While everyone is busy hating Gen Alpha for ruining Sephora, being unruly in the classroom, and not being able to survive without a screen, we thought it was time we looked at Gen Alpha's loves, likes, and absolute no-nos!
Who is Gen Alpha?
The full generational span of Gen Alpha are the kids born between 2010 and 2025, making the oldest members around 13 - 14 years old. They are the first to be born entirely in the 21st century and, as such, look to be one of the most influential generations of this era.
Looking for a quick overview? Here are the top 5 Gen Alpha stats.
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2.8 million Gen Alphas are born globally each week.
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65% of Gen Alphas will work in jobs that don’t exist today.
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66% of Gen Alphas prefer to buy from companies that make a positive difference in the world.
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82% of Gen Alphas say they’re looking forward to having their own money so they can make their purchases
- Gen Alpha spends more time looking at screens than any other generation
Gen Alpha hate skinny jeans
If you have your very own Gen Alpha and aren’t yet sure what to expect, be prepared for critiques on your style, language and even what generation phone you have. Forewarned is forearmed, so do yourself a favour and check out Faith Hitchon's "Trend Report" series on TikTok. Faith is a mum living in Los Angeles who has gone viral for sharing the trends Gen Alpha considers "in" and "out" as told to her by her daughter, India.
Faith covers everything Gen Alpha-related, including fashion, slang, and the tightness quota of your jeans. In one video, she says, according to Gen A, "Do not even think about wearing pants that even hint at being tight. Don't even try it. A straight-leg jean is, like, barely making the mark. If you do anything, that's the takeaway."
Gen Alpha also has the antidote to figure-hugging fashion — think wide-legged sweatpants and hoodies galore, flared leggings over tight and more hoodies. In fact, you can even layer those hoodies!
And if you’ve been startled by your Gen Alpha coming down to dinner with white Sudocrem patches on their face or animal-shaped Korean pimple patches, you’re not alone. These medicated acne patches have seen soaring sales, with some brands seeing a 131.0% growth since 2020.
Gen Alpha's enthusiasm for other must-have items has also gone to Stanley Quencher Cups, with yearly sales rising from £59 million to £590 million, Sol de Janeiro products seeing a 174% growth yearly increase and UGG mini boots and UGG platforms, which has led to a 28.1% increase on UGG sales year-over-year.
For what to avoid saying to your Gen Alpha, never EVER say queen (someone tell Beyonce), slay or BFF and replace with BSF (best friend) and GYAT (girl, you ate that)!
As for how-to-be-a-cooler-parent, rip off that pop socket, stop using the cry-laughing emoji, and order a Pink Coconut Starbucks Refresha Drink over a Flat White. Finally, always be satisfied with a ‘k’ response to all your inquiring questions and text messages!
What’s great about Gen Alpha
The razor-sharp Gen Alpha may have brand influence and purchasing power beyond their years, but they’re proving they’re shrewd in all areas of life.
“Gen Alpha are wise beyond their years,” says Louise Hill, co-founder and CEO of GoHenry. “They are a generation that already knows what they want. Even though they have only been around since 2010, our research shows they are proving to be shrewd with their finances, thinking carefully not only about what they buy and how they want to work in the future but also what they do with their time.”
As of now, Gen Alpha has £237.3bn in spending power via parents, and while some parental habits are trickling down, Gen Alpha is also busy setting its own financial goals.
“I’m hoping to buy my first house when I’m 18. My mum and I watch Homes Under the Hammer in the school holidays; then, I can work on it and rent it out for good money. My mum can only afford £2 pocket money per week, plus 50p for tasks like brushing my teeth and cleaning my room. When I’m 12 or 13, I can start looking for a part-time job like a paper round. I started getting serious about money when I got GoHenry and could see the amount on the screen. That made it more real and easier to keep on top of my savings and tasks.”
Theo, age 8
Our latest research also shows that children’s weekly pocket money now stands at an average of £7.54 per child. 14-year-olds' pocket money increased by 2.5% compared to the previous year, with a weekly average of £12.15. So it’s no surprise that a third of global teens have access to a bank account, and the number of Gen Alphas with bank account access has jumped 7% over the past year.
What this means for the future is still hard to predict, but aside from a generation of financially savvy kids, Gen Alpha is likely to keep impacting what we say, do, wear and how we live our lives for a long while yet.
