The incoming generation, Gen Alpha, is experiencing a pattern in their development that has never been seen in prior generations. Children ages 9 through 12 are completely skipping over their “awkward phase” and striving to emulate a teenage lifestyle now seen in current 16 through 18 year-olds.
Yet, even with this vastly different shift, a rise in terms such as “Sephora kid” have been used to describe an immature generation that has grown up too fast, using anti-aging products and reading young adult fiction.
This occurrence has an explanation: Gen Alpha was the first generation to fully grow up in the 21st century, and, as a result, are fully immersed in the digital world. 43% of kids have a tablet before the age of 6, and 58% of them have a phone before the age of 10.
This, in turn, has exposed children to social media, influencers and trends during their vital development stages. “On social media, kids have a flawed view of the world,” senior Alika Cho shared. “While older kids are able to properly understand social media, kids’ minds are more malleable and want to follow the trends they see on social media.”
Now, kids continuously participate in a series of trends they don’t fully comprehend themselves. With the rapid increase in such lifestyles, kids are missing necessary developmental time periods and skills. Generation Alpha specifically has an unhealthy reliance on technology and short form content, such as TikToks, Instagram Reels and Youtube Shorts, which are common in social media and have dwindled the attention span of many youths.
This new inundation of content and endless streams of videos kids face due to technology is a mindset detrimental for kids and is telling about the future of Generation Alpha. “Boredom is essential for kids,” Cho added. “Kids entertain themselves with boredom and find new ways to explore the world and create new things.”
Technology affects this inherent curiosity because people aren’t bored, which results in less kids trying new things in prime development stages and more of them trying to grow up too fast. “It’s important for kids to have awkward phases,” senior Brynn Kanswischer shared. “Learning from your mistakes and having these awkward phases helps shape who you are.”
Kids now are disinterested in learning new things because of technology and social media. However, banning social media and technology access is unrealistic in an increasingly technological world. The best option is for kids to become better educated on social media and its effects.
As social media begins to shape the minds of younger generations, it’s important to consider the implications of their development and how it can affect innovation and curiosity in a future society.
