19 Differences People Have Noticed After Dating Someone With An Age Gap

Recently, we asked people in the BuzzFeed Community to share any noticeable differences between Gen Z'ers and millennials in a relationship. Here's what they had to say:

Note: Some submissions are from this Reddit thread and this Reddit thread.

1."The slang. Everything is different. Rizz, bet, I can't keep up."

2."I'm Gen Z and dating a girl that's a millennial. I'm 25 and she is 31. Things are pretty chill and don't bother me at all. There is some stuff about internet culture she doesn't get, but maybe it's a good thing not being terminally online."

—u/darksady

3."We didn't instantly swap socials and just went onto WhatsApp."

4."Ah yes, people born in '95 and '96 who call themselves 90s kids..."

—sparklysalt40

5."The crying laughing emoji has a strong hold over most millennials, unfortunately."

6."We both use social media. He's a young millennial and Twitter/X loyalist, whereas I'm an elder Gen Z and prefer Instagram or TikTok. There are certain songs I define as peak elementary school but are distinctly middle school for him (i.e. Soulja Boy). For politics, he is much more 'work within the system to make it better' compared to my 'it's beyond repair, tear it down and come up with something better.'"

—Anonymous, Washington

7."Pressuring me to have kids before I'm ready."

8."Gen Z (22) here who dated a millennial (30). Millennial said I was exhausting and we just weren't compatible at the end. It could have worked, but some parts were too different. Our very large age gap, different levels of energy, and ambition."

—u/Chanze3

9."I'm a 25-year-old male dating a 31-year-old female. It's my best relationship to date. It's the maturity level and life experience for me."

10."My partner was born in 1990, and I was born in 2000. She knows some of the things I've only ever heard about from pop culture, and there were things I grew up with after her time. It's hilarious because she has gotten into some of the things I grew up with and has enjoyed them (and vice versa). Though it makes me sad sometimes, it's pretty fun and a wonderful learning opportunity."

—alexandraisgay

11."They have less energy than I do. They always talk as if their opinion is correct and as if they know what's best for me. It's annoying actually."

12."I'm a '98 Gen Z'er and the biggest thing I notice with my '90 millennial partner is the pop culture references and political views. For instance, I sometimes sing the 'Rejected' cheer from Zoey 101 (if you know you know) and he thought I was wild. But, he does love TikTok while I am much more of a podcast gal, so not everything is cut down generational lines!"

—Kay, Canada

13."Songs, parties, and the way we dance are different."

14."I'm a 26-year-old female and my partner is a 28-year-old male. Sometimes I feel like I'm dating a boomer because he's so bad at using his phone and social media (i.e. he doesn't know Instagram shortcuts like reposting to a story). But I don't mind guiding him and find it funny because we're only two years apart."

—u/kdzry

15."Less sex drive. Kinda sucks sometimes."

16."He's 38 and I'm 26. He expects to be treated like a king and for me to run after his every whim whilst he does nothing in return. He likes to be the boss."

—Anonymous

17."Complains a lot about how 'it was better when I was this age.'"

18."I'm Gen Z (2000) and my partner is a millennial (1996). TBH, the difference is more in our interests rather than a generational gap. Sure, some slang on social media he doesn't know, but he's quite open-minded on such things so it's easy for him to catch on. We both knew each other from school so I think that's why it's easier to get along rather than a completely different context/phase of life."

—u/brbeatingclouds

19."I'm a Gen Z female dating a millennial male. I was describing a situation of someone 'waking up and choosing violence' and he didn't understand what it meant. Also, emojis like ??????? are literal to him, not in the way Gen Z uses and interprets them. It's tough sometimes but I love him and he loves me."

Are you a Gen Z'er dating a millennial (or vice versa)? Share any differences you've noticed in your relationship in the comments!

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.