These are the kids born to Millennials. The first birthday of the pacesetters in this generation was in 2011. Children in the Generation Alpha club are immersed in technology and defined by diversity in key areas, including ethnicity and race, family finances, and family structure. Generation Z follows the members of generation alpha. The birth years of Generation Z members were between 1995 and 2010. They’re followed by the members of Generation Y, commonly known as Millennials, who were born between 1980 and 1995. One effective method to envision how all these groups fit together: Generation Alpha members are usually the kids of Millennials and younger siblings of Generation Z.
If current trends continue, Generation Alpha children will be more ethnically and racially diverse compared to their Generation Z counterparts. Generation Alpha members will also be more likely to receive college-level education, more likely to be surrounded by college-educated people, and more likely to grow up in single-parent households.
Generation Alpha kicked off in 2010. It’s the same year in which the American Dialect Society voted “app” as the word of the year, Instagram made its debut, and Apple launched its first iPad. Surrounded by technology right from the very beginning, this generation considers digital tools omnipresent instead of just a trendy accessory. Growing up linked up and logged on, helped by the likes of Alexa and Siri, and engrossed in videos and everything visual, can have its unique advantages, including greater digital adaptability and literacy.
In early 2020, when the pandemic forced institutions and most employers to operate remotely, different technologies came to the rescue. For many children, including Generation Alpha’s oldest members that are now in elementary school, screen time soared. Before the pandemic, experts forecasted that Generation Alpha children would follow the activist footsteps of Generation Z and prioritize sustainability. Now, the pandemic’s radical reset of societal norms can further intensify this generation’s interest in reimagining a healthier, greener world.
With census population projections estimating that the country will become minority white by 2045, it can be safely said that Generation Alpha children are on track to become America’s most ethnically and racially diverse generation yet.
For General Alpha children growing up in the nation’s poorest households, the challenges intertwined in their family finances are long-lasting and wide-ranging. Poverty elevates a kid’s risk of experiencing health, social-emotional, and behavioral challenges. Child poverty also decreases academic outcomes and skill-building opportunities, weakening a student’s capacity to graduate from high school, learn, and more.
