While schools have long prepared students to take on the world and perform well in their careers, colleges have now started to train the youngest generation of students how to do something others may find second nature: talking on the phone.
Some schools are having to tackle what’s been dubbed “Telephobia” and appears to be widespread amongst Gen Z, as having a phone call may be delaying their entrance into the workforce.
“Telephobia is a fear or anxiety around making and receiving telephone calls,” Liz Baxter, a careers advisor at Nottingham College, shared with CNBC Make It.
Baxter also spoke with the BBC about the trend at the beginning of this year, sharing that for those born between 1997 and 2012, talking on the phone doesn’t come as naturally as it might for other generations.
“They’ve [Gen Z] just simply not had the opportunity for making, and receiving, telephone calls. It is not the main function of their phones these days. They can do anything on the phone, but we automatically default to texting, voice notes, and anything except actually using a telephone for its original intended purpose, and so people have lost that skill,” Baxter said.
Other reports have compiled similar findings, including a Uswitch survey from 2024 that found almost a quarter of adults ages 18 to 34 never pick up phone calls.
The survey also found that 61% of those in the age group preferred to receive a message instead of a phone call.
Among those ages 18-to-24, the survey found that over half think a phone call that’s not scheduled means they are going to receive bad news. Forty-eight percent also noted their preferred form of communication is social media, while a third prefer voice text messages.
The difficulties in answering the phone are now hurting those who are trying to enter the workforce, as Baxter highlighted that students are facing pre-screening for job applications but are “falling at that hurdle.”
“In a class of 25 to 30 students, I would imagine at least three-quarters of them will experience and admit to anxiety about not using the telephone,” Baxter said.
To help students conquer this challenge, Baxter said her school is running telephobia seminars as part of its career-related sessions to help strengthen the skills of students.