Take a cursory scroll through TikTok and you’d be forgiven for thinking that young people have thrived during the pandemic. 

After all, a cohort of teens and twenty somethings enthusiastically performing carefully choreographed dance routines in their expertly lit bedrooms is hardly a signal for generational misery. 

But scratch beneath the surface – beyond the ring lights and the instant glow-up filters – and you’ll find that most young people haven’t found their newfound recluse status as enjoyable as the rest of us. 

Much talk from the older generations has been around silver linings. 

Sleep gained. Money saved. Livers rested. 

But for those who aren’t looking at their youth in the rear-view mirror, these silver linings don’t have the same appeal. 

Working from home isn’t quite so freeing when your desk is an ironing board in a flat share. 

Sparing your liver isn’t a huge concern when you still have the stamina of a coked-up cocker spaniel. 

What felt like a welcome respite from FOMO and unsustainable lifestyles for many of us has felt like two years of youth down the pan to a lot of young people. 

The old saying goes that youth is wasted on the young. It’s something that every generation has been guilty of taking for granted. 

But after being locked up and stripped of many of the things that make our younger years the most exciting and freeing times of our lives, don’t be surprised if this particular generation of young people come back hell-bent on wanting to make up for lost time. 

3 takeouts for brands

#1 Don’t mistake aptitude for appetite.

It was inevitable that a generation of digital natives would be best positioned to cope with the sudden reliance on technology thrust upon us last year – from online shopping to video conferencing. 

But this generation is chomping at the bit for community and connection. Physical retail space, live events and experiential are all tools that brands still have at their disposal to capitalise on this. 

Tech is important, but the pandemic has not turned young people into the generation of convenience-chasing robots that many have painted them as. 

#2 The #bounceback is real but don’t count on young people choosing your brand 

Many have speculated on how much caution will be collectively thrown to the wind post 21st June. If you believe the wise words of Mike Skinner, the answer is plenty. 

But this is also a generation defined by a financial savviness that comes with being brought up against a backdrop of global recession and austerity.

The likely outcome is an increased desire to live for the moment, tempered by an instinctive frugality. For brands, that means working double hard to show young people why your brand deserves their time and money. 

Brands that embrace positive messaging whilst helping young people make up for lost time – be that access to the party of the year or helping them get on the housing ladder - are likely to be the winners. 

#3 Don’t project your own experience on your audience 

Why go to an office when you can work from home? Why go to a shop when you can buy everything online? Why go to a rave when you can drink in your garden? 

If you’ve found yourself asking these questions over the last few months, it’s a chance to a) count yourself lucky and b) remind yourself that plenty of young consumers don’t feel the same way. 

The only way to find out how they do feel is to talk to them.