KNOWWHERE Blog

Every family gathering. Every well-meaning adult. Every careers counsellor, every subject selection form, every university open day. What do you want to do with your life?

Most young Australians played some kind of sport or had a hobby they were devoted to as kids. Cricket on Saturday mornings. Swimming squads before school. Netball, footy, dance, martial arts, music — something that got them out of the house regularly and put them in a room with the same people week after week.

Here is a fact that might make you feel better: 39% of young Australians are still taking their laundry home to their parents to be washed. Nearly half of under-30s say they feel completely unprepared for the realities of living independently. And 72% feel genuinely overwhelmed by the whole thing.

Nobody really teaches young Australians about money. Not at school. Not always at home. You get your first job, some money lands in your account and mostly you just figure it out as you go.

Gaming is one of the most popular ways young Australians spend their time — and this is not an article telling you to stop. Gaming can be genuinely enjoyable, a great way to connect with friends, and even a healthy way to decompress after a hard day.

Anxiety feels different for everyone. For some people it is a tight chest and a racing heart. For others it is lying awake at 2am with thoughts that will not stop. For others it is a low-level dread that sits just beneath the surface of every day — hard to name, hard to shake.