With the revelation that groups of ten and 11-year-olds, part of the generation known as “Gen Alpha”, are making skincare smoothies with testers at the beauty retailer Sephora, many people are not pleased with how the next generation is acting. Gen Alpha is the first generation to be exposed to social media at a young age, and many are concerned about how they will turn out.
Complaining about newer generations is not new. In fact, you can find numerous historical records of older generations complaining and worrying about the mental state of their offspring. One of the oldest ones is from an Ancient Assyrian tablet dating back to around 2600 B.C. reading, “Children no longer obey their parents; every man wants to write a book, and the end of the world is evidently approaching.”
Throughout ancient times, each generation found the same reasons to be ashamed of the next. If their claims held true, each new generation would be at the lowest point in human development. Contrary to what the author of the stone tablet was worried about, the end of the world has yet to come; however, their complaint would be overused for the next 4000 years. What is the source of this kind of negativity? Is expressing our concern for the well-being and future of “Gen Alpha” valid, or is it merely repetitive and unproductive?
John Protzko, a psychologist at the University of California Santa Barbara, claimed that this concern is a cycle that is doomed to repeat itself, and it is a bias rooted in our short memory. Accoridng to Protzko most of our memories are modified fabrications put together based on our current values and judgments, also known as presentism. If it’s hard to name exactly what happened last Tuesday, how are we to remember how we acted and thought at the age Gen Alpha is? Thus, saying “Back in my day, we never talked back to our parents! We did not take everything for granted! We never did this and that!” is not a fair comment because those who do remember “their day” might think differently.
Think of all the clothes you chose to wear when you were in third grade. Am I the only one getting harrowing flashbacks from the denim vests and the hot pink capri pants? Even if you were to go back in time — unless you can keep the mindset and preferences you have right now — there would likely be no change in all the questionable choices you made during those years. You are a much different person than you were in the past, and that is a solid reason why there are certain experts and studies that are specifically focused on the psychology of children.
In addition, we must know that the ones who are educating the Gen Alpha are the previous generations. Accusing Gen Alpha of being the problem and eventually ruining society implies that previous generations have failed in providing the adequate skills and ethics to function as a member of society. Then the question arises: Is the education system failing Gen Alpha?
Gen Alpha has also become synonymous with the archetype of the “iPad kid”. Throughout history, new generations have been followed by advancements in technology and culture. In a world that is constantly changing and unpredictable, each generation has access to different things and experiences in life and that includes new forms of communication and entertainment. Therefore, it’s unrealistic to compare your first flip phone with the kids that grew up with iPads. Changes in culture sometimes produce better traits for the new generation that the older people should learn from. For example, older generations in most countries value family well-being more than their own needs. However, now that many members of Gen-Z are grown up and can speak for themselves, their tolerance of irrational behavior and toxic environments has diminished. This has led to many companies abolishing traditional forced company events, like after-work drinks and holiday parties held for the sake of employee bonding. Many people across generations are learning about the importance of mental health and healing, what was considered as a typical Gen-Z or millennial trait.
Though restricting technology may be beneficial for child’s creativity and critical thinking, this article suggests that the claim of younger generations getting more self-centered, rude and spoiled may be exaggerated. Social media tends to show extreme cases, and as someone who worked with kids born in the 2010s, most of them were polite and not self-centered at all. Yes, we might question the things young people value and the decisions they make. But so did millennials, Gen X, and boomers when they watched us grow. Soon, we will see Gen Alpha roll their eyes at whatever generation comes after them.