04/06/2026
"You and your phone…" - it's the universal parental lecture.
But is the image of a young person slumped over a screen, emotionally unreachable, actually accurate? We spoke with three young adults in Luxembourg, a youth centre educator and psychologist Dr André Melzer from the University of Luxembourg.
What they describe isn't a generation that lost the ability to connect, it's one navigating tools that were never built with their wellbeing in mind. They block without guilt, turn off notifications, and still crave the in-person meetup after the group chat.
This article was written by Maiwen Rerat and Julja Sheqeri as part of a practical journalism workshop at the University of Luxembourg.
Read and listen in English, German and French
👉 https://journal.lu/en/socialisation-currently-uploading-how-gen-z-actually-connects
Photos: Lex Kleren
Phone-addicted and unable to connect: That's the stereotype about Gen Z. A psychologist and three young adults in Luxembourg tell a different story.