Marshall and his friends Ashton, Chad, Noah and Lucas see cringe-worthy content on social media a lot.
"I'd say it's pretty popular," says Marshall, 18, from Adelaide.
"It's probably the fact that it's stupid, which makes it fun," Noah says.
Even though it can be fun, being cringe in any way is something many young people want to avoid at all costs.
Chad says: "It can be funny sometimes, but just depends on what it is."
So, what is cringe?
The Oxford Dictionary defines "cringe" as an inward feeling of acute embarrassment or awkwardness.
It has been a storytelling device used in movies and popular TV shows, such as US sitcom The Office, for a long time.
More recently, it has appeared in advertising and online content, generating engagement by evoking strong emotions while being relatable to audiences.
From fashion to social media posts
However, cringe culture has now taken the word beyond the dictionary definition.
Sometimes it is a compliment, sometimes it is an insult, and working out what makes us cringe in a good or bad way is subjective.
For Henry, 12, dance videos on TikTok and the hit Netflix movie KPop Demon Hunters are cringe.
Ava, 20, has a similar definition.
"When people try to do thirst traps [raunchy posts] on TikTok," she says.
"Cheese grater jeans, to be honest," Jorja, 20, says.
For others, cringe is harder to define.
Noah says: "Probably something that's, like, really out of the ordinary, not just unique."
"Being cringe is like, you're sort of acting uncool," Tianyi, 19, says.
Asha, 17, says: "People just being odd in public and then people giving them strange looks makes me cringe."
Fear of being 'cringe'
Psychologist Lauren Zannettino says the word "cringe" is now being used more often to describe how we think someone else should feel.
She says cringe is being used "as a way to bully other people" and she is noticing a change in young people's behaviours.
"It's causing a lot of anxiety and worry about how we're being perceived," she says.
"I've noticed that young people are more self-conscious around trying new things.
"They're stopping themselves from being authentic … and doing the things that they want to do out of fear that it's going to be filmed by someone and posted online.
"Or that someone will look at it and think that what they're doing is embarrassing."
Tianyi, 19, is conscious of what he says around friends.
"I feel like I can't say something because they might see it as a bit weird," he says.
Noah thinks it also has to do with people being more judgemental nowadays.
"People are just afraid to be embarrassed in front of a lot of people," he says.
"I don't think it affects the way I behave. But you don't want to do anything just in case you can be seen as cringey," Ava says.
Lauren says while people were critical of others before the advent of social media, "now we're really comfortable with being judgemental to someone via comment online or by sharing it".
This cringe-averse mindset can have negative impacts on how young people present themselves, especially when it comes to dating or meeting new people.
"Cringe culture in dating is definitely a real thing and sometimes I hold myself back, not just with dating, but also meeting new people in general as well," Tianyi says.
Sarah, 16, and Asha reckon lots of young people act the same as one another to try to fit in.
"They want to be seen as, like, a normal person to the person that they're dating," Asha says.
Impact on work and study
It is not just a problem for young people's personal lives.
When it comes to education, teachers and university lecturers around the world say, anecdotally, students now tend to be less likely to speak up or take part in open conversations — something Taylor, 19, has experienced.
In her university classes, Taylor has to take part in pretend scenarios.
"Sometimes it's just very cringe," she says.
Then, there is the workplace.
A study from Intelligent.com surveyed 966 business leaders in the US last year and found one in six were reluctant to hire Generation Z employees, saying a lack of motivation or initiative, lack of professionalism and attitude were concerns.
"I feel like some people don't want to sort of over-achieve because they feel like, oh, they're try-harding," Tianyi says.
Ashton, 18, says: "I've seen people scared to do what they want to do because they're scared of being cringe and how others see them."
To be cringe is to be human
Lauren Zannettino says being cringe is a totally normal human experience and something to be embraced.
"In order to be free, we have to be a little bit cringe," she says.
"Instead of saying, being cringe is being shameful, we need to look at it as a sign of authenticity and vulnerability."
Lucas says there isn't any way to avoid being cringe.
"So, if it happens, oh well," he says.
Henry reckons the key is for young people to do what they like and not care what others think.
Sarah thinks people should just be themselves, as "no-one is going to remember at the end of the day".
"Just be who you are, because whether you're cringe or not, people are going to love you for you," Asha says.
"And it's fun. Like, don't be someone you don't want to be just to fit in with society."
