Jeff Brazier talks to Gen Zs about how they feel – about phonecalls

A quarter of Gen Z adults actively avoid phone calls – and six in ten even blank calls from their own parents, a study has found. A third find calls “awkward”, and 24 percent would never just phone someone out of the blue.

In fact, 36 percent reckon the bulk of the phone calls they make are trying to get hold of their mates on a night out.

The poll, of 1,000 adults aged 18-25, commissioned by Sky Mobile, found 73 percent would rather catch up on WhatsApp, iMessage, or Snapchat, instead of speaking on the phone.

However, it’s not just calls they are ignoring – as 41 percent have even muted a group chat with their mum and dad.

The mobile network has teamed up with TV star Jeff Brazier, who has been on campus finding the best way parents can contact their offspring, as millions of students head off to university for the first time.

Jeff said: “I used to think I was up to speed with all the texting tricks of the younger generation, but after I visited some lovely students, I’ve officially been schooled.

“Keeping connected to my kids is super important, particularly as they embark on the big challenges in their lives. So, I’m glad I’ve been given the opportunity to learn from some of the digital natives of our time.”

It comes after a separate poll of 1,000 parents, with children aged 13 to 25, revealed 71 percent believe picking up the phone for a chat is the best way to keep in contact with someone.

However, six in ten parents believe the younger generation are scared of answering calls compared to previous generations – with 64 percent agreeing they only hear from their children via WhatsApp and text.

The research also explored messaging between parents and their children – with 41 percent of Gen Z noting their parents often reply “ok” to almost everything.

And 30 percent get inundated with a stream of x’s at the end of a message from mums and dads.

It also emerged 35 percent find it amusing when their parents have no idea what emojis mean – with 27 percent thinking their parents are clueless about the ones they are sending themselves.

But 38 percent of parents admitted they hardly ever use emojis, and if they do they try to play it safe – with 40 percent revealing that getting their head around what emojis mean is like learning a new language.

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It’s not just emojis which are puzzling them, though, as 28 percent have had to turn to Google to work out what their children have sent them.

And 24 percent think they are trying to baffle them on purpose – with “slay”, “peng”, and “roadman” among the most perplexing terms used.

Despite the difficulties with communication, the study, from Sky Mobile, found two-thirds of parents are currently footing the bill for their teen or Gen Z offspring’s phone contracts.

Nearly six in ten (59 percent) are doing so to ensure their kids are easy to contact, while 41 percent want to support them financially where they can.

And 64 percent of those polled, via OnePoll, would even happily share any of their own unused data with them.

Paul Sweeney, managing director for Sky Mobile, added: “As a parent of university-aged kids myself, I know all parents want to stay connected as their kids start a new term.

“All unused data rolls into one Sky Piggybank that can be shared, so students can get a top-up whenever they need it to stay in touch – by message, not phone call.”

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