Gen Z’s ‘anxiety issues’ are down to ‘culture of safetyism’ and ‘mollycoddling’, says Rugby school headmaster
The headmaster of Rugby School has claimed a “culture of safetyism” and “mollycoddling” are to blame for Gen Z’s “anxiety issues”.
Gareth Parker-Jones blamed overly protective upbringings for high anxiety levels in young people, claiming real-life risks are “exaggerated” while online dangers are ignored.
He called boarding school an “antidote” to children who no longer want to be adventurous due to this “culture of safetyism”.
Parker-Jones, who heads one of Britain’s oldest private schools, wrote in the British Education magazine about a meeting he had with the CEOs of various companies.
“I recently attended a meeting with 15 CEOs from diverse industries. They were collectively bemoaning the work habits of their Gen Z staff,” he said.
“As the only educationalist in the room, I was blamed for shortcomings in the education system and for its failure to produce sufficiently robust employees.”
He said the conversation had reminded him of the book The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, in which the author warns that cell phones and overprotective parenting have led to a rise in mental illness among young people.
Parker-Jones claimed that not enough had been done to tackle “safetyism” in childhood, even though the overuse of smartphones and social media had led to changes in school policies.
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He said the culture, which had developed over the past 40 years, had “produced children who have been mollycoddled and as a result, are reluctant to take part in adventurous play or to seize opportunities where an element of risk is involved”.
The headmaster added: “The impact of ‘safetyism’ has received less attention but is equally important. Many children born in this millennium have experienced a childhood where perceived risks in the real world have been greatly exaggerated, while the genuine risks of the online world have been ignored.”
A passionate proponent for boarding school, Parker-Jones said schools like Rugby provide an “antidote” to these issues, citing the ban of smartphones in classrooms and the strict limits on mobile use outside class.
He claimed this allows students to have more face-to-face interactions where they can engage with one another without “electronic interruption”.
“Just as important are the opportunities for the students to have fun and spend unregulated time with each other – busy or not. We have more than 30 student bands, each of which has to find the time to practise and manage the dynamics of group performance,” he added.
The teacher also noted that the house system at the school was a key component in creating a good environment for children.
“There is something magical in the way that 10 students who come together at the age of 13 learn, despite or perhaps because of the inevitable squabbles and conflicts – how to live together successfully in a community and absorb the vital life skills that transport them beyond the Gen Z stereotypes presented by my CEO friends,” he said.
However, fees which reach £18,352 per term, make the school inaccessible for many.