No grandkids, just tweets: How young people are responding to parental pressure online

Small kids spending time with their frustrated nanny at home. Little girls are having fun while pulling her hair.

“I want grandkids.” The best I can do is this article.

There’s a new trend on X, formerly known as Twitter, in which users are responding to their parents’ hypothetical requests for grandchildren. It should come as no surprise that young people of child-rearing age aren’t prioritizing having children. The cost of raising a child has increased significantly in recent years, including housing, education, and healthcare. Overpopulation and the environmental impact of bringing additional people into the world during a climate crisis are turning people who might be able to afford it away from having kids. And many countries are facing political and social unrest, leading many young people to delay or avoid having kids altogether.

Of course, there are good reasons people aren’t having kids, too. There are changing social norms and societal expectations around marriage and family, and contraception is more accessible.

But the truth is that fewer people are having children. So what are we doing with all of that extra time? What are we telling our parents when they request a new generation? X has the answers.