#gen-z

#gen-z

It used to be curry sauce, egg yolk and red wine that ruined Britain's clothes but in a sign of the times laundry detergents are being reformulated to tackle stains left by matcha lattes, Aperol spritz and bubble tea. In a month when year-end gongs are dished out, from BBC Sports Personality to Pantone's Colour of 2026 (a white called cloud dancer), matcha has received the dubious accolade stain of the year.

Collectible card games were the most-purchased secondhand product category for Gen Z in the US on eBay so far this year, according to data from the e-commerce platform. The trend was especially clear among Gen Z men, who collectively shifted spending from electronics to trading cards and other collectibles, according to eBay. Trading cards were also the top secondhand sales category among Gen Z women on the platform, followed by books and cameras.

Few brands have captured the zeitgeist quite like Pink Palm Puff (PPP). With their signature embroidered hoodies and holiday pajama sets that blend cozy comfort and coastal-preppy style, PPP has exploded into a cultural staple, amassing nearly one million TikTok followers and a sprawling audience across all social platforms. Each product drop turns into a viral event, solidifying the brand's role as a bonafide pillar for originality and style in today's youth fashion landscape.

Homebuyers may experience a reprieve in 2026 as price normalization and an increase in home sales over the next year will take some pressure off the market-but don't expect homebuying to be affordable in the short run for Gen Z and young families. The "Great Housing Reset" will start next year, with income growth outpacing home-price growth for a prolonged period for the first time since the Great Recession era, according to a Redfin report released this week.

The demonstration outside the parliament building in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, on Monday afternoon was so big that it was hard to squeeze through the crowd. Although most people on the streets in Sofia were young, people of all ages were in attendance: from small children perched on their parents' shoulders to pensioners. "I never thought so many people would come out," one police officer was overheard saying to another as they stood on a small street packed with protesters near the main square.

Evans said in conversation with Beauty Inc editor in chief and WWD executive editor of beauty Jenny B. Fine. "When we talk about fandom, it really is different than just a community. The defining thing is that as fans or listeners, for your favorite music or podcast, it's how you engage with and interact with your favorite artists, podcasters and creators. So we say that Spotify is made by fans, for fans."

The $400 million deal helps Snap's Snapchat capitalize on Gen Z while exposing Perplexity to nearly a billion users. Snap is once again looking to differentiate itself from other social media platforms; this time, it's an announced partnership with Perplexity that could do the trick. Snapchat, with its nearly 1 billion users, will embed Perplexity within its app and allow people to ask questions and converse with the artificial intelligence (AI).

Differin, which produces over-the-counter gels and patches to treat acne, wanted to connect with teens experiencing breakouts for the first time. But the brand knew it needed to reach these users authentically. "We're really on a quest to ensure that we're building a relationship of trust with the next generation," said Tara Loftis, global president of skin care at Galderma, which owns a portfolio of prescription and nonprescription skin care products.

To give you a sense of how far ChatGPT has come it is the third leading source for traffic to my content at Forbes. The month over month rate of increase should create concern at Google, and inspiration to brands looking to build emotional connections with Gen Z. According to a new Forrester prediction report, looking at forces driving behaviors in 2026, 90% of consumers who use genAI will help monetize it without even realizing it.

Momofuku founder David Chang says America's youth isn't drinking alcohol in the same way as earlier generations, and it has become the "real existential threat" to the restaurant industry. "Kids just don't drink anymore," Chang said in an interview with TBPN talk-show hosts John Coogan and Jordi Hays this week. "They are never going to know what it is like to wake up at 3 p.m. in the afternoon and be like: 'Shit, I left my credit card in that bar.'"

Gen X'ers may be a bit uncomfortable if you openly blurt out how much you're making at the office-but it's less of a taboo for Gen Z, according to a new survey from Kickresume. The poll, which measured 1,850 anonymous employees worldwide, found only 31% of people say salary is openly discussed at their job-while 37% have rules against discussing pay.

Fashion and beauty probably has a head start on all of this thanks to fast trend cycles and Sephora tweens. A few weeks ago, I joined one brand that has made this work a priority: PacSun, the 45-year-old, now private equity-owned brand most recently reported to do around $1 billion in annual revenue. Millennials may remember PacSun from its mall heyday; it was originally founded as a surf brand. In recent years, it's had a comeback with Gen Z-it's all over TikTok Shop-and I found it fascinating how deeply PacSun is devoted to understanding these rising generations.

I bet you remember when Nike first began using their catchphrase: "Just Do It!" It was 1988, and this tagline could be found everywhere. It was a challenge to act, to initiate, to take a risk, to move forward even if it's hard. After 37 years, Nike is reintroducing this iconic rallying cry to Generation Z, but they are tailoring their message to the Gen Z mindset: "Why Do It?" It is customized to meet young athletes where they are.

So as in laugh out loud? Or laughing out loud, though David Cameron thought it stood for lots of love and used to sign off to Rebekah Brooks, the former Sun and News of the World editor, with a LOL. I'm LOL-ing at his LOL mishap. Well, you shouldn't. Why? Because anyone who still LOLs is not cool. Laughing out loud is no longer acceptable? No, using LOL in a text or a WhatsApp is no longer acceptable. Says who? It's according to gen Z.

Gen Z may not be the AI-native generation, but it's certainly the AI-pioneering one. From studying to shopping, LLMs and other AI-powered tools have transformed how young people navigate the digital (and real) world, and the changes keep emerging. As the Digital 2026: Global Overview Report shows, Gen Z navigates the digital world like no other generation that came before it. Here are three big takeaways from this industry-leading report that every PR professional needs to have a competitive advantage in the AI age.

In today's digital age, where every sport spins stories across screens, tennis still seems trapped in its old rhythm, struggling to embrace the pulse of modern content. Taylor Fritz and his girlfriend, Morgan Riddle. who began dating the American star in 2020 and turned her life as a tennis 'WAG' into a social media empire, recently sparked conversation by calling out the sport's rigid approach to online storytelling.

As a preteen, I couldn't resist the siren song of AIM, or AOL Instant Messenger. I'd hear that "door opening" noise or a message notification and rush to my computer, eager to see if the sign-on was my best friend or my boyfriend, both who were equally tethered to AIM at the time. (Naturally, all of our screen names usually contained the name of the person we were "dating" at the time ― NicksGirl4Eva88 was the height of romance in middle school in 2001.)

Gen Z is quietly rewriting the rules at work by letting AI take their meetings. An October study from Software Finder, a software discovery platform and database, found that three in ten survey respondents admitted to skipping a meeting, banking on AI to "have their back" by taking notes. The survey also found that 19% of full-time worker respondents use AI tools to automatically generate meeting notes. The strategy is paying off for some: According to the research, employees that use AI regularly to take meeting notes were 28% more likely to be promoted, compared to 15% otherwise, and earned nearly $20,000 more annually.