Struggling or Snowflakes? The Gen Z Mental Health Story

The Rest Is Politics

Thursday, 21 May 2026 - 24 minutes

What's behind the rise in young people being diagnosed with mental health problems? Are members of Gen Z less resilient than older generations? Or are they a product of a society that has failed them? Has therapy culture gone too far? Or not far enough? Why are so many young people out of work? Is it laziness? Is something deeper at play?

This week in The Gen Z Story, Vicky Spratt is joined by three guests: psychologist and expert in adolescent mental health, Dr Lucy Foulkes, Shuab Gamote, researcher and co-author of “Inside the Mind of a 16-year-old” and "Inside the Mind of a Young NEET" and Freya India, the author behind the book “Girls, The Commodification of Everything”.

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Hosted by: Vicky Spratt

Producer: India Dunkley

Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Josh Smith

Researcher: Olivia Taylor Hooper

Exec Producer: Tom Whiter