{"id":1752263,"date":"2026-02-05T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1752263"},"modified":"2026-02-05T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T05:00:00","slug":"why-are-so-many-young-people-going-no-contact-with-their-parents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1752263","title":{"rendered":"Why are so many young people going \u2018no contact\u2019 with their parents?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/140-0-1215-810\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436129.jpeg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/life-culture\/article\/69535\/1\/adult-children-going-no-contact-with-their-parents-brooklyn-beckham-estrangement\" data-article-id=\"69535\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.78\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sentimental-Value-Review.webp\" class=\"img\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1400\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436129.jpeg\" width=\"1440\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Sentimental Value<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-02-05T08:00:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"05 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"5\">5,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - life-culture\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>Why are so many young people going \u2018no contact\u2019 with <span class=\"nowrap\">their parents?<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>Brooklyn Beckham is no outlier \u2013 many others are estranged from their families, too. Here, we speak to those who cut the cord with their <span class=\"nowrap\">toxic relatives<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-05T08:00:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"05 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"5\">5,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-05T08:00:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"05 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"5\">5,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/SerenaSmith\">Serena Smith<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>\u201cMum had been on thin ice for a while,\u201d Joe tells me. The 29-year-old decided to go \u2018no contact\u2019 with his mother a little over a year ago, but, as he explains, the cracks had been there for some time. For starters, she was racist and homophobic \u2013 which Joe, who identifies as queer, could never quite come to terms with. \u201c<\/span><span>I would have an excuse for all of her faults. Her racism was her age; her being estranged from my brother meant she needed me\u2026\u201d he explains, adding that he knew deep down that these \u201cexcuses\u201d for her behaviour didn\u2019t really stand up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Things came to a head when Joe\u2019s mother became romantically involved with \u201ca racist ex-copper\u201d who would \u201cuse slurs and mansplain everything.\u201d When Joe expressed to his mother that he felt uncomfortable around her new partner, she implored him to \u201ctry\u201d for her sake. Then, last December, his mother\u2019s partner physically attacked Joe, prompting him to call the police and flee the house. \u201cMum saw it all unfold, but told the police she saw nothing.\u201d Joe\u2019s brother came to collect him, and he has not seen or spoken to his mother since.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Over a year on, Joe feels confident that he made the right decision. \u201cSometimes I have this gendered image in my head of a sweet old woman, lonely, with an itch to reunite,\u201d he muses. \u201cBut that image isn\u2019t real.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7244528120487775515\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Joe is not alone in cutting ties with his mother; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.standalone.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/StandAlonePrevalenceRESEARCH3.pdf\"><span>research<\/span><\/a><span> shows that one in five UK families are touched by family estrangement and its consequences. On TikTok, over 30,000 videos have been posted under <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/estranged\"><span>the \u2018estranged\u2019 hashtag<\/span><\/a><span>, while on Reddit, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/EstrangedAdultKids\/\"><span>r\/EstrangedAdultKids<\/span><\/a><span> subreddit currently gets 48,000 weekly visitors, up 47 per cent since 2024. <\/span><span>It\u2019s become an even hotter talking point in recent years, with a number of high-profile family rifts playing out in full view of the public: Prince Harry has reportedly had minimal contact with his father and brother since his 2020 exodus from the royal family, and, more recently, Brooklyn Beckham ignited a media firestorm after publishing details on Instagram about his decision to cut off his mother and father.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>According to research by (now defunct) estrangement charity <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.standalone.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/StandAlonePrevalenceRESEARCH3.pdf\"><span>Stand Alone<\/span><\/a><span>, \u201ckey differences in morals values and religious beliefs\u201d can be a huge risk factor for estrangement. This chimes with 28-year-old Samira*, who cu<\/span><span>t contact with her \u201creally religious, Muslim\u201d family after she began dating an atheist while at university. <\/span><span>After three months of dating, Samira decided to tell her mother about the relationship \u2013 and she didn\u2019t take it well. \u201cThe next nine months were pure hell,\u201d she explains. Her mother insisted that Samira\u2019s partner had to convert \u2013 and if he refused, the relationship would have to end, or else Samira faced being disowned. \u201c<\/span><span>We\u2019d lie in bed together crying, not wanting to break up, but not wanting to blow up my family.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Samira\u2019s mother then actively began meddling in the relationship in an attempt to rend the pair apart. \u201cMy mum would ring him and tell him that if he loved me, he\u2019d stop talking to me,\u201d she recalls. The situation escalated when one Christmas, Samira\u2019s mother seized her phone and sent her to stay with her aunt in a last-ditch attempt to manipulate her into breaking up with her partner. \u201cThey still couldn\u2019t stop me, so I still went to see him,\u201d she says. \u201cWhile I was there, I got an email saying that my mum had left all of my stuff on the doorstep in bin bags, and to pick it up or else she\u2019d send it to the charity shop.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>In my own research, adult children do not estrange lightly. It is rarely impulsive<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>While there\u2019s limited data on whether estrangement is on the rise, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/australia-news\/2026\/jan\/24\/family-estrangement-children-parents-beckhams\"><span>some experts<\/span><\/a><span> believe that it is becoming more common. Either way: it\u2019s fair to say estrangement is no longer quite as taboo as it used to be. But how did we get here?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In recent years, norms have shifted.<\/span><span> \u201cCulturally, we\u2019ve seen a significant shift away from unquestioned family obligation, with more emphasis placed on autonomy, emotional wellbeing, and individual fulfilment,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/headspace-therapy.com\">psychologist and psychotherapist Dr Sam Barcham<\/a>.<\/span><span> \u201cOur tolerance for difficult relationships has arguably lowered.\u201d This chimes with Samira. \u201c<\/span><span>I think more people go to therapy now, which might help to untangle complicated feelings and help people to understand what they really want \u2013 even if that\u2019s no contact,\u201d she says.<\/span><span> She\u2019s not wrong: <\/span><span>a report released by the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.apa.org\/news\/press\/releases\/stress\/2018\/stress-gen-z.pdf\"><span>American Psychiatric Association<\/span><\/a><span> found that Gen Z are much more likely to have gone to therapy than their predecessors<\/span><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s worth acknowledging, though, that many young people have not encountered psychological concepts or terms through traditional counselling with a trained professional, but via social media, where things are often watered-down or misunderstood entirely. \u201cTherapeutic language has undoubtedly gone mainstream, particularly through social media, and like any tool, it can be used well or poorly,\u201d says Dr Barcham, adding that terms such as \u201cboundaries,\u201d \u201cgaslighting,\u201d or \u201ctoxicity\u201d can often be misused online. \u201cIn those contexts, cutting people off can be presented as the most empowered or psychologically healthy response, without much discussion of repair, negotiation, or relational responsibility.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But she stresses that estrangement is not merely \u2018a Gen Z thing\u2019 driven by TikTok pop psychology. \u201cThis narrative risks obscuring what actually happens for many people who go no contact,\u201d she says. \u201cIn clinical practice, estrangement is rarely impulsive. More often, it is the end point of long-term emotional exhaustion.\u201d <\/span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drlucyblake.com\/\">Dr Lucy Blake,<\/a> a psychologist at the University of the West of England and an expert in familial estrangement, agrees. \u201cThere is no evidence that today\u2019s young adults are more \u2018quick\u2019 to estrange,\u201d she says. Instead, she explains that \u201cwe now have more sophisticated research on child abuse than ever before\u201d, with emotional abuse now understood to be just as detrimental to wellbeing as other forms of abuse. \u201cSo yes, understandings are shifting \u2013 but not because younger people are oversensitive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7509518105182227734\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Sometimes, reconciliation can be possible. Samira, for example, reconnected with her family after several years of no contact. Things have not been easy. \u201c<\/span><span>After my boyfriend converted and we got married, my family let me in again,\u201d she explains. But she\u2019s conscious that they\u2019re still the same people who caused her so much anguish. \u201cSometimes they still say things that crush me and remind me that they\u2019d love me more if I was someone else \u2013 someone more Muslim, who\u2019d made different choices and married someone else,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m not sure if I\u2019ll ever get over what they did. But I try to focus on the positives that they bring to my life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In other instances, estrangement is permanent. Joe has made peace with the fact that he will likely never have a relationship with his mother again, and has thrown his energy into fostering community in his \u201cqueer circles\u201d. This tracks with Dr Blake\u2019s advice for those in similar situations. \u201c<\/span><span>If you\u2019re experiencing estrangement, gather your troops, those who treat you with kindness, respect, and care,\u201d she says. \u201cIt can also be helpful to seek support from others who have had similar experiences. Feeling understood and less alone might well make a significant difference given how stigmatised and painful experiencing estrangement can be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Joe has also been<\/span><span> taking solace in art. \u201cI\u2019d recommend <\/span><em><span>Magnolia<\/span><\/em><span> and other Paul Thomas Anderson movies to everyone that has experienced this,\u201d he says. My own recommendation is a quote from Tolstoy, which can act as a comforting a reminder that no matter how hellish your family dynamic is (or was), you\u2019re not alone in navigating a uniquely fucked-up situation:<\/span><em><span>\u201cAll happy families are alike; <\/span><\/em><em><span>every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.<\/span><\/em><em><span>\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span>*Name has been changed<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! 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href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69480\/1\/how-date-you-dont-like-family-brooklyn-beckham-victoria-nicola-peltz\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"HowToDateWhen 16x9-3\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/156-0-1624-1080\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/5\/1435100.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">How to date when&#8230; you don\u2019t like their family<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"swiper-slide list-element\">\n<div class=\"scard-latest__section\">\n<div class=\"card-latest__wrapper\"><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69384\/1\/sign-up-for-dazed-and-jim-beams-game-day-giveaway\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\">\n<p class=\"optional-paragraph\">Jim Beam<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Jim Beam\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-1-2400-1597\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/4\/1434897.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Sign up for Dazed and Jim Beam\u2019s game day giveaway<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69449\/1\/is-2026-the-year-of-analogue-tiktok-trend-social-media-offline\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"1397686\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/121-0-1055-702\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/4\/1434540.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Is 2026 the year of analogue?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69452\/1\/jim-beam-and-dazed-want-to-help-you-get-game-day-ready\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\">\n<p class=\"optional-paragraph\">Jim Beam<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Jim Beam\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-1-1080-718\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/4\/1434572.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Jim Beam and Dazed want to help you get game day-ready<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>\u201cMum had been on thin ice for a while,\u201d Joe tells me. The 29-year-old decided to go \u2018no contact\u2019 with his mother a little over a year ago, but, as he explains, the cracks had been there for some time. For starters, she was racist and homophobic \u2013 which Joe, who identifies as queer, could never quite come to terms with. \u201c<\/span><span>I would have an excuse for all of her faults. Her racism was her age; her being estranged from my brother meant she needed me\u2026\u201d he explains, adding that he knew deep down that these \u201cexcuses\u201d for her behaviour didn\u2019t really stand up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Things came to a head when Joe\u2019s mother became romantically involved with \u201ca racist ex-copper\u201d who would \u201cuse slurs and mansplain everything.\u201d When Joe expressed to his mother that he felt uncomfortable around her new partner, she implored him to \u201ctry\u201d for her sake. Then, last December, his mother\u2019s partner physically attacked Joe, prompting him to call the police and flee the house. \u201cMum saw it all unfold, but told the police she saw nothing.\u201d Joe\u2019s brother came to collect him, and he has not seen or spoken to his mother since.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Over a year on, Joe feels confident that he made the right decision. \u201cSometimes I have this gendered image in my head of a sweet old woman, lonely, with an itch to reunite,\u201d he muses. \u201cBut that image isn\u2019t real.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7244528120487775515\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Joe is not alone in cutting ties with his mother; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.standalone.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/StandAlonePrevalenceRESEARCH3.pdf\"><span>research<\/span><\/a><span> shows that one in five UK families are touched by family estrangement and its consequences. On TikTok, over 30,000 videos have been posted under <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/estranged\"><span>the \u2018estranged\u2019 hashtag<\/span><\/a><span>, while on Reddit, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/EstrangedAdultKids\/\"><span>r\/EstrangedAdultKids<\/span><\/a><span> subreddit currently gets 48,000 weekly visitors, up 47 per cent since 2024. <\/span><span>It\u2019s become an even hotter talking point in recent years, with a number of high-profile family rifts playing out in full view of the public: Prince Harry has reportedly had minimal contact with his father and brother since his 2020 exodus from the royal family, and, more recently, Brooklyn Beckham ignited a media firestorm after publishing details on Instagram about his decision to cut off his mother and father.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>According to research by (now defunct) estrangement charity <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.standalone.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/StandAlonePrevalenceRESEARCH3.pdf\"><span>Stand Alone<\/span><\/a><span>, \u201ckey differences in morals values and religious beliefs\u201d can be a huge risk factor for estrangement. This chimes with 28-year-old Samira*, who cu<\/span><span>t contact with her \u201creally religious, Muslim\u201d family after she began dating an atheist while at university. <\/span><span>After three months of dating, Samira decided to tell her mother about the relationship \u2013 and she didn\u2019t take it well. \u201cThe next nine months were pure hell,\u201d she explains. Her mother insisted that Samira\u2019s partner had to convert \u2013 and if he refused, the relationship would have to end, or else Samira faced being disowned. \u201c<\/span><span>We\u2019d lie in bed together crying, not wanting to break up, but not wanting to blow up my family.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Samira\u2019s mother then actively began meddling in the relationship in an attempt to rend the pair apart. \u201cMy mum would ring him and tell him that if he loved me, he\u2019d stop talking to me,\u201d she recalls. The situation escalated when one Christmas, Samira\u2019s mother seized her phone and sent her to stay with her aunt in a last-ditch attempt to manipulate her into breaking up with her partner. \u201cThey still couldn\u2019t stop me, so I still went to see him,\u201d she says. \u201cWhile I was there, I got an email saying that my mum had left all of my stuff on the doorstep in bin bags, and to pick it up or else she\u2019d send it to the charity shop.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>In my own research, adult children do not estrange lightly. It is rarely impulsive<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>While there\u2019s limited data on whether estrangement is on the rise, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/australia-news\/2026\/jan\/24\/family-estrangement-children-parents-beckhams\"><span>some experts<\/span><\/a><span> believe that it is becoming more common. Either way: it\u2019s fair to say estrangement is no longer quite as taboo as it used to be. But how did we get here?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In recent years, norms have shifted.<\/span><span> \u201cCulturally, we\u2019ve seen a significant shift away from unquestioned family obligation, with more emphasis placed on autonomy, emotional wellbeing, and individual fulfilment,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/headspace-therapy.com\">psychologist and psychotherapist Dr Sam Barcham<\/a>.<\/span><span> \u201cOur tolerance for difficult relationships has arguably lowered.\u201d This chimes with Samira. \u201c<\/span><span>I think more people go to therapy now, which might help to untangle complicated feelings and help people to understand what they really want \u2013 even if that\u2019s no contact,\u201d she says.<\/span><span> She\u2019s not wrong: <\/span><span>a report released by the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.apa.org\/news\/press\/releases\/stress\/2018\/stress-gen-z.pdf\"><span>American Psychiatric Association<\/span><\/a><span> found that Gen Z are much more likely to have gone to therapy than their predecessors<\/span><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s worth acknowledging, though, that many young people have not encountered psychological concepts or terms through traditional counselling with a trained professional, but via social media, where things are often watered-down or misunderstood entirely. \u201cTherapeutic language has undoubtedly gone mainstream, particularly through social media, and like any tool, it can be used well or poorly,\u201d says Dr Barcham, adding that terms such as \u201cboundaries,\u201d \u201cgaslighting,\u201d or \u201ctoxicity\u201d can often be misused online. \u201cIn those contexts, cutting people off can be presented as the most empowered or psychologically healthy response, without much discussion of repair, negotiation, or relational responsibility.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But she stresses that estrangement is not merely \u2018a Gen Z thing\u2019 driven by TikTok pop psychology. \u201cThis narrative risks obscuring what actually happens for many people who go no contact,\u201d she says. \u201cIn clinical practice, estrangement is rarely impulsive. More often, it is the end point of long-term emotional exhaustion.\u201d <\/span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drlucyblake.com\/\">Dr Lucy Blake,<\/a> a psychologist at the University of the West of England and an expert in familial estrangement, agrees. \u201cThere is no evidence that today\u2019s young adults are more \u2018quick\u2019 to estrange,\u201d she says. Instead, she explains that \u201cwe now have more sophisticated research on child abuse than ever before\u201d, with emotional abuse now understood to be just as detrimental to wellbeing as other forms of abuse. \u201cSo yes, understandings are shifting \u2013 but not because younger people are oversensitive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7509518105182227734\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Sometimes, reconciliation can be possible. Samira, for example, reconnected with her family after several years of no contact. Things have not been easy. \u201c<\/span><span>After my boyfriend converted and we got married, my family let me in again,\u201d she explains. But she\u2019s conscious that they\u2019re still the same people who caused her so much anguish. \u201cSometimes they still say things that crush me and remind me that they\u2019d love me more if I was someone else \u2013 someone more Muslim, who\u2019d made different choices and married someone else,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m not sure if I\u2019ll ever get over what they did. But I try to focus on the positives that they bring to my life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In other instances, estrangement is permanent. Joe has made peace with the fact that he will likely never have a relationship with his mother again, and has thrown his energy into fostering community in his \u201cqueer circles\u201d. This tracks with Dr Blake\u2019s advice for those in similar situations. \u201c<\/span><span>If you\u2019re experiencing estrangement, gather your troops, those who treat you with kindness, respect, and care,\u201d she says. \u201cIt can also be helpful to seek support from others who have had similar experiences. Feeling understood and less alone might well make a significant difference given how stigmatised and painful experiencing estrangement can be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Joe has also been<\/span><span> taking solace in art. \u201cI\u2019d recommend <\/span><em><span>Magnolia<\/span><\/em><span> and other Paul Thomas Anderson movies to everyone that has experienced this,\u201d he says. My own recommendation is a quote from Tolstoy, which can act as a comforting a reminder that no matter how hellish your family dynamic is (or was), you\u2019re not alone in navigating a uniquely fucked-up situation:<\/span><em><span>\u201cAll happy families are alike; <\/span><\/em><em><span>every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.<\/span><\/em><em><span>\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span>*Name has been changed<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69535\/1\/adult-children-going-no-contact-with-their-parents-brooklyn-beckham-estrangement&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/140-0-1215-810\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436129.jpeg&#8221;] Sentimental Value February\u00a0 5,\u00a0 2026 Life &amp; Culture \/ Feature Life &amp; Culture \/ Feature Why are so many young people going \u2018no contact\u2019 with their parents? Brooklyn Beckham is no outlier \u2013 many others are estranged from their families, too. Here, we speak to those who cut the cord with their [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1752263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1752263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1752263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1752263\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1752263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1752263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1752263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}