Kolkata, Jan 12: The Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival 2026 hosted a deeply engaging session titled ‘Growing Pains: Gen Z and Preparing for Tomorrow’, where parenting coach, psychotherapist and author Riri G Trivedi and academic influencer and University of Delhi professor Vijender Singh Chauhan were in conversation with educator and social worker Sujata Sen.

The discussion examined the pressures shaping Gen Z, ranging from mental health challenges and academic stress to identity formation, digital fatigue, and the need for emotionally secure environments. During the session, Riri G Trivedi observed, “My generation has grown up with belt treatment, punishment, threats, my way or highway, one-way communication, highly authoritarian, discipline, violent-based parenting. The new generation parents are now going more and more for permissive parenting, which is a complete polarised opposite… where they say, no rules, you know, you do what you want.” She warned that both extreme styles produce harmful outcomes: from addiction and depression in those raised with authoritarian parenting to entitlement and lack of discipline in children experiencing permissive parenting. Calling for open communication between parents and students, she emphasised that “the toughest is the right kind of parenting, which is authoritative or balanced,” noting that shortcuts are easy but meaningful parenting requires hard work.

Vijender Singh Chauhan expanded the lens to examine how aspirations themselves are shaping and often harming young people. He remarked that the agency of shaping dreams and aspirations no longer lies with parents, teachers, or even students themselves: “It’s something else which is curating their dreams, which is algorithmic. It’s not even the content of social media, because the content on social media is only a product. What lies behind that content are those algorithms which none of us really understand.” He emphasised how young students are being fed aspirations that almost always lead to stress, both if they are successful or unsuccessful in achieving them, underscoring the need for critical thinking among parents to recognise these external influences. Chauhan also noted the fundamental shift in generational influence: “In our generation, it was very clear… [But today] you do not have that kind of agency over our own next generation.”

Both panellists offered hope, noting Gen Z’s growing self-awareness, such as using apps to limit phone usage and recognising the pitfalls of social media. Their key takeaways were that embracing failure, fostering open dialogue, and developing critical thinking are essential for both parents and Gen Z to navigate challenges in the age of generative intelligence.

Sujata Sen moderated the conversation and drew connections between the panel’s insights and the lived realities of young people navigating uncertainty, asking whether parents ultimately have any influence on Gen Z at all. The discussion ended with the common ground being that as traditional authority wanes, Gen Z needs not less, but more balanced guidance and open dialogue to build resilience and clarity in an unpredictable world.