Move over millennials - here comes

When Liam Donager’s parents finally granted him access to the internet at the relatively advanced age of 13, he says his world changed.

“It made my life 30 times easier—all that information right at my fingertips,” says the 18-year-old Post Falls High School senior.

While Donager was introduced to smartphones and other electronic devices in the dawn of his teen years, he actually lags behind the national average. Research indicates the typical age for a child in the U.S. getting their first smartphone is 10.

An earlier introduction to high-tech gadgetry is just one of the many phenomena that defines Generation Z, the generation born between 1997 and 2012 that is on the heels of the of millennials, the 20- and 30-somethings born between 1981 and 1996.

What makes Gen Z-ers unique is that they are the first generation to grow up with today’s technology. The iPhone launched in 2007, when the oldest Gen-Zers were 10. By the time they were in their teens, the primary means by which young Americans connected with the web was through mobile devices with cellular service.

Social media, constant connectivity and on-demand entertainment and communication are innovations millennials adapted to as they came of age. But for those born after 1996, these conveniences are largely assumed.

Donager, who checks his phone constantly throughout his waking hours, doesn’t know a world without smar phones. And that suits him fine.

“I would have a lot of struggles without the internet,” he says.

Growing up in an “always on” technological environment is just one of several characteristics that mark this young demographic, according to Pew Research Center, a Washington, D.C.-based “fact tank” that provides information on social issues and demographic trends.

Other defining characteristics of Gen Z, as outlined by Pew Research, include:

Overwhelmed.

This group tends to hold a pervasive sense that being a teenager today is a draining, full-time job that includes doing schoolwork, managing a social media identity, juggling a part-time job and maintaining relationships.

According to Pew, 68 percent of Gen Zers feel overwhelmed by everything they have to do each week.

Although he works about 13 hours a week as a stocker at a local Walmart, is completing his final year of high school and has a busy social life, Donager says his stress levels are manageable.

“I can see how a lot of my friends might feel overwhelmed, but it’s not a big issue for me. A lot of it has to do with good time management—prioritizing and telling myself I have to do certain things now and not put them off.”

Abstinence.

According to Pew Research, Gen Z youth are less likely to drink, smoke and take drugs.

Donager fits that mold, though he says many of his friends do not.

“I don’t use drugs or alcohol—nobody in my family does,” he says. “I don’t like what it does to you. It’s just not healthy in any way, shape or form so why waste my time doing it?”

Progressive.

Despite a disdain for mind-altering substances, Gen Z hold more progressive views on issues like the legality of marijuana and the morality of same-sex marriage.

While he accepts the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, Donager opposes its legality for recreational use. He also opposes same-sex marriage. However, he keeps an open mind.

“I consider myself pretty nonjudgmental; I believe that people can make their own decisions,” he says.

Pew Research is quick to understand that generational lines are not black and white.

“But for analytical purposes, we believe 1996 is a meaningful cutoff between millennials and Gen Z for a number of reasons, including key political, economic and social factors that define the millennial generation’s formative years,” writes Michael Dimock, president of Pew Research Center.

With each passing generation, life becomes more complicated. Baby boomers grew up as television expanded dramatically. Generation X grew up during the computer revolution. And millennials came of age during the internet explosion.

In this progression, what is unique for Generation Z is that all the above have been part of their lives from the start.

That’s a lot to consider for this American demographic, but Donager is taking things in stride. And he has a plan.

“I want to work to make myself a better person and to start saving money so I can by a car and someday a house,” he says. “It teaches me to be an adult. I’m 18, and I can’t live with my mom and dad for the rest of my life. That just won’t work.”