[Independence Day] What freedom means to Gen Z

As a generation growing up with more choices, greater access to information, and a stronger vocabulary around identity, boundaries, and mental well-being, freedom can look very different from what it did for their parents.

But has having more choices actually made them feel freer? Has it given them more agency over their present and future?

As India celebrates its 80th Independence Day tomorrow, we asked young people what freedom means to them—and what they have today that their parents’ generation didn’t.

This is what they have to say.

Freedom stands for co-existence

“I believe freedom stands for coexistence—to share space with others, where one seeks to understand cultural and social differences rather than discriminate. The younger generation, including me, recognises that it is okay to ‘agree to disagree’, and our practice of faith or culture must never restrict another’s ability to do so. My freedom also encompasses the freedom of others around me.

“I believe our parents experienced change at a much lesser pace than we did, and thus our inherent ability to adapt and be resilient in the face of change has increased. Today’s youth are more driven towards action than towards philosophising. The immediacy of an issue is addressed through urgent action in unique pathways that the youth design themselves. This ability is enhanced by the power of social media, where one can mobilise large numbers of like-minded individuals through quick and diversified channels of communication.”

Pubarun Basu, Photographer (25), Forbes 30 under 30 Asia 2022 awardee

Having permission to be wrong

“For me, freedom is not just having choices. It is having enough information to understand what those choices can lead to, and then still having the freedom to choose.

“It also means having the permission to be wrong. Our parents often had to make decisions around stability, family responsibilities, and financial security. They could not always afford to walk away from a job or situation that did not make them happy or respect them. Sometimes, they had to stay because they had people depending on them.

“I have a different kind of freedom today. Because I have some financial security and a support system, I can leave a job if I feel that it is affecting my self-respect. I can take a risk, change my career, start again, or choose a less certain path. That does not mean my choices are easier. It means I have the privilege of making choices that my parents sometimes simply could not afford to make.”

Srushti Sharma (23), Behaviour change architect

Collective liberation

“When I think of freedom, I think of Audre Lorde’s quote: I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own. Freedom to me means collective liberation, because a person is unfree if they are under threat of a power that takes away their freedom. The mere existence of any power that can take away one’s freedom poses a threat to anyone in the world.

“Compared to my parents’ generation, I can solo travel the world (safer parts of it, at least) as a woman.”

Nivedita Chawda (23), just completed her master’s from Cambridge University

Ability to make my own decisions

“For me, freedom means having access to my basic rights without constantly being forced to fight for them. It means being able to make my own decisions without political or societal influences dictating what I should or should not do. It means being able to voice my opinions, challenge the system when I feel something is wrong, and make choices without constantly having to justify them to society. It also means having equal access to opportunities and education so I can better understand the world around me.

“I think my parents did not have the same level of financial freedom because they had access to fewer opportunities. I also have the freedom to explore where and how I want to work, without being limited by the same boundaries or restrictions that existed for them at my age.”

Himani Baid (24), Legal design officer

Freedom to make mistakes

“Freedom to me is having the space to make my own decisions and learn from them. If I'm making a mistake, and the worst thing that can happen is that I look back and laugh at myself, then I want to make that mistake without someone telling me not to do it in the first place. More often than not, these ‘mistakes' lead me to lessons and opportunities that might not arise otherwise.

“My parents got married and had me when they were around my age, because that was what was expected out of them—whether or not it was a personal goal for them as individuals. For me, getting married and having children has never been an aspiration. My parents know this and assure me that they would never pressure me into it. It isn't even something that they want me to think about passively and fulfil ‘when the time is right’. It’s completely optional.”

Sasha Ranganath (26), Communications specialist

Internet has made the world much smaller

“For me, freedom is the ability to imagine a life beyond the circumstances I was born into. Growing up in a small village in Bihar, I did not always have access to the same opportunities as many others. Today, as a young person, I find that the internet has made the world feel much smaller. I can learn from people anywhere, connect with people I would never have met otherwise, and build things that can reach thousands of others.

“I can change the direction of my life much faster than the generation before me could. I left home at 14 with Rs 1,000 in my pocket. Today, at 19, I am studying in Qatar on a full-ride scholarship, and in October 2025, I became the first Indian to win the Global Student Prize.”

Adarsh Kumar (19), Social entrepreneur

Building something real

“Freedom means I can build something real without asking anyone’s permission. I am 18 years old; I grew up in Mandsaur, a small town in Madhya Pradesh, and I now run an academic publishing house from Bengaluru.

“My parents did not have that. In their time, the goal was a steady job and a secure future, because that was the only path they could see. There was little exposure to anything else. Today, knowledge and tools are free and online, so where you start no longer determines where you end up. To me, that is freedom: my town, my age, and my contacts do not set the ceiling.”

Piyush Solanki (18), Open-access academic publisher

Making informed choices

“To me, freedom means having the opportunity to think independently, make informed choices, and use my voice responsibly. It is also about having access to education, technology, ideas and opportunities that allow me to shape my own future. I also believe freedom comes with responsibility. We have the freedom to speak, question and participate, but we should also use that freedom to contribute positively to society.

“Unlike my parents when they were young, one thing I can do today is connect and collaborate with people across the country and even globally, almost instantly. Through the internet and social media, I can learn from experts, access information, participate in campaigns, and bring people together around a social cause.”

Bhawik Gautam (17), Student and Head of Youth Impact at Drishti Foundation

The choice to follow an unconventional path

“Freedom, to me, is being able to take risks, choose an unconventional path, change my mind, build something of my own, and create a life that feels like mine, not one that simply fits a template. The freedom to form my own opinions, even when they don’t match my parents’ or society’s expectations.

“Our parents’ generation often had to make choices around stability, survival and what was considered ‘the right path’. We have the privilege of asking a different question: what do I actually want?

“I can choose a career because I find it meaningful, move into an unconventional industry, speak with people far more experienced than me, build relationships around the world, and change direction if something no longer feels right.

Ehsaas Gakhar (24), Partnerships lead in a mental health organisation

The ability to experience a world beyond home

“Freedom is the ability to make choices for myself: about my career, education, finances, relationships, where I live and the kind of life I want to build, without those choices being dictated by what society thinks a young woman should or shouldn’t do. I also think freedom is the ability to travel, experience different cultures, and see a world beyond the one I grew up in.

“One thing I can do today that my parents couldn’t do at my age is build a life that is financially independent from my family. Today, I can earn my own money, invest it, create a financial safety net and make decisions without having to rely on someone else for security.”

Saumya Rastogi (28), Independent writer and editor

Being able to build a life that feels like mine

“For me, freedom is being able to build a life that feels like mine. It is not just about having the freedom to choose a career or live independently; it is about having the space to decide what makes me happy, what matters to me, and what kind of person I want to be. It means being able to move to another city for work, travel just because I want to see a new place, spend a weekend doing absolutely nothing, or change my mind about where I thought my life was headed.

“My parents’ generation had to make a lot of choices around what was practical, secure and socially acceptable. My parents gave me the foundation for independence. What I have today is the freedom to decide what I want to build on it. Honestly, I think that’s one of the biggest differences between their generation and mine: we are increasingly allowed to define what a ‘good life’ means for ourselves.”

Ananya Ranjan (27), Marketing & communication consultant

Freedom to think beyond boundaries

“Freedom to me is having the choice to build your own path. I started JEEVMEDIA when I was quite young, and I think the freedom to take that risk, learn along the way, and build something of your own is something I really value. Today, you can be sitting in Kolkata and still work with creators and brands across the world. That kind of freedom to think beyond boundaries is what independence means to me.

“When our parents were our age, the idea of building a career around something like social media, content or the creator economy didn’t even exist. Today, a 23-year-old can identify an opportunity, learn everything about it online and actually build a business around it. I think that’s one of the biggest advantages my generation has.”

Prafulla Kumar Jha (23) Founder, JEEVMEDIA

Becoming the author of my own life

“For me, freedom is not merely the absence of constraints; it is the capacity to exercise agency in order to question what I inherit, choose what I believe, and imagine what does not yet exist. In many ways, I think of freedom as becoming the author of your own life.

“As a TFI fellow, my understanding of this has expanded through my students. Freedom is meaningful only when it is accompanied by the ability to imagine alternatives. If a child has never seen beyond the circumstances they were born into, how free are their choices really? This is why I see education as deeply connected to freedom: it can expand a child’s sense of what is possible.

“Unlike my parents’ generation, I can access an enormous world of knowledge, people, ideas and possibilities almost instantly. But I think the bigger difference is not technology itself; it is the plurality of worlds available to me. I can encounter perspectives far beyond my immediate surroundings, question inherited ideas, explore unconventional careers, and consciously construct an identity rather than simply inherit one.”

Riya Narayan (23), Teach for India fellow

Having a say in my own way of living

“Freedom to me is the ability to be financially independent and have a say in my own way of living. It means being able to access opportunities, live with dignity, and build a community that lives with purpose.

“I'm able to make my own decisions as a working woman, with no thoughts of marrying early. This is the kind of freedom that my mother and many women in my extended family haven't had, where marriage is seen as inevitable.”

Kamiya Arya (24), Development professional

Imagining a life beyond boundaries

“To me, freedom as a young person today is the freedom to imagine a life beyond the boundaries that once defined what was possible. I have experienced that freedom in very real ways, from moving from a life sciences background into an MBA and a career in transformation, to travelling to 14 countries during my exchange programme, and being exposed to people, cultures and perspectives very different from my own. It has made me realise that my choices do not have to be limited by geography, discipline or a predetermined definition of success.

“One thing I can do today that my parents could not at my age is build a genuinely global career from wherever I am. I can collaborate with people across borders, learn from experts anywhere in the world, use technology and AI to turn an idea into something tangible, and access perspectives that once would have required crossing continents.”

Pragya Srivastava (24), Works in operations