How smartphones shaped Gen Z: What It means for workplace engagement

Managers and colleagues often find themselves puzzled by the workplace behaviors of their newest Generation Z team members. Their communication styles, emotional needs, and reactions to feedback differ from those of previous generations. But what if the key isn’t found in stereotypes, but in the device that raised them?

To truly understand this generation, we must see the smartphone not merely as a tool they adopted, but as the environment in which they grew up. For them, hyper-connection is the air they breathe, and like air, it is invisible until you notice its effects. This isn’t metaphorical, it’s neurological. Research from UNICEF (2021) and the OECD (2023) shows that early digital exposure affects self-regulation, sleep cycles, and social learning. Their brains were forged by its innovations at the precise moments they were learning about identity, social connection, and self-worth.

This article reveals five surprising takeaways from this “ultra-connected” childhood. These insights explain everything from their social anxieties and fragmented attention to their most significant and most underestimated strengths in the modern workplace.

1. Their brains weren’t just introduced to tech; they were forged by it

Gen Z didn’t just adopt smartphones as a tool; key digital innovations arrived at the precise moments their brains were wiring for identity, social connection, and self-worth. While older generations learned to use technology, Gen Z’s development was intertwined with its evolution.

• The iPhone (2007): The internet became a portable, private environment, shifting childhood exploration from the street to the screen.
• The “Like” Button (2009): Social validation became a quantifiable metric. For a brain still learning self-worth, this was gasoline on insecurity.
• Instagram & Front-Facing Camera (2010): Adolescent identity became a visual performance, fusing self-image and social image in an unprecedented way.
• Snapchat & Disappearing Content (2011–2015): Social presence became a constant, 24/7 demand. Social anxiety grew not only from what was said, but from what was missed.
• TikTok (2016): A generation discovered its voice—but through an algorithm trained to exploit the dopamine system.

Neuroscientific studies (see: Twenge et al., 2023) have begun to link early exposure to algorithmic platforms with delayed emotional regulation and higher anxiety levels by adulthood.

2. They were overprotected in the real world, but underprotected online

A central paradox of Gen Z’s upbringing is that, as parental fears about real-world dangers grew, childhood was increasingly confined indoors. Amplified news cycles about abductions and accidents made unsupervised outdoor play seem increasingly reckless to many parents.

Around 2010, parents faced a difficult trade-off. Screens appeared to be a harmless, even educational, alternative to the perceived dangers lurking outside. While parents knew how to manage physical risks, the risks of the digital world were not yet understood.

The consequence was a generation restricted from exploring the physical world while having unlimited freedom to wander the digital one, a vast, unregulated landscape. What felt safe to parents became a silent danger.

According to Eurochild (2022), over 70% of European youth report encountering harmful online content before age 14, often with no adult intervention.

3. The loss of unsupervised play has a direct echo in the office

The shift indoors led to what Jonathan Haidt calls the “decline of play-based childhood.” For previous generations, unsupervised play was a critical training ground for essential social skills. Time spent playing outside taught children how to negotiate rules, build trust, and repair relationships without adult intervention. They had countless chances to fall, scrape a knee, fight, reconcile, and return to the game.

This experience builds a crucial capacity for antifragility, the capacity to grow stronger from small risks and microfailures. With fewer opportunities for low-stakes conflict, Gen Z arrives at work with this muscle less exercised.

This shows up in practice. In coaching sessions with HR managers across Belgium and the Netherlands (2023–2024), we consistently heard reports of younger employees “freezing” in team conflict—not from entitlement, but from unfamiliarity. When tension arises in a team meeting, the rehearsed strategy is often silent scanning or withdrawal rather than confrontation. For many, this isn’t a sign of avoidance but rather the most practiced response.

4. The harms of a smartphone childhood are now workplace challenges

The four structural harms of a “phone-based childhood” have reappeared as significant challenges at work. These legacies of their digital adolescence now define their entry into the professional world.

1. Social Deprivation
   Digital connection reduced practice with real-life social cues. This has led to an intense craving for authentic belonging at work.
   According to Eurofound (2021), 64% of European 18–24-year-olds reported feeling lonely most of the time during lockdowns, compared with 25% of older age groups.

2. Sleep Deprivation
   Constant notifications and endless scrolling disrupted sleep patterns throughout their formative years. This increases the risk of burnout, even early in their careers.
   A 2024 Gallup poll found that 35% of Gen Z workers took time off due to stress, more than any other generation.

3. Attention Fragmentation
   Growing up in an environment of constant multitasking made it their default cognitive mode. As a result, long, linear meetings can feel intolerable, and engagement drops quickly if discussions lack a clear purpose.
   Deloitte’s 2023 Gen Z Report showed that 46% of respondents felt overwhelmed by the pace of information at work.

4. Device Dependency
   The smartphone became an emotional regulator, a tool to ease boredom and escape stress. This blurs the line between professional and personal life, creating an “always on” expectation.
   Pew Research (2023) found that 54% of teens report spending too much time on their phones but struggle to cut back—a behavioural loop that persists into adult work life.

5. But their digital upbringing also gave them unique superpowers

Hyper-connection didn’t just create challenges; it also cultivated unique and valuable capacities. This digitally native upbringing has equipped Gen Z with a set of skills that are incredibly advantageous in today’s organizations.

• Digital Multilingualism
  They fluently code-switch across Slack, TikTok, Zoom, and Google Docs—making them natural translators between systems and people.

• Pattern Recognition & Coherence Radar
  Raised on mixed-media feeds, they quickly detect contradictions and inauthenticity.
  This isn’t just intuition; it’s pattern fluency developed through years of scrolling.

• Global Empathy
  Constant exposure to global crises—climate, social justice, mental health—has shaped an internalized sense of inclusion. Unlike performative DEI, theirs is personal and values-driven.

• Collective Intelligence
  Raised on collaborative platforms (Minecraft, Discord, wikis), they intuitively seek co-creation over hierarchy.

• Speed of Learning
  Accustomed to tutorials and peer-to-peer learning, they can rapidly upskill, as long as learning is frictionless, modular, and meaningful.