Heinous act young Australians can’t seem to stop doing

Young Aussies have happily admitted to engaging in a controversial act that many wouldn’t dream of doing – but Gen Z really don’t see an issue with it.

It is no secret that the younger generations often engage in behaviour that leave older Aussies clutching their pearls.

From workplace trends like ‘quiet quitting’ and ‘bare minimum Mondays’, to self-care movements like ‘bed rotting’ and ‘everything showers’, Gen Z aren’t afraid of doing things that may be frowned upon by older generations.

Now, young Aussies have happily admitted to a controversial act that many wouldn’t dream of doing: using your phone on speaker in public.

That’s right, younger generations see no issue with FaceTiming their mate without headphones while on the train or checking in with their mum on full volume while they do their grocery shopping.

Ahead of the launch of news.com.au’s Great Aussie Debate, we asked 2000 Aussies a series of questions about their lives and habits.

When asked whether it was appropriate to use your phone on loud speaker in public, 18-29-year-olds were 2.4 times more likely than the average Aussie to choose, “Yes, I don’t care about other people and their comfort so I’m totally fine with this”.

News.com.au is asking all Aussies the questions that really matter in The Great Aussie Debate. From serious to silly, these are the issues that divide Australia and we want to know what you think.

Older Aussies, aged 60 and over, were horrified at the thought, with people in this age group 20 per cent more likely to state, “never, ever, ever”.

Another questionable phone habit, which appears to be vastly more accepted by Aussies, is using your device while on the toilet.

Of the respondents, 82 per cent of people under the age of 40 admitted to using their phone on the toilet, while 74 per cent of people aged 60 and over say they don’t.

Men (57 per cent) were more likely than women (50 per cent) to admit to the unsanitary act.

Even though older Aussies may be tempted to look at the way Gen Z and Millennials engage with technology in horror, Research Director for YouthInsight Anna Denejkina said acceptance of generational differences is important.

“Previous research has shown that younger generations demonstrate less strict concepts when it comes to phone etiquette,” Dr Denejkina told news.com.au.

“Like with any technology, it’s not unexpected that there would be variations in how different generations view and use these technologies.”

Young Aussies see no issue with using their phone on loud speaker while out in public. Picture: iStock

Dr Denejkina said she wasn’t overly surprised that young people were more comfortable with using their phone on speaker in public, noting that different age groups use technology in differing ways.

“What is accepted and normalised in one generation can be different in others,” she said.

“The data here is showing that difference, but this doesn’t suggest that one generation is correct or incorrect in their use, and what they view as acceptable.”

She noted that it was important to forego judgment any generational shaming or bashing in any form when it comes to technology use.

“Each generation has its traits or even eccentricities when it comes to technology; it’s just about accepting these generational differences,” Dr Denejkina said.

While Gen Z may be nonchalant about using their phones on loud speaker out in public, new research has revealed they are far less likely to take an unexpected call than older generations.

There are always going to be differences in how people from different generations interact and use technology. Picture: iStock

Research conducted by CommBank and telco provider More has revealed that 90 per cent of Gen Z are anxious about speaking on the phone, with some even going as far as to say that an awkward phone call is one of the top three things they’d most want to avoid in life.

This has created an interesting dating habit that, while possibly seen as brutal by older people, is just part of modern relationships for young Aussies.

Of the youngsters surveyed, one in five have broken up with a partner via text.

However, CEO of More Andrew Branson said Gen Z’s aversion to awkward phone calls doesn’t necessarily mean they a bad communicators, rather that they just prefer to communicate in different ways.

“The findings show that they prefer to communicate face-to-face, or via text – so Gen Z still rely on human interaction for connection but just prefer to use their phone to do so as well,” he told news.com.au.

The overwhelming majority of Gen Z respondents said one of their top priorities in life was to stay connected with friends and family.

“It just goes to show that you can still make meaningful connections over text,” Mr Branson said.