9 Things Gen Alpha Already Thinks Older Generations Get Completely Wrong
Giulio_Fornasar / ShutterstockGen Alpha isn’t talked about as frequently as other generations yet, but in just a few years they’ll take the title of youngest generation in the workforce away from Gen Z. That means these kids and teens, born between 2010 and 2024, will soon be the center of all kinds of conversation.
So far, they’ve raised both hopes and concerns with their incredible technological skills and questionable reading proficiency. There’s no way to know what the defining characteristics of this generation will be yet, but given that they are already very much online and active in the metaverse, they clearly disagree with older generations on several key issues already.
Gen Alpha has already decided that older generations are completely wrong about these very specific things
1. Treating mental health like it’s a secret
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Young people have been pushing back against the idea that mental health is a taboo topic for a while now, and it seems like Gen Alpha could finally be the ones to break the stigma completely. A survey of some of the older members of the generation showed that they think it’s good to be honest about mental health and that most of those who struggled with their own mental health weren’t afraid to seek treatment.
Millennials and Gen Z have done a lot to open up the conversation about mental health themselves, and it’s rubbed off on the younger people who look up to them. Gen Alpha doesn’t think twice when someone mentions feeling anxious or going to therapy, and they don’t want to return to the time when it was something that was swept under the rug.
2. Believing there’s a universal definition of success
Right now, parents of Gen Alpha kids are probably encouraging them to study harder so they can make good grades that will open up opportunities for them in the future. Su Yeong Kim, PhD, a professor of human development and family sciences, thinks this gives them a pretty limited idea of what success looks like.
In a world that’s changing rapidly, things like soft skills and good character are more important than ever because they can’t be replicated by AI. Gen Alpha wants to figure out what success means for them on an individual basis instead of being forced to live up to someone else’s definition.
3. Thinking everyone should meet certain milestones
Gen Z and millennials were the first generations to open up about feeling anxious about the pressure to meet certain milestones on a specific timeline. They also questioned why traditions like getting married were treated as more important than something like walking away from a toxic relationship, which could be just as beneficial for their well-being.
Gen Alpha is taking this to a new level. They’re farther removed from the idea that everyone should start a family and buy a house by a certain age thanks to the strides their parents and older siblings made, and they’re watching the adults closest to them move back home and struggle to find their financial footing. They don’t think there’s some sort of perfect formula to follow, and they aren’t going to burn themselves out trying to meet anyone's conventional standards.
4. Not valuing work-life balance enough
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Older generations were known for working hard to an unhealthy extent. They didn’t see a problem with being a workaholic as long as they were properly compensated for doing so.
Younger people have been pushing for more flexibility for several years now. Gen Alpha is seeing people just slightly ahead of them refuse to sacrifice everything for their jobs, and they’re taking notice. These kids will probably pursue remote work opportunities and even entrepreneurship in greater numbers because they want to set their own schedule rather than be at an employer’s beck and call.
5. Trusting too easily
Older folks were raised to trust the government and other institutions, and they really had no reason not to. Each subsequent generation seems to have questioned authority a bit more than the one that came before it, making Gen Alpha the least likely to take anything at face value.
This is a good thing because it’s not only people in leadership positions who need to be questioned now. Misinformation is running rampant, especially with AI making it easier to create and spread. Young people don’t have a great track record of spotting fake news for what it really is, even if they think they do, but the mistakes they’ve made so far are making them more alert than ever.
6. Wanting to know everything
A lot of people have a hard time admitting that not all teenagers think they have all the answers, or even want to in the first place. There are certainly still teens who feel this way, but the stereotype doesn’t hold quite as true as it once might have.
Research has shown that students who are willing to admit they don’t know everything are also more likely to put more effort into learning in the future. This shows that more members of Gen Alpha might be interested in embracing intellectual humility, even if it’s only because information is so easily accessible to them.
7. Not being part of the media they consume
For most of history, being entertained was largely a passive undertaking. Watching a movie or reading a book does require someone to actually do something, but they aren’t really participating actively.
Now, people are spending more time being entertained by social media than ever before, and Gen Alpha wants to be creators instead of just consumers. Many teens have said that they enjoy being able to express themselves creatively through social media. That doesn’t mean they should all consider becoming influencers a viable career path, but it shows they want to do more than just watch someone else be amusing.
8. Setting boundaries around technology
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The oldest generations alive now were introduced to most of the technology Gen Alpha grew up with well after they started their lives as adults. They’ve not only had to learn how to use it but also how to incorporate it into their already established lives. Many of them feel hesitant about technology and are quick to say it shouldn’t be used constantly.
No one should be staring at a screen all the time, regardless of their age, and not every member of Gen Alpha even wants that level of connection, but they do see technology as a really useful tool that shouldn’t be so mistrusted. Researchers have found that teens experience positive effects from their screen time, like feeling closer to others and being more capable in a digital world. They aren’t afraid of technology when they know it could help them grow.
9. Respecting people solely because they're powerful
Gen Alpha is by no means universally disrespectful. However, older generations were taught that they should respect influential people just because of who they were. Everyone from politicians to CEOs was given deferential treatment, but kids and teens don’t think that’s always a good thing.
There are plenty of powerful people who really are deserving of respect, but Gen Alpha feels like they need to earn that respect before it's given to them. They pay attention to how people act and tailor their treatment of them accordingly. They don’t think anyone is better than other people just because they have an impressive title or a lot of money.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
