Trauma is trendy thanks to Gen Z — they’re done ‘ignoring’ mental health

The latest online trend is trauma — and it’s all thanks to a more “self-aware” generation.

Gen Z’s attempt to destigmatize mental health issues and willingness to open up online has spurred a wave of trauma oversharing on social media platforms.

Meg Schnetzer, a trauma-informed somatic practitioner, has seen an “uptick” of young people talking about their past traumas online, going so far as to dub it a trend.

“There seems to be a lot of awareness, so that people are feeling safe enough to open up and share their experiences,” Schnetzer, 32, told South West News Service.

“When people are able to work up the courage to share, it ignites a whole movement.”

In contrast, millennials have been taught to “invalidate” their experiences, which “feels easier” than addressing the emotions, the Delaware resident explained.

“We come from a generation who were invalidated a lot, had emotions minimized and were told to ‘pull yourself up by your bootstraps’ rather than letting your feelings out,” she said.

Gen Z, however, is done “ignoring it.”

“Now Gen Z are owning their trauma responses and making a conscious stand,” said Schnetzer, who boasts more than 23,000 followers on TikTok.

“All in all, I think it’s a great thing that the generation seems to be more self-aware.”

TikTok has “accelerated” the uptake of Gen Z’s radical transparency — two years ago, Schnetzer said she felt like she was “speaking into the void.”

“But now — especially in the last six months — it’s everywhere,” she said.

Clients who have come across the so-called trend online have asked the trauma-informed coach, “Why aren’t more people being taught this?”

“So while you can’t reach the entire world on TikTok, it makes a big difference — people don’t know things unless they hear it,” she said.

Despite the sudden interest in the topic of trauma, Schnetzer doesn’t have an issue with it being a “trend” as long as the term isn’t “thrown around flippantly.”

However, Schnetzer did not explicitly define what experiences Zoomers deem as “traumatic” during their sharing on TikTok.

The transparency of mental health online has also given way to potentially dangerous “therapy speak,” which critics claim can lead to a weaponization of commonly misused therapy terms — such as “gaslighting” or “trauma” — in order to manipulate others.

Yet, discussions around mental health — like the content Gen Z is posting — could reduce the stigma surrounding mental health treatment.

“As far as trauma goes, I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” said Schnetzer.

She explained that support during a traumatic experience can inform the impact it will have later.

“I’m of the belief that nobody escapes trauma — it just looks different for everyone,” she continued. “Some people don’t even realize they have been through it.”

The beauty of the trendy TikTok topic, then, is that people might feel a little less alone.

However, experts have previously warned about the dangers of emotional oversharing on social media, as it could impact a job seeker’s employment prospects.

A study, published last month, found that potential bosses who saw a LinkedIn post from a job candidate about mental health struggles like depression or anxiety might see that person as “less emotionally stable and less conscientious.”