The blank, unreadable look doing the rounds on TikTok is set to make a strong showing in this summer’s Christmas-casual shifts. Yet the so-called Gen Z stare, often framed as aloof or unfriendly, has far less to do with attitude and far more to do with how young people are moving through today’s social world, according to educators at the University of South Australia.
Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, are the most recorded and most observed generation, raised on smartphones, constant connectivity and social feeds that track every movement. For the younger end, aged 13 to 18, the impact of COVID-19 continues to echo. Those years of lockdowns arrived at a time when they would normally have been sharpening instinctive social cues, building confidence and learning to read a room. Screens stepped in where faces should have been.
As the school year wraps up and the summer workforce gears up, UniSA educator Alexandra Gavrilidis is urging people to pause before criticising young staff or students for an expression that may look dismissive.
“Every generation has its quirks, shaped by the events and technologies of their formative years,” Gavrilidis says. “Naturally, this creates a mix of different views, values and ways of interacting.”
She explains that the look which some customers, teachers or colleagues interpret as rude is more often a young person processing, feeling uncomfortable or saving energy. “For younger Gen Zs (those aged between 13 to 18 years) the ‘Gen Z stare’ is an identifiable behaviour that some older customers, teachers or colleagues can find offensive, rude or even unprofessional,” she says. “But for Gen Z themselves, it’s usually more about the mundane: zoning out, processing, feeling awkward, or simply not seeing the point in forced small talk.”
There is another layer, too. In tense situations, a silent neutral face is often a protective choice. “It’s also a response to an unreasonable or frustrated customer, where Gen Z feel that maintaining a neutral, silent expression is the safest approach: essentially applying the principle of ‘if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all’,” she says.
Their communication habits are shaped by technology, where silence does not always indicate disapproval and a delayed reply can be completely normal. “Gen Zs are not interested in fake friendliness or enthusiasm. They don’t feel obliged to respond if they don’t see a need, and they communicate in ways shaped by technology – where replies are optional, and delays are normal,” she says. COVID-era disruptions added to this, reducing chances for everyday social rehearsal and masking facial cues that previous generations relied on.
Gavrilidis says the holiday rush is a pressure test for everyone. Customer impatience, long queues and seasonal stress can surface questionable behaviour from any age group, not solely from teenagers or young adults. Her message is that judgement rarely helps. “People fundamentally judge other people’s mistakes differently to how they judge their own, and this bias causes us to misjudge and misunderstand others,” she says.
A more useful approach begins with assuming goodwill. “But if we choose to assume that others are doing the best they can, and that people are generally well-meaning, we can avoid unnecessary conflict and confrontation,” Gavrilidis says.
There is room for give and take. Older generations can rethink the instinct to read hostility into silence, while younger workers can consider how their non-verbal cues are seen in customer-facing settings. “Older generations can benefit by recognising that the ‘Gen Z stare’ is often unintentional rather than hostile. And Gen Z can try to understand how their non-verbal cues land, especially in customer-facing roles,” she says.
Gavrilidis believes the tension around the stare is avoidable. “While the Gen Z stare might be unavoidable – especially at Christmas – the conflict doesn’t have to be. A little curiosity, a little generosity, and a willingness to assume the best could turn that blank look into a far better day for everyone.”
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