the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, once upon a time, phones were for talking—shocking, right? Fast forward to today, and some Gen Zers treat an incoming call like a summoning spell from the underworld. A ringing phone? Pure anxiety. Answering it? Absolutely not.
Welcome to the age of telephobia, a bizarre but very real fear of making and receiving phone calls. According to Liz Baxter, a careers advisor at Nottingham College, this phenomenon is growing among Gen Z—born between 1997 and 2012—who would rather send 57 voice notes than answer a single call.
Why Is Gen Z Terrified of Phone Calls?
Blame it on technology. Their phones do everything but make calls—texting, TikTok, voice memos, emojis, AI chatbots, you name it. According to Baxter, since calling isn’t the default anymore, young people simply never learned how to do it. And now? They’re freaking out when the time comes.
But it’s not just an inconvenience—it’s actually costing them jobs. Many companies pre-screen candidates with a phone interview, and guess what? Gen Z is bombing them. Baxter says that in a class of 25-30 students, at least 75% admit to phone call anxiety—and that’s just the ones who own up to it.
Telephobia Training Camp: Teaching Gen Z to Pick Up the Phone
To combat this phone call meltdown, Baxter’s college has launched a telephobia seminar (yes, this is real life). Here’s the drill:
📞 Students practice calling each other—pretending to make appointments, call in sick, or answer job interview questions.
📞 No face-to-face interactions—students sit back-to-back to simulate real calls, where there’s no screen to hide behind.
📞 Scripts are involved—because let’s be real, winging it isn’t happening.
And apparently? One session is enough to boost their confidence. Turns out, once you realize a phone call won’t actually kill you, you might just survive it.
COVID, Microsoft Teams, and the Fear of the Unknown
So, how did we get here? Baxter points to the COVID-19 pandemic, which turned social interactions into a dystopian Zoom hellscape. Young people lost two years of normal socializing, and now, phone calls feel like an alien concept.
Ironically, Gen Z is totally fine with video calls—because they can see the other person’s face. Microsoft Teams? No problem. But take away the visual cues, and suddenly it’s a nightmare.
“They think you’re laughing at them,” Baxter explains. “They assume they’re being judged.”
And honestly? They might not be wrong.
Taking Back the Power: How to Survive a Phone Call
If you break into a cold sweat every time your phone rings, Baxter has some pro tips:
✅ Use cheat notes—since no one can see you, write down everything you want to say.
✅ Prepare your environment—quiet space, phone charged, no distractions.
✅ Breathe—deep breaths, in and out. You won’t die from this, promise.
✅ Remember: Not all calls are bad—what if it’s good news? A job offer? A scholarship? Not every unknown number is a debt collector.
Most importantly, Baxter tells students: YOU are in control. If the call sucks, hang up. That’s right. Take back the power.
Final Thoughts: Are Phone Calls the New Jump Scares?
At this rate, picking up a phone might become an Olympic sport. But if Gen Z wants to survive the real world, they’ll need to conquer their biggest fear—the dreaded incoming call.
So next time your phone rings… just pick it up. You got this. 🎤📱
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