Let’s face it — being an adult in 2025 isn’t exactly what our parents made it seem like. Somewhere between chasing careers, side hustles, and figuring out taxes, a lot of young adults are realizing: “Wait, I don’t actually know how to clean a bathroom vent... is that even a thing I should be doing?” And so, off they go — not to mom or dad, but to Google.
Welcome to the age of Google-fueled adulting — where “How to set up autopay” is a legit crisis and “How to do an oil change” might as well be a college course.
The Rise of the 'Google It' Generation
According to recent data from Google, searches for everyday adult tasks have hit record highs this year. People are typing in things like:
-“How to use a mop”
-“How to clean a bathroom vent”
-“How to set up autopay”
-“How to do an oil change”
Basic life stuff. The kind your grandma probably did in her sleep while balancing a casserole on one arm and a toddler on the other.
But today? Millennials and Gen Z are literally Googling their way through adulthood.
What Happened to Life Skills?
So why are so many young adults turning to search engines for help with the basics?
One big reason: practical life skills just aren’t taught like they used to be.
Back in the day, schools offered classes like home economics — where students learned to cook, clean, sew, budget, and manage a home. But fast forward to 2025, and those classes have basically vanished from the curriculum.
According to the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences, fewer than one-third of American high school students take anything resembling a home ec class.
That means a huge number of teens are graduating into adulthood knowing all about algebra, Shakespeare, and maybe the mitochondria (it is the powerhouse of the cell, after all)... but not how to do laundry or unclog a drain.
Gen Z: Smart, Tech-Savvy — and Totally Lost in a Kitchen
Many Gen Zers — those born between 1997 and 2012 — are officially adults now. They’re out of school, renting apartments, getting jobs, paying bills. But while they might know how to code a website, they’re also realizing that adulting is hard when you’ve never learned the basics.
That’s why TikTok, YouTube, and Google have become their go-to teachers. Pew Research found that by 2018, more than half of YouTube users in the U.S. were already using the platform to figure out how to do things they’d never done before. That number has only grown.
Some Reddit users have even dubbed it the “University of YouTube.”
And they’re not wrong. YouTube has tutorials on everything. Want to learn how to hang a picture frame, boil an egg, or patch a hole in the wall? There’s probably a 5-minute video for that — with background music and a cheery narrator named Josh.
TikTok Cleaning Videos Are the New Home Ec Class
But it’s not just YouTube. TikTok has become a massive hub for life skills too — especially when it comes to cleaning and home hacks.
Search “cleaning tips” or “adulting” on TikTok, and you’ll be flooded with short, satisfying clips of people deep-cleaning their sinks, organizing their pantry with labeled jars, or showing you how to fold a fitted sheet without starting a war with yourself.
The appeal? It’s quick, visual, and actually makes mundane chores look... kind of fun?
It’s education, but make it aesthetic.
Adults Are Asking for Help (But Wishing They Didn’t Have To)
Here’s the thing: no one wants to Google “how to plunge a toilet” at 1 a.m. But when you’re stuck and no one ever showed you how, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.
In fact, many young adults wish they didn’t have to rely on the internet for this kind of stuff. They’d prefer to learn these skills earlier — in school, at home, from mentors.
Take Zack Leitner, a 10th grader in NYC who recently wrote in The New York Post that while his school might be academically strong, it's failing students in practical life prep.
“Until the 1960s, NYC high schoolers learned to cook, clean and sew as part of their standard curriculum,” he said. “In 2025, they’d be lucky if they knew how to do their laundry.”
That quote hits hard — because it’s true.
So... What Can We Do About It?
It’s not all doom and dustpans. Across North America, some schools and universities are stepping up to fill the gap.
One standout example is the University of Waterloo in Canada. They’ve created an online toolkit called Adulting 101, designed specifically to teach young people the life skills they may have missed.
The course includes modules like:
-Budgeting and financial literacy
-Navigating grocery stores
-Cooking simple meals
-Cleaning and home maintenance
-Forming healthy relationships
-Avoiding kitchen fires (yep, that one’s in there too)
It’s practical, free, and meets young adults where they’re at — online.
Why Life Skills Still Matter in the Digital Age
Sure, you can Google anything these days. You can even ask AI to explain how to change a tire step-by-step (and we’ll gladly help you with that). But knowing how to actually do these things without fumbling or feeling helpless? That builds confidence. Independence. Peace of mind.
When you know how to:
-Wash your own clothes
-Manage a basic budget
-Clean your space
-Cook a meal without burning the house down
…it changes your relationship with adulthood. Suddenly, it doesn’t feel like a monster you're trying to outrun — it’s just a long journey with a map you’ve finally started to understand.
Final Thoughts: Let’s Normalize Learning Late
If you’re in your 20s or 30s and still don’t know how to use a mop — you’re not alone. And you’re not a failure either.
Adulting isn’t something you magically learn at 18. It’s a process, and a messy one at that.
So, whether you’re Googling how to fix a leaking faucet or turning to TikTok to learn how to meal prep on a budget — go for it. You’re learning. You’re growing. And that’s what matters most.
Because in this crazy, fast-paced, digital world, we all need a little help sometimes — and thankfully, the internet is always open.
What’s the one “basic” skill you learned way later than expected? Share it with a friend — or better yet, teach it to someone else!
Let’s keep the learning going, one search at a time. 🧼🔧💸
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