👉 Download your free GenZ Survival Kit: https://bit.ly/ZakKoenigsSurvivalKit
 FREE tips for helping your kid Shift From Isolation to Connection and get moving again.

In this raw and vulnerable episode, I sit down with my son, Zak, to hear the truth about growing up Gen Z. He shares what it was like to graduate during the COVID-19 pandemic, why so many boys are isolating behind screens, and how online communities can either heal—or harm—them.

Zak opens up about his darkest moments, what he wishes his dad and I had known, and the small steps parents can take to reconnect with their kids. This isn’t theory—it’s lived experience from the anxious generation itself.

Key Takeaways

• The hidden struggles of Gen Z—anxiety, addiction, and loneliness
• Why COVID reshaped an entire generation’s mental health
• The dangerous pull of toxic online communities for young men
• The surprising boundary Zak appreciated, even though he hated it at the time
• The one piece of advice he has for parents watching their kids struggle

Time Stamps

• [00:02:00] Zak describes his lowest point—days stuck in bed, unable to send a text, challenged by OCD.
• [00:05:00] Growing up Gen Z: how being a COVID grad shaped his generation’s mental health.
• [00:08:00] The inner world of young men: what parents don’t see but kids desperately feel.
• [00:12:00] How online grifters prey on boys’ loneliness and twist it into hate.
• [00:18:00] Why parents struggle to “speak the language” of their child’s digital communities.
• [00:23:00] Zak’s blunt take: the need for regulation, phone bans in schools, and systemic change.
• [00:27:00] Is Gen Z addicted? Zak explains.
• [00:29:00] The one boundary Zak secretly appreciated, even though he hated it. 
• [00:30:00] His advice to parents: sponsor real-world connection, don’t just lecture.
• [00:36:00] The one simple, non-invasive routine he says can help kids climb out of the hole.
  
  

✨ Resources & Next Steps:

• Subscribe to this podcast for more conversations like this here. 
• Download your FREE Bad Mom Survival Kit. 
• If this episode resonates with you, share it with another parent. Gen Z is speaking—let’s make sure we’re listening.

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The Bad Mom Podcast: Parenting The Anxious Generation is a Project Grit initiative: fortifying mental wellness for the next generation.

Just Like My Child Foundation is a proud nonprofit partner of Project, committed to equipping today's youth with the tools they need to thrive and build a better future.