CARMEL, Ind. (WRTV) Rahanatou Souley, 22, is a Gen Z-er living in Carmel.Shes had multiple credit cards and used them to pay for college books, supplies, clothing, groceries, and her wedding.Something I didn't notice that they do is add interest to it, even though you do minimum payments, Souley said. They'll add interest to it.She ended up with $9,000 in credit card debt.I didn't know having a credit card is such a big responsibility, Souley said. You have to be very responsible to have a credit card because it will catch up to you eventually.Souley is not alone.Gen Z adults (18-29 years old) carry an average unsecured debt balance of $22,848 and are the fastest-growing client segment for Money Management International, a national nonprofit that provides credit counseling.Over the past year, MMI has observed a 35% increase in Gen Z clients, with their average unsecured debt burden up 12% from 2025.Unsecured debt is debt that is not backed by any property or collateral, such a car or house.Unsecured debt is typically credit cards, personal loans, and medical bills.Younger people are more less likely rather to have assets to fall back on other long term savings accounts to fall back on when they fall into trouble with their finances, Thomas Nitzsche, VP of Public Relations at MMI said. They typically are more reliant on credit as an extension of their income rather than falling back on assets that they might have. Meanwhile, monthly living expenses among new clients climbed 7% to $4,655, according to MMI.The silver lining is technology is helping people get help faster.Thousands of clients have directly navigated from ChatGPT to MMIs website in 2026, including a threefold increase since ChatGPT rolled out its personal finance experience in May. That month they saw more than 3,000 referrals from ChatGPT.They're using new and emerging ways of problem solving and I think ChatGPT does a great job of warming people up to having that conversation, said Nitzsche.Rahanatou Souley found Money Management International through her credit card company, and shes working to pay down her debt.I pay $183 every single month for both my credit cards that I have on there, said Souley.She works and goes to colleges, and wishes she had done more research before turning to plastic. You really got to know what you're getting yourself into, Souley said. Do all your research. Make sure you know about your credit.The average interest rate for a credit card is more than 23%.MMI says many of their clients start off paying off their balance in full but it only takes one big incident like losing your job a divorce, or hospital stay to send you into debt.Tips from the Federal Trade Commission on avoiding debt relief scams: Never pay anyone who tries to collect fees from you before they do anything to help you deal with your debt. Thats illegal. Dont share your financial or personal information with someone who calls unexpectedly, offering to help you settle your debts. Thats probably a scammer. Dont do business with anyone who guarantees you results from a new government program for a fee, or tries to enroll you. ...read more read less