Gen Z | The First Generation of Digital Native

In today’s hybrid world, young people seamlessly transcend their states of mind between the real world and the digital space as they escape real life stressors into the gaming world in search of their identity, belonging in a whole new world without a map.

Recent statistics have shown that their unregulated encounters with AI-companions, strangers in games and immersive realities have quickly turned problematic. Research shows a strong correlation between high screen time and the youth’s state of mental health.Young people who spend 5+ hours per day on screen, doomscrolling or binge gaming, often struggle with underlying issues such as anxiety and depression (Blackdog Institute, 2025). Forbes reveals that 80% of Gen Z who interact with Joy.AI are ok with marrying AI. With 90% of Gen Z actively being in the digital world, recent statistics have shown that 57% feel more themselves in the Metaverse and 77% play games as a coping mechanism to stress.

While all of the above sounds concerning, Gen Z are not lost without hope. In fact they may be the first generation to cultivate resilience and pave the way for the future generations with the right support. This reverse social phenomenon is observed by McCrindle, who states that over 67% of Gen Z are now sceptical of social media, craving authentic connection.

Bound by Stigma, Entrapped in the Cycle of Silence

Stigma around mental health had lingered in our society for decades, but unlike any other generations before them, Gen Z are not only entrapped in the cycle of silence that isolates them from their loved ones, but also are distracted from real life as their phones provide 24/7 access to a backdoor to escape from stress. The retentive, distraction-driven, and consumptive nature of these technologies, which is perceived by Gen Z to be a healthy coping mechanism, is actually masked in the form of dopamine hits boosted through online gaming, social media, and AI chatbots. As a result, the world is recently facing a truly devastating grief followed by tragic cases of AI companions that have been linked to premature mortality among adolescents.

Beyond Storytelling: Into Storyliving

Mirror XR is a research-driven AI-XR digital innovation that acts as a catalyst of social change for preventive youth mental health, co-creating a safer digital future for the next generations through intergenerational whole-of-community approach and responsible use of immersive and critical technologies.

Debuted in Adelaide Fringe 2025 as Australia’s first production of its kind, Mirror XR underlines the hybrid realities Gen Z lives in, taking their emotional journey beyond the power of storytelling into storyliving. Guided by Mira.AI, Australia’s first AI host for immersive narrative, participants don’t simply watch a story, they live through it by navigating their state of mind between the physical and virtual worlds. This evolution of storytelling creates space for reflection, dialogue, and transformation in a world where the digital and real are inseparable, transcending realities.