It is an argument every generation seems to inherit: Kids these days? They are just lazy.

We constantly hear that young people do not want to work. That they expect too much. That they are entitled, fragile and soft.

Picture this: Marla, a high school sophomore, comes home, drops her backpack and spends hours scrolling on her phone. Later, she complains that she has too much homework. Her parents reach an understandable conclusion: She is lazy.

Recently, former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, herself a member of Gen Z, brought this accusation back into the national conversation. She described her generation as “a little bit” lazy and raised with “silver spoons in their mouths.” Her prescription was equally familiar: work harder, embrace meritocracy, and pull yourself up by your bootstraps.

The story is compelling because it’s simple. If the problem is laziness, the solution must be effort.

But what if the explanation is wrong?

Gen Z deserves more empathy

As researchers and practitioners of emotional intelligence, we have spent decades studying how emotions influence the way we think, learn, make decisions, solve problems, build relationships and behave. Emotions are not background noise; they are information.

When we call someone lazy, we often stop asking questions. We confuse a judgment with an explanation.

What we call laziness may be disengagement: “None of this feels relevant to me.” Discouragement: “Why bother? I will probably fail.” Shame: “Everyone else understands this except me.” Disconnection: “No one would notice if I stopped trying.” Or something more troubling: “Nothing really excites me anymore.”

What looks like indifference may be anxiety. What looks like a lack of ambition may be a young person who has lost faith that effort will lead somewhere meaningful.

Of course, young people sometimes procrastinate, avoid responsibility and need to work harder. So do adults. But calling someone lazy describes what we see; it does not tell us why it is happening – or what might change it.

Empathy and accountability are not opposites. Understanding is often what makes........

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