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8th October 2025
12:01am BST
Turns out “adulting” isn’t quite as simple as it looks.
According to new research, nearly one in three Gen Zs only found out you actually have to pay for water once they moved out - an oversight famously made by Tom Holland, too, who recently admitted he thought running water was just “a luxury of living in England.”
The study, commissioned by Compare the Market, found that modern adulthood is proving a steep learning curve for young Brits. Half of respondents say they don’t feel like they have enough time for themselves thanks to the demands of modern life, while 61 per cent reckon their grandparents had it easier.
In fact, 68 per cent of Gen Zs and millennials think their grandparents were simply better at adulting - and they’re still leaning on them to get by. The most common SOS tasks include changing a tyre (33 per cent), fixing appliances (32 per cent), and deciphering complex documents (25 per cent).
Meanwhile, nearly three in five (59 per cent) Gen Zs admit that their parents still cover some of their bills - with phone contracts (46 per cent), rent or mortgage payments (35 per cent), food shops (27 per cent), and even travel insurance (17 per cent) being quietly picked up by the Bank of Mum and Dad.
It’s not just the bills that sting. Over half (58 per cent) of Brits say the cost-of-living crisis is the biggest hurdle to modern adulthood, followed by job insecurity (36 per cent) and the nightmare that is the housing market (33 per cent). Add to that the “always-on” pressure of social media (28 per cent), and it’s no wonder today’s young adults are burnt out before 30.
When it comes to everyday tasks, Gen Zs say the most tiring part of being an adult is… replying to WhatsApp messages (26 per cent), followed closely by managing the mountain of TikToks sent by friends (25 per cent), keeping on top of subscriptions (24 per cent), and cooking instead of ordering in (22 per cent).
And while Holland’s water-bill revelation made headlines, he’s not alone. A quarter of Gen Zs (24 per cent) say they didn’t realise electricity bills had to be paid — and 31 per cent thought water was free until they hit adulthood.
Charlie Evans, Money Expert at Compare the Market, said:
“There’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to adulthood and taking on ‘adult’ tasks for the first time can feel overwhelming, especially with the pressures of today’s modern society. When making big decisions such as how to budget for the month or which broadband provider to choose, there’s no one-size-fits-all.
“When seeing if you could save on household bills or benefit from a range of money products, using Compare the Market is a great place to start. We make adulting simple — giving you time back to live life to the fullest.”
