Why Bollywood Parents Say Gen Z Is Harder to Raise Than Millennials

From digital exposure to shifting values, Bollywood parents like Kajol, Saif Ali Khan, and Shilpa Shetty reflect on parenting a more complex generation.

Bollywood parents like Kajol, Saif Ali Khan, and Shilpa Shetty describe Gen Z as uniquely challenging mainly because today’s kids are growing up with information overload, constant digital exposure, and a very different idea of communication and boundaries than millennials ever had.

Information overload and decision fatigue

Kajol has been very clear that, in her view, the biggest difference between her generation and Gen Z is the sheer volume of information young people are exposed to. She told Lilly Singh that Gen Z is “swimming” in information, which makes it harder for them to figure out what they personally want, even though they technically know what is “right” or “wrong” according to the internet and social norms. Her own generation, she says, had far less input and had to arrive at opinions and boundaries on their own, whereas Gen Z has endless guidance, advice, and opinions—but struggles to make firm choices amid the noise.

For a parent, this creates a new kind of challenge: you are not just giving values and guidance; you are competing with a 24/7 global feed of influencers, peers, and content that shapes your child’s thinking in real time. That makes parenting Gen Z feel less like “teaching from scratch” and more like helping them filter, question, and prioritise an overwhelming stream of inputs.

New communication styles and “the silence”

Kajol has also spoken about how the core communication dynamic with teens has changed. She says no one prepares you for the “silent treatment” that comes with parenting teenagers today: kids are “very happy not talking to you,” and their idea of spending time together might be watching a movie or playing a video game rather than having long heart‑to‑heart conversations. To her, it can feel like disconnection, but for them, it is just a different way of connecting and asking the parent to “enter their world” instead of expecting them to enter the parent’s.

She even jokes that she does not try to understand Gen Z slang and simply asks for help when she does not get what they are saying, which again reflects the generational language gap. Compared to millennials—who largely grew up with more parent‑driven communication and less digital mediation—Gen Z’s comfort with silence, screens, and indirect connection can feel emotionally distant and confusing for parents used to “talk it out” as the gold standard.

Digital childhood, screens, and online risk

Shilpa Shetty repeatedly frames Gen Z’s biggest challenge as the digital world itself: not just screen time, but the kind of content, pressures, and experiences the internet exposes them to. She calls the internet a “powerful teacher and playground for creativity,” but also warns that it can expose young minds to things they are “not ready for,” from unrealistic standards to unsafe interactions. Her mantra is that parents should raise “digitally aware, not digitally addicted” children, which means understanding what kids are watching and scrolling, talking openly, using parental controls, and, above all, building trust.

This is very different from the millennial childhood, where the internet arrived later and in a more limited form. Shilpa emphasises that supervision till about 16 is “care, not control,” precisely because Gen Z’s identity and self‑worth are being shaped while they are immersed in social media and online validation cycles. For parents, this creates a constant balancing act: protect without over‑controlling, allow freedom without letting kids disappear into unhealthy digital habits.

Public scrutiny and pressure on “star kids”

For star kids in particular, Saif Ali Khan highlights a challenge that simply did not exist at this intensity when millennials were growing up: relentless visibility. Talking about his older children, Sara and Ibrahim, he admits that one of the hardest parts of parenting now is watching your kids struggle in an unforgiving, hyper‑visible film industry and knowing you cannot fix everything for them. He quotes a line that stayed with him: “You can only be as happy as your least happy child,” capturing the emotional cost of parenting grown‑up kids under public scrutiny.

Saif also talks about “visibility” as a specific concern—how every time his children step out, they are recorded, photographed, and discussed, which can dilute the “mystery” actors used to have and create extra pressure. Add social media to that, and Gen Z star kids are navigating trolling, comparison, and constant feedback that millennials largely escaped in their formative years. For a parent, it is a double anxiety: worrying about normal teenage problems plus worrying about what millions of strangers might say about them online.

Sharper awareness of inequality and boundaries

Kajol has spoken frankly about how raising a Gen Z daughter in India comes with a different kind of pushback and awareness. She explains that her daughter has “seen a different world” abroad but, back home, Kajol still has to tell her to be careful about what she wears and where she goes, because safety and social judgment are real issues. Her teenage son, by contrast, can casually walk out in shorts and a T‑shirt without a second thought, and Kajol acknowledges that her daughter clearly sees “the slight unfairness of being a boy versus a girl.”

Gen Z girls, especially, are more vocal about calling out this unfairness, questioning double standards, and asserting boundaries. Kajol has even said she views arguments with her children as a compliment, because it means they think for themselves—even if those disagreements happen at “amazing decibel levels.” That assertiveness and political/social awareness can be inspiring, but it also means more friction at home compared to earlier generations who were taught to accept many norms silently.

Emotional intensity and letting go

With older Gen Z and young adults, Saif Ali Khan describes an emotional challenge that sits on top of all the generational shifts: learning to step back while still being deeply affected by their ups and downs. He talks about how hard it is to watch your kids struggle and resist the urge to “fix” things for them, yet he knows they need their own challenges and failures to grow. At the same time, he invests heavily in one‑on‑one time—lunches, conversations about work and relationships, and individual bonding—as his way of keeping connection strong in a world that is increasingly fast, competitive, and distracting.

For many Bollywood parents, this combination—overexposed kids, digital risks, information overload, shifting gender expectations, and a communication style that looks like distance even when it is not—makes Gen Z feel uniquely hard to raise compared to millennials. They are not just dealing with a new generation; they are parenting in an entirely new ecosystem.