Baby boomers might get a bad rap online, but here’s the thing: some of them saw today coming. Back in the day, while Gen Z was decades from being born and Millennials were still trading Pokémon cards, boomers were already warning anyone who would listen about where society might be headed. Turns out, they weren’t just stuck in the past; they were quietly predicting the future.
Many of today’s hot-button issues aren’t new. They were bubbling under the surface while boomers were buying vinyl, marching for civil rights, or watching the moon landing. Some warnings came from experts, others from pop culture or the neighborhood conspiracy guy with a signboard. Either way, here are 12 problems that boomers had already clocked long before we had the language or the internet to explain them.
Loss of Privacy
George Orwell’s 1984 was assigned reading in high schools all across the country. Boomers devoured it, then looked around and went, “Wait, what if this happens?” Fast forward to 2025, and your phone knows where you slept, what you bought, and what kind of sandwich you’re about to order. Their warnings about Big Brother might not have been literal, but they nailed the vibe.
Rising College Costs
Boomers didn’t need a PhD to see this one coming. As early as the 1970s, educators were warning that universities were pricing out the middle class. Today, the average cost of college in the U.S. per year is about $38,270, according to the Education Data Initiative. That’s more than some houses cost in 1975. Boomers watched education shift from a public good to a profit engine, and many of them raised concerns about it.
Technology Addiction
Before smartphones, there were TV marathons. And back then, boomers were already warning that “too much screen time rots your brain.” They were onto something. A 2023 Pew Research report found that lots of teens say they are online “almost constantly.” Boomers couldn’t imagine TikTok, but they knew staring at screens all day probably wasn’t great for anyone.
Climate Change
This one wasn’t just a hunch. Scientists in the 1970s, many of whom were boomers, rang the alarm about carbon emissions and fossil fuels. Exxon even had internal research predicting global warming by the early ’80s. Today, the NOAA reports that 2023 was the Earth’s hottest year on record. Back then, it was dismissed as fringe. Now, it’s daily life.
Corporate Takeover of Politics
Boomers lived through the shift. Watergate, the rise of PACs, deregulation; they saw money pour into politics like a busted fire hydrant. Today, Statista reports that total lobbying spending in the U.S. exceeded $4 billion in 2024. A lot of boomers saw it coming and called it what it was: selling influence.
Job Insecurity Despite Working Hard
A steady job with benefits used to be the rule, not the exception. Boomers worked those jobs and watched them disappear. Outsourcing, automation, contract gigs; the warning signs were clear. Now, lots of U.S. workers are part of the gig economy. That’s not what “work hard, retire happy” was supposed to mean.
Housing Affordability Crisis
Boomers watched housing become investment-first and family-second. They bought homes for under $50,000 and saw prices skyrocket. Now, Zillow reports the median home price in the U.S. is over $360,000. Many boomers warned that treating homes like stock portfolios would push the next generations out of the market. They were right.
Mental Health Epidemic
In the ’60s and ’70s, mental health was whispered about, but people were still asking questions. Some boomers experimented with therapy, communal living, and psychedelic research to find answers. They sensed society was out of balance. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, over 59 million U.S. adults lived with mental illness in 2022. It’s a conversation boomers helped start, even if they didn’t have all the words for it back then.
Overmedication and Pharma Dependence
Boomers saw the pill bottle explosion in real time. Antibiotics, antidepressants, and painkillers were handed out like Halloween candy. Some of them warned it wouldn’t end well. Then came the opioid crisis. CDC data shows more than 80,000 opioid overdose deaths in 2022 alone. Boomers didn’t invent the problem, but plenty of them saw it forming.
Decline in Trust in Institutions
Vietnam. Watergate. The oil crisis. Boomers watched leaders lie, flail, and dodge responsibility, and it made them skeptical. Many boomers planted those seeds of doubt decades ago. And it turns out they weren’t being dramatic. They were being observant.
Cultural Fragmentation
Once upon a time, everyone watched the same shows, listened to the same music, and read the same newspapers. Boomers saw that change. They were the first generation to experience true counterculture, and they knew it wouldn’t stop with tie-dye and rock’n’roll. Now, everyone’s got their algorithm. We’re in a thousand little echo chambers, and boomers warned that it would isolate more than it would unite.
Overreliance on Credit
Boomers used layaway. Then came credit cards, and they raised their eyebrows. By the ’80s, they knew debt was becoming a lifestyle, not just a tool. Today, the average American household carries over $6,000 in credit card debt, according to The Motley Fool. Plenty of boomers watched it snowball and said, “This won’t end well.” Now it’s everyone’s problem.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information. It is not intended to be professional advice.
How Total Beginners Are Building Wealth Fast in 2025—No Experience Needed
How Total Beginners Are Building Wealth Fast in 2025
I used to think investing was something you did after you were already rich. Like, you needed $10,000 in a suit pocket and a guy named Chad at some fancy firm who knew how to “diversify your portfolio.” Meanwhile, I was just trying to figure out how to stretch $43 to payday.
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5 Easy Steps to Change Any Habit
5 Easy Steps to Change Any Habit
We all click on them with the hope that just THIS time the secret to changing a bad habit or adopting a healthy one will be revealed and we’ll finally be able to stick to that diet, stop that one or ten things that might in the moment make us feel temporarily good but really just make us fat, unhealthy, sad, mad or just frustrated with ourselves.
