Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Gen Z comes of age protesting the death of George Floyd

Gen Z comes of age protesting the death of George Floyd

Generation Z is coming of political age as they join with thousands in protesting the police killing of George Floyd, and much of it is playing out online.

Generations that came before Gen Z went through similar awakenings. However, Gen Z is likely to continue engaging even after the protests end because of the power of smartphones and social media, per Axios’ Sara Fischer.

  • Those same platforms also allow this generation to support a movement without setting foot on the streets, by demanding companies "open your purse" in support of Black Lives Matter, retweeting others and more.

  • Video footage of police action is holding law enforcement accountable.

The big picture

The first Gen Zers, born in 1997, have cast aside their parents’ means of communication — newspaper, television and radio — for the internet, and they’ve been online from an early age. They're abandoning traditional media altogether in favor of the web and consuming their news largely via social media, CNBC reports.

Many Gen Zers are flooding the streets with phones in hand to protest racial inequality and upload what they see onto social media, specifically TikTok.

  • TikTok started largely as a platform for sharing viral dances, but has quickly evolved into a space for political discourse for America’s youth as young people use the tool to share stories, according to Reuters.

What’s Next

Nearly 60% of TikTok users fall into Gen Z. Many are posting raw clips of what they see and experience both out in the world and at home.

  • Users have posted encounters with law enforcement while protesting — often before traditional media can get stories published or on-air.

  • Many of Gen Z’s cultural leaders — such as 16-year-old Charli D’Amelio, who has 60 million followers on TikTok — are using their platforms to talk about the protests and the Black Lives Matter movement.

  • Gen Zers are providing their own analysis of police brutality against black Americans and sharing raw emotions over Floyd’s death.
    • Some are challenging older family members about police brutality and publishing the conversations — highlighting a generational rift, Business Insider notes.

Young Americans have long challenged the status quo and have driven change — often meeting law enforcement in the streets.

  • The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was founded in 1960 to support the civil rights movement peacefully. It played a substantial role in organizing lunch counter sit-ins and Freedom Rides, and was part of famous marches that include Selma-to-Montgomery, Alabama and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s March on Washington.

  • In the late 1960s, many college students protested the ongoing Vietnam War by organizing sit-ins and marches.

  • Leaders had to rely on word of mouth, pamphlets, posters and songs to get people to support their causes long before the internet existed.

The bottom line:

"There is a stubborn resistance to treating young people's political activism as normal, but the truth is that it's neither extraordinary nor exceptional," Jessica Taft, an associate professor at the University of California at Santa Cruz, told the University of California. "Children and youth are not on the sidelines. They are protagonists in the fight for their rights and their well being."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×