I don't think this malaise is specific to these kids or this age group. It seems to be the country (or maybe the world) overall, to different degrees. Admittedly I'm not a frequent socializer, but since 2020 people seem to have this gradually worsening posture of being checked out of everything, all the time. Myself included, I've vented some of it on my tl. I really think the idea that our lives are not our own sunk into peoples' minds during the lockdowns, consciously or subconsciously, and they've dissociated.