Gen Z has a lot of strengths. They have a strong work ethic and a practical orientation toward work. They take equality based on race, gender, and sexual orientation for granted and are arguably the least prejudiced generation in history. They are also the safest — for example, fewer get in car accidents, and fewer binge drink. That’s not just because of their parents: Gen Z themselves are more concerned with safety and are less willing to take risks than previous generations.

Gen Z teens are much less likely than Gen X teens in the 1990s to smoke, drink alcohol, have sex, or get pregnant — so there’s been significant improvement in many of the things parents worry about. Some of this is rooted in protective parenting and safety concerns, and some in the decline in face-to-face social interaction among teens during the smartphone era. In general, Gen Z is taking longer to grow up than previous generations; as 18-year-olds, they are less likely to have a drivers’ license, work at a paid job, go out on dates, or drink alcohol than 18-year-olds were 10 or 20 years ago. Those are all things adults do and children don’t, so they have historically been milestones of adolescence. Some of these trends are positive, some are not — it’s more important to see the big picture of slowed development rather than focus on good or bad. So it’s not that Gen Z teens are more responsible (or less responsible), or more mature (or less mature), it’s that they are taking longer to grow up.