Hey besties 
welcome to the April DL, your one stop shop for all things youth trends, pop culture, spicy stats and a few of my current fave TikToks sprinkled in for good measure
Hoping that all of you had a fab Easter BTW and didn’t spend the majority of the bank holiday in a heated family debate about which Easter cakes are the most elite – cornflake, shredded wheat or rice krispies?? (The answer of which still remains to be seen in my family, even after multiple taste tests 
)
Speaking of Easter treats, FMCG giant, Mars Wrigley UK, made a 142-tonne reduction in packaging across its Easter Eggs and a 6-tonne reduction in plastic this Easter. The removal of plastic trays from their Easter range meant that 97% of its Easter Egg portfolio in the UK was plastic-free.
Whilst this is a step in the right direction, it’s no secret that more needs to be done to combat the climate emergency. Especially in the eyes of young people.
Whilst all generations can and (for the most part) are trying to do their bit when it comes to living more sustainably, Gen Z are the most likely to say they want to change their lifestyles to be more healthy, environmentally friendly and helpful to others.
The lack of action in tackling environmental issues is creating a massive toll on the mental health of Gen Z: 75% of Gen Z’ers nationwide are experiencing stress and anxiety when they read about climate change in the news.
As well as climate change, issues like the cost of living crisis are having huge impacts on the big decisions young people are making for their future.
45% of young people between the ages of 18 and 35 say they no longer see the point in saving for their retirement due to climate change threatening their future.
Nearly half of childless 18 to 24 year olds said they don’t plan on having any children in the future, with 50% fearing they’ll never be financially secure enough to start a family.
Chinese fast fashion retailer, Shein, officially became the largest fashion retailer in the world this month.
Despite varying reviews on Trustpilot (including criticism of garment quality and references of poor customer service) and heaps of controversy surrounding its supply chain and sustainability issues, Shein is hugely popular amongst Gen Z consumers.
This could be largely attributed to Shein’s cheap prices and TikTok marketing strategy, but it’s left us pondering the following question at Beatfreeks HQ: is sustainable shopping really possible for any generation when we live in a capitalist society? 
Life unsettlingly imitated art earlier this month when social media users called out the similarities between a Good Morning Britain interview with Just Stop Oil activist and the 2021 Netflix film ‘Don’t Look Up’. You can see a video that Greenpeace UK created of the comparison here.
As the lines of media and real life continue to blur, Gen Z are calling out for more honesty around beauty expectations online.
This news continues to tie into the recurring trend that authenticity and ‘realness’ are massive pulls for Gen Z (in last month’s DL we mentioned 56% of TikTok users feel closer to brands when they publish human, unpolished content).
Research also shows that 48% of Gen Z think there is too much pressure to be perfect on social media.
This could be why a lesser known social media app, BeReal, has seen a surge in popularity in 2022 (nearly 2 million downloads in January and February alone).
BeReal sends a prompt to users to upload photos at specific times throughout the day, meaning there is no time to carefully cherry-pick and meticulously edit your images before posting.
Users have a small window to upload two photos (using front and back camera simultaneously) of what they’re doing right then and there 
Ella (one of our Account Executives here at Beatfreeks) said this about the app: “It’s nice to have the pressure to be perfect turned off by default, but in the same breath I’m not trained out of trying to perfect online yet so sometimes I don’t want to engage!”
Finally, after the TikTok I shared in last month’s DL ended up going viral and making news headlines, (is the DL becoming THE source of upcoming trends and viral videos?? Listen, if that’s what you tell your friends, family, colleagues and neighbours then I can’t stop you 
) I thought I’d share a similar video that made me laugh this month:
Another TikTok from an agency of Gen Z-ers 
If this is how young people are disrupting the corporate world then I am here for it xoxo
Aaaand that’s a wrap!
We’ll see you next month for another run down in what’s hot and not according to the largest generation in human history.
Peace and love xo
Katie from Beatfreeks
[ Looking for some specific research and insight or want to have a chat about how we’re planning on continuing to work with young people in 2022? Drop us a message here ]
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