If you want to see a grown adult panic, call them before texting. They’ll stare at the screen until it stops ringing, then text you to ask who died.
To parents and grandparents, this can look rude, but younger people have their reasons. A Uswitch survey found that about a quarter of 18- to 34-year-olds never answer phone calls, while nearly 70% would rather get a text. More than half said an unexpected call makes them think something bad happened.
The aversion usually comes down to a handful of very normal things.
1. Unknown Numbers Are Mostly Robots
Spam has trained a lot of us to distrust any number we don’t recognize. In the Uswitch survey, 63% said scam calls were one reason they let the phone ring, and half wanted to know who was calling before they answered.
As a millennial, my rule is simple: if I don’t know the number, I don’t pick up. Anyone who actually needs me can leave a voicemail.
2. An Unplanned Call Feels Suspicious
Most people text for everyday stuff now, so an unexpected call can feel a little ominous. One young woman interviewed about phone anxiety said she would never call someone without messaging first to make sure they were ready. The Uswitch survey found that 68% of younger adults preferred scheduled calls.
3. Texts Give You a Second to Think
A phone call leaves you no room to think. Whatever comes out of your mouth is just out there, including the awkward goodbye that somehow takes four tries.
That pressure is a big reason voice notes have caught on. They still let you hear someone’s voice, but nobody’s waiting on the other end while you gather your thoughts. One 26-year-old told Uswitch, “We just don’t do spontaneous phone calls anymore.”
4. Phone Calls Are More Intrusive
A text can sit there until you’re free. A call wants you now, even if you’re working, grocery shopping, or doing anything else life demands.
And people under 35 are hardly alone here. A recent Reddit thread in r/Millennials asking if people still answer unknown numbers got hundreds of responses, including the extremely concise: “No, who talks on the phone in 2026?”
5. The Dread Is Worse Than the Call
Researchers Amit Kumar and Nicholas Epley found that people expected phone conversations to feel more awkward than text or email, but the calls didn’t actually feel more uncomfortable. They did make people feel more connected.
So the dread is real, even if the actual call usually isn’t as bad as your brain predicted. Sending a quick “free to talk?” text first costs basically nothing and gives the other person a chance to answer without assuming there’s been a death in the family.
The post 5 Reasons Gen Z Won’t Answer Your Phone Calls appeared first on VICE.
