Why Gen Z Needs to Catch Up on Manners

It is tempting to dismiss concerns about manners as nostalgia or inter-generational grumbling. Yet the renewed interest in etiquette across Europe points to something more substantial. Social media platforms increasingly promote etiquette schools to parents, often as soon as they have children. These schools are quietly expanding, also attracting young adults and workers who feel they have missed out on basic social training. This is not simply a failure of Generation Z. It reflects how they were raised.

Much of this is driven by changes in family structure. Across the European Union, almost one in five children grows up in a single-parent household due to divorce or separation. At the same time, more than 30% of households consist of a single person. Even in two-parent households, both adults are typically working, leaving less time for daily interaction and informal education with their children. Without shared routines such as family meals, parents have fewer opportunities to pass on social behaviors.

These changes have reduced the home's role as the primary setting for learning manners. Behaviors such as greeting others, waiting one’s turn to speak or showing consideration in conversation are not innate. When time and parental presence are limited, these lessons are more difficult to transmit. This is not a moral failing but a structural reality of modern societies. Figures such as the British etiquette trainer William Hanson have moved into this space, offering widely viewed guidance on everyday behavior.

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Changing Family Structures and Lost Social Learning

Hanson has won 3.9 million followers on Instagram by providing short instructional videos on traditional table manners, with a video showing him how to eat peas delicately going viral. This then became the cover of his best-selling book "Just Good Manners". More than 60% of Gen Z believe that table manners no longer matter. More than a third use their smartphones during meals, prompting a countermovement from those who want to reassert the importance of human connection and good manners. Influencers like Hanson show that social media is a two-way street: some people prefer to scroll rather than pay attention during a meal, while others can use it as a platform to improve themselves.

Workplace Pressures and the Return of Formal Training

One major area where the younger generation lacks skills is classic phone communication, despite the widespread use of smartphones. Many younger workers are reluctant to make or receive calls, preferring messaging instead. Real-time conversation requires confidence and quick thinking, skills developed through in-person socializing. Similarly, 28% of Gen Z take a parent to their job interviews because they find them socially anxious.

As a result, etiquette schools are expanding rapidly. Once associated with elite finishing schools, they have re-emerged as practical training centers aimed at a broader audience. Their courses focus on communication, body language, dining etiquette and professional conduct. This trend also extends to children, with families increasingly enrolling younger children in private etiquette courses, sometimes at considerable expense. In major European cities, programs teach table manners to children as young as five or six. Fees can reach hundreds or even thousands of euros.

This raises broader questions about inequality. Access to formal etiquette training is not universal. Families with greater financial resources can compensate for gaps through private education, while others cannot. Social skills risk becoming another area shaped by economic advantage.

A Generation Seeking Guidance

Generation Z does not simply lack exposure to manners. It requires guidance to develop them. Etiquette is learned through repetition, correction and example. When social changes weaken these foundations, structured teaching becomes necessary. Whatever their social limitations, the growing demand for etiquette schools suggests that many in Gen Z recognize this gap and are trying to address it.

Blaming Generation Z misses the point. Changing family dynamics, the adoption of new technology and shifting social mores are responsible for their failings. The growing demand for etiquette schools and influencers shows that many in Gen Z are aware of their own limitations and want to improve themselves. That is a commendable attitude.

In that sense, the issue is not that Generation Z is unwilling to learn manners. It is that society stopped teaching them and is now being forced to teach them again.