‘We didn’t cry easily’: Philippine senator slammed for calling Gen Z ‘weak’

“Many may be upset with me for saying this, but today’s children, sad to say, are weak,” the 56-year-old said during a Senate committee hearing on the Children’s Safety in Social Media Act on Wednesday, according to local media.

“You’re not like us in our time – we didn’t cry easily. We learned from the streets; we learned not to just sit around and cry.”

Comparing today’s youth with those of his generation, Padilla said: “During our time, the word ‘depression’ wasn’t common. I didn’t even know what it meant. Now even young children say, ‘I’m depressed.’ It’s confusing.”

He attributed this to social media addiction, as youth no longer went outside to play and build friendships in the real world.

Referring to his experience in the 1980s and the 1990s when he and his peers were “playing on the street”, he said: “We were happy, we knew what camping was, we knew what friendship was, we knew what the street was.”