Over the last few weeks, the world bore witness to the suppression of pro-Palestinian encampment protests at our university and dozens of others across the nation and globe. In an expression of hope, older generations — from journalist Margaret Kimberley to former Labour Party Member of Parliament Thelma Walker — are using phrases like “the kids are alright” to support the student protests online.

I appreciate the sentiment, but I have one question: Does it look like we’re alright?

The images on my screens of students being surrounded by University and city police officers dressed in riot gear or being arrested in front of the building they have their history class in say otherwise. Students have been placed on interim suspension, evicted from University housing and barred from entering campus — all because they dared to protest against the genocide in Gaza, which has claimed at least 35,000 Palestinian lives since Oct. 7.

Along with the history of anti-war student protests, this ongoing wave of Generation Z mobilizing to fight for the same cause is nothing new. In 2018, thousands of students joined the March for Our Lives rally, organized by survivors of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, to protest against gun violence. In 2019, middle and high schoolers led the global Fridays For Future youth climate strike, demanding policymakers to actively address the climate crisis with the Green New Deal.

Whether it’s calling for climate justice, advocating for gun control or demanding that universities divest from companies complicit in the genocide in Gaza, the pattern in these issues is clear. None of these things should have happened in the first place, but young people — the generation that will have to live through the consequences of older generations’ actions — have stepped up to fight against negligence and injustice.

Thus, hearing older generations throw their hands up and thank Gen Z in relief leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. How can you watch a video of a small child leading a pro-Palestinian chant at a university protest and think that “the kids are alright?” That should be evidence that the state of our world is deeply wrong.

Elementary schoolers should be learning long division and playing tetherball, not having to hold university leaders and politicians accountable for their complicity in a genocide. Time and time again, young people feel like they have to intervene in every world issue because no one else in power has taken action — which has understandably led to distrust in older adults from student protesters.

“How can we ever imagine [USC administrators] to be guarantors of our safety when they openly admit to valuing their bottom line over human life?” said an anonymous student member of the Divest from Death Coalition in a press conference May 7.

Children should get to be children. I’m not just referring to kids participating in the protests; more than 14,500 children in Gaza have been killed, and about 600,000 children are sheltering in Rafah, which is currently being bombed by Israeli forces.

So, forgive me if I’m not too receptive to the idea that my generation will save the world. We shouldn’t have to.

We shouldn’t be alone in these fights — which is why the support of USC faculty and alumni for student protesters is so meaningful. Just because much of Gen Z is approaching adulthood and leading the charge in organizing doesn’t mean that the older generations’ work is over. Like it or not, older people still hold administrative and legislative power; the average age in the United States Senate is 63.9 years, and 57.5 years in the House of Representatives.

Students mobilizing on college campuses is certainly a sign of hope, but it should also fill you with more anger that young people are having to protest the genocide in Gaza in the first place. Don’t use youth activism as an excuse to stay idle and absolve yourself of any responsibility. If you care about what’s happening in Gaza, you should be more motivated to materially support the protest in any way you can.

Open your wallet and donate to student organization funds or crowdfunding campaigns for families trying to escape Gaza. Call and email university administrators to let them know where you stand. If you can, physically show up and show out to protests, marches, rallies and other events to stand with students in solidarity.

The kids aren’t alright — so do what you can to help us. We can’t do this alone.