they have a different perspective on many of the things that exist today compared to younger generations. While they may not voice their judgments out loud, there are several things young people do that cause older people to raise their eyebrows in disbelief, from the ways they engage with technology to how they choose to interact with each other.
People over 70 secretly judge younger generations for these 11 habits
1. Texting instead of calling
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For many young people, texting has become the primary means of communication with the people in their lives. In fact, a survey found that people aged 18 to 34 never answer the phone. Respondents say they either ignore the call altogether, respond via text, or even search up the number if they don't recognize it.
For people over 70, that can be quite hard for them to wrap their heads around, considering they grew up in a time when calling someone on the phone was the only way you'd be able to speak to someone if you couldn't meet them face-to-face. It's what creates authentic connections with people. If you're not talking to them and only texting, it's easy for things to get lost in translation.
Many older adults depend solely on phone calls to stay in touch with people and simply couldn't be bothered with having to text, which is why they look at the youth of today with a bit of side-eye when they claim to enjoy texting and other forms of messaging on social media over a good 'ole fashioned phone call.
2. Endlessly scrolling on social media
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According to the American Psychological Association, teens tend to spend an average of 4.8 hours using multiple popular social media apps, with YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram accounting for 87% of their social media time. Around 37% of teens claim to spend five or more hours a day, 14% spend four to less than five hours a day, 26% spend two to less than four hours a day, and 23% spend less than two hours a day on these apps.
People over 70 don't really see the appeal, mostly because they didn't grow up in a digital age where social media runs the world as it does now. When older adults see how much wasted time younger people spend on these apps, they often find it puzzling and wonder why they can't be doing something more productive with their time.
Older generations grew up getting their news and entertainment from TV and newspapers, not on Instagram and TikTok. The concept of spending all of your time scrolling and looking at your phone is just plain ludicrous to them.
3. Working side hustles instead of a 'real job'
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For younger people, having multiple side hustles, either on top of having a job or as the only way they make their income, has become something they'd definitely depend on to make money. A study from Bankrate found that side hustle income is how many respondents earn a vital part of their financial security, with 35% saying they use it for regular living expenses, 28% using it for savings, and 20% utilizing the money to pay down debt. Out of all generations, young people are more likely to have a side hustle, with Gen Z hitting the top of the list at 34%.
However, people over 70 can't seem to understand how having a side hustle is better than working a "real job" or only working a "real job." They grew up during a time when having a 9-5 job was enough to pay all the bills and live comfortably, but times have changed, and the economy is not what it once was. That means young people have to hustle and find other ways to supplement their income because just having a 9-5 job doesn't really cut it anymore.
4. Skipping breakfast
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The idea of skipping breakfast isn't even a consideration for many people over 70. They were raised on the idea that breakfast was the meal to get your day started, and was not up for negotiation on whether or not they were eating it before school, and eventually before going to work. However, younger generations tend to skip breakfast altogether. In a February 2025 survey from YouGov, 37% of Gen Z respondents reported not eating breakfast out at all in the past month.
When they do, they tend to gravitate towards lighter, quicker breakfast options. Watching younger generations just breeze through the day on either an empty stomach or some yogurt leaves older adults shaking their heads in quiet judgment. They don't understand how young people can function when their stomachs are grumbling for food. It just feels like an unnecessary risk when all you have to do is wake up earlier or plan your breakfast the night before, so you're fueling your body with the nutrients it needs.
5. Obsessing over podcasts
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Younger generations have really made a lane for podcasts. Young people tend to put on a podcast when they're doing anything and everything, preferring them to listening to music and watching TV shows or movies. When they're cleaning or driving, a podcast is probably on in the background. Unlike older generations, who might've listened to radio station shows as their form of podcasts, Gen Z usually tunes into podcasts on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts as their main form of enjoying content.
To someone over 70, the obsession with podcasts is a bit puzzling. They don't really understand why young people are so devoted to listening to people talk about what seems to them meaningless topics. For them, radio station shows were about giving out information to the public and seemed more productive than listening to regular people with microphones. The constant churning out of all these different podcasts feels overwhelming for older people.
6. Taking photos of everything
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Young people enjoy the art of taking photos of anything they see while out in public. Whether it's the way the sunset looks, the meal they're eating at dinner with their friends, or random photos of their pets in funny positions. They enjoy documenting all of these things, even if they aren't posting them to social media. For them, it's all about the memories. However, those over 70 find it weird when young people automatically take their phone out at every corner just to snap a quick photo to keep in their camera roll.
Older adults understand wanting to capture a moment, but they usually save it for special occasions, not just something that's done every single day. This was mostly due to the fact that photography was usually done with an actual camera instead of a phone. It was an entire process just to take photos and then have them developed. It made taking photos that much more special to them, but now young people don't have to do all of that to get a cute photo of a rainbow.
7. Oversharing life milestones
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Younger people tend to find joy in being able to share moments from their lives, especially when it comes to their successes. They'll immediately turn to social media to share any life milestone that happens to them. They have no qualms about sharing their lives with everyone, including strangers. To them, it's all about building community and sharing good news with people.
For people over 70, though, they aren't as willing to overshare because of how strange it can feel. They grew up in a time when big news was shared only with those in their lives through a phone call or a small gathering. It wasn't something they broadcast for everyone to know because of how deeply personal achievements were to them. They were something to be cherished privately, not to be posted online for strangers to see and comment on.
8. Watching reality shows
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From shows like 'Love Island' to anything from the 'Real Housewives' franchise, older adults don't really see the appeal of reality TV shows, but younger people are often obsessed with watching them. It's fun to watch strangers create drama amongst themselves and see the dynamics of how relationships play out on the screen. While it can be staged, for the most part, it's an interesting commentary. Of course, it doesn't help that reality shows are quite entertaining as well.
Older adults, though, didn't grow up with reality TV shows. For them, television was about storytelling and being entertained by drama from actual narrative programs. Watching people bicker over trivial issues and compete for money on camera feels like a downgrade from the polished shows they enjoy watching. They simply don't understand and even secretly judge the fact that young people enjoy reality shows as much as they do.
9. Relying on delivery for things
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Delivery apps have made life a lot easier for younger people. Being able to order food that comes straight to their door, groceries, clothes, and even prescriptions for medication means they never have to leave the comfort of their couch to get the things they need. However, relying on delivery services is unnecessary to people over 70. They have no problem getting in their cars or traveling on the bus to run an errand.
To them, it's just a part of daily life, and the convenience of scrolling on an app and placing an order only for it to show up at your doorstep automatically feels like cheating in a way. Watching younger people use delivery apps for the smallest of tasks makes older people wonder if independence has become a lost trait. Delivery usually costs more when older adults know that they can save a couple of dollars by just getting it themselves.
10. Using dating apps
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According to a survey from the Pew Research Center, online dating and using apps are more common among younger adults than among older people. About half of those under 30 (53%) report having ever used a dating site or app. With how digital everything has become, it has also extended to dating. Most young people tend to go on dates and even meet their partners by using apps like Hinge or Tinder. For people over 70, though, the concept of meeting someone through the phone is hard to wrap their heads around.
They wonder how a connection can be authentic if you don't even know that person at all. For them, many of their romantic relationships were formed through face-to-face interactions. It was bumping into someone at a coffee shop or someone walking up to them and asking for their number at a party. Meeting on a dating app feels a bit rushed and even superficial to them, despite how normal it is for young people to do.
11. Casually changing careers
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At any point, young people have no problem casually switching careers if something isn't working or making them happy. They don't feel obligated to stay with a job or be loyal to a company. They see it as a chance to grow and actually find something that brings them joy because they don't think that you should ever be unhappy working a job. People over 70 grew up in a time when it was normal and expected to stay loyal to a job.
Despite how you felt, it was ludicrous just suddenly to wake up one morning and completely change career courses. That's why older generations often view young people as "flaky" or "lazy," when in reality, they know what they want and refuse to compromise simply because that's the norm. They think that younger generations always job-hopping means they don't take things seriously, but young adults would rather jump into the unknown than be miserable.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
