Amit Dutta
Gen Z is the buzzword these days — and you already know why. Gen Z- broadly those born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s- is everywhere. They’re the trendsetters on TikTok, the influencers shaping brand campaigns, the voices sparking global conversations on climate change, mental health, and identity. This generation can start a movement with a hashtag, topple a brand with a boycott, or make a random song go viral overnight. They have power – real cultural power.
And this power isn’t just cultural – it’s political. In Nepal, it was young voters, many of them Gen Z, who rallied behind new parties and independent candidates, shaking up the traditional political order in the last elections. Their mobilisation online spilled into real life, proving that when Gen Z engages with politics, governments can change.
And yet, when it comes to traditional news, many in Gen Z feel like outsiders. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism – Digital News Report 2025 shows that a big chunk of under-35s are actively avoiding the news. Not because they don’t care – but because they find it too complicated, too depressing, or too irrelevant. That’s the gap we need to fill.
Imagine what happens if the same generation that can mobilise in Nepal, move markets with memes, and shift global culture also feels fully informed about politics, economics, and world affairs. Imagine if they weren’t just shaping culture but also reshaping democracy. To get there, the news industry has to change how it speaks – and that’s exactly what this article explores: simple, practical ways to make news plain, clear, and accessible for the most powerful generation on the planet.
The Scale of the Problem
Scroll through social media today and you’ll see young people everywhere – sparking debates, raising money for causes, amplifying voices that might otherwise go unheard. Gen Z isn’t apathetic. If anything, they’re some of the most active citizens the world has seen. But here’s the contradiction: while they’re shaping conversations online, many of them are tuning out from traditional news.
The Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report 2025 puts numbers to this trend. Across dozens of countries, under-35s are far more likely than older groups to say they avoid the news. But here’s the twist – they’re not avoiding it because they’re lazy or indifferent. They’re avoiding it because they find it hard to understand.
This is where the problem gets serious. News isn’t supposed to be an insiders’ club where only those with degrees in politics or economics can follow along. And yet that’s how it often feels to younger audiences. In countries like Bulgaria, Turkey, Croatia, and Greece, more than 60% of people admit they regularly step away from the news. Even in healthier media environments like Taiwan or Japan, the avoidance rates are higher among the young.
For Gen Z, the reasons sound familiar:
- “It’s too complicated.”
- “I don’t have the background knowledge.”
- “The language doesn’t make sense.”
It’s not a lack of curiosity. It’s a usability issue. Imagine being 23 and opening a story on the economy. Instead of clear explanations, you get hit with technical jargon like “monetary tightening” and “bond yield inversion.” Unless you studied economics, the piece feels like it’s written in code. You skim, maybe read the headline, then move on. Do this enough times, and checking the news becomes a chore you’d rather avoid.
And this avoidance has consequences. When a whole generation feels locked out of traditional journalism, it creates an information divide. Those who can understand the jargon stay informed; those who can’t drift toward bite-sized posts on TikTok or Instagram, where misinformation can spread just as fast as facts. The result isn’t just fewer clicks for newspapers – it’s weaker democracies.
Because here’s the truth: news isn’t just content. It’s the foundation of informed citizenship. And if Gen Z – the same generation that can shake up governments, as Nepal showed – feels cut off from it, society risks losing their energy and perspective in the democratic process.
Why the News Feels Hard
If you ask a Gen Z reader why they don’t stick with the news, their answers aren’t about laziness. They’re about barriers. And once you listen carefully, the picture becomes clear: the news industry often speaks in a language that wasn’t built for them.
1. The Language Wall
Newsrooms love jargon. A finance piece throws in “repo rate hikes” and “bond yield inversion.” A climate article talks about “multilateral frameworks” and “carbon trading.” A politics story assumes you know the difference between a motion, a bill, and an ordinance. For a first-time reader, this isn’t information – it’s noise. It’s like being dropped into the middle of a movie without knowing the plot. Older audiences may have picked up this knowledge over years, but Gen Z is often left outside the conversation.
2. Context Gaps
Most stories assume you already know the backstory. You’ll read, “The bill cleared the upper house after months of standoff,” but nowhere does it explain what the bill is about or why it matters. Without a recap, younger readers are lost. And when people feel lost often enough, they stop trying.
3. The Emotional Toll
Even when the words are clear, the mood is heavy. War. Corruption. Climate collapse. Economic crisis. The report shows that younger audiences are especially likely to avoid news because it makes them feel anxious or powerless. If opening the news feels like bracing for a storm, why would anyone make it a daily habit?
4. Format Fatigue
Cluttered websites, pop-ups, autoplay ads, long paragraphs that bury the key point – the reading experience itself is exhausting. Gen Z is used to platforms where the message is clean, visual, and well-packaged. That doesn’t mean they can’t handle depth. It means the doorway has to feel open, not blocked by bad design.
4. Trust Deficit
Finally, there’s credibility. Many younger readers believe news outlets are biased, chasing clicks, or mixing facts with opinion. Without trust, even a well-written story feels like something to second-guess. And when doubt becomes the default, engagement fades.
Together, these barriers explain why Gen Z is drifting away. It’s not that they don’t care about the world – their activism proves they do. It’s that the news industry too often makes them feel excluded, confused, or emotionally drained.
The tragedy is that this avoidance becomes a cycle: the less they read, the less background knowledge they have; the less background knowledge they have, the harder the next article feels.
Breaking that cycle requires more than blaming “short attention spans.” It requires rethinking how news is written, packaged, and presented – so the world’s most active generation doesn’t feel like outsiders in the one space they should feel most included.
Real-World Examples of Solutions
The good news is that some newsrooms are already experimenting with ways to make their journalism more approachable.
- Sweden’s “Kompakt” News Mode: Svenska Dagbladet created a “compact edition” with fewer, clearer stories for stressed readers who still want to stay informed.
- Aftonbladet’s “Ethics Box”: Small behind-the-scenes notes on how a story was reported, aimed at building trust with skeptical young readers.
- BBC’s Explainer Formats: “Explain it simply” versions of complex issues give readers a hand-holding entry point without oversimplifying.
- TikTok and Visual Storytelling: Short videos and memes act as gateways to topics that might otherwise seem intimidating.
These efforts prove a key point: younger audiences aren’t asking for less news. They’re asking for news that’s easier to walk into.
The Role of Technology
Technology can smooth the entry points if used wisely.
- Summarised Versions: 27% of people want a short, clear summary before the full story.
- Translation Tools: 24% want content instantly available in their own language.
- Adaptive Reading Levels: Toggling between “simple” and “advanced” could be transformative for accessibility.
- Audio and Video Options: 15% want audio, 14% want text-to-video – helpful for commutes and multitasking.
- Human-Led, AI-Assisted: Audiences trust humans steering the story with AI in the background, not the other way around.
Tech here isn’t about replacing reporters. It’s about reducing friction.
Why Plain-Language News Matters for Democracy
Plain language is more than a style choice – it’s a democratic necessity.
- Information Inequality: Complex news risks creating a divide between the informed elite and the uninformed majority.
- Civic Participation: Without accessible news, fewer young people engage in debate, activism, or voting.
- Global Lessons: Finland shows how clear, trusted public media can keep avoidance low and civic trust high.
- Emotional Inclusion: Accessible language signals to young readers: “This conversation includes you.”
Democracy works only when people understand the issues they’re voting on.
What Newsrooms Can Do
Here are some practical fixes:
- Test Readability to catch overly dense writing.
- Add Context Boxes to give backstory in two lines.
- Offer a Summary + Deep Dive to cater to different readers.
- Reduce Jargon by spelling out terms once.
- User-Test with Young Readers for clarity feedback.
- “Why This Matters” Sections to connect policy to everyday life.
- Rethink Headlines and Alerts for clarity and relevance.
These aren’t costly reforms. They require empathy and willingness to meet readers halfway.
Conclusion – News That Welcomes Everyone
The story of Gen Z avoiding the news isn’t about apathy. It’s about accessibility. They care deeply about the world – their activism proves that. But when news feels like a locked door, they don’t push harder; they walk away.
The fixes are already out there: compact editions, ethics boxes, explainers, summaries, translations, and adaptable formats. When newsrooms adopt these, they aren’t watering down journalism. They’re opening it up.
Because the right to information isn’t just about access. It’s about understanding. When news feels like it was written for everyone – including Gen Z – society doesn’t just gain readers. It gains more engaged citizens, stronger debates, and healthier democracies.
Gen Z already shapes culture. If journalism learns to speak their language, they’ll shape the future of democracy too.
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Source References-
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS3XGZxi7cBVouUe2EfoxH2qv897a3F6J Picture: Gabriel Valdez- Unsplash
Author-Amit Dutta, Executive Editor at Zee Business. Experienced Business Journalist with a demonstrated history of working in the broadcast media industry. Skilled in Breaking News, Journalism, Media Relations, Television and Media Production. Media and communication professional with Master of Journalism and Mass Communication degree.
