It's Time to Talk....About Gen Alpha

Sephora ten-year-olds, social media, and a worrisome lack of discipline.

If you have been on the internet in the past year, it’s likely you’ve come across Gen Alpha (AKA iPad kids) . Generation Alpha are the kids born from 2010 to 2025. According to Boomers and Gen Z influencers alike, they are awful. In this article, I’ll be talking about the cause of Gen Alpha’s behavior and the role “gentle parenting” and social media play in it.

Where it All Began:

I believe Gen Alpha’s entitlement is the result of a viral parenting style known as gentle parenting. The gentle parenting trend is the product of Millennials not wanting to raise their children in the authoritarian style they were raised in. The authoritarian parenting style is one of the four parenting styles (the others are authoritative, uninvolved, and permissive). Authoritarian parents are labeled as strict and inflexible. They are the Tiger Moms and the “Because I Said So” Dads of parenting. In trying to learn from their parents’ mistakes, many Millennials crossed the line and are now raising their children the exact opposite way their parents raised them.

According to Parents.com, “Patient, calm, and punishment-free, gentle parenting is an evidence-based approach that focuses on empathy, respect, understanding, and boundaries.” Honestly, I agree with how this article says we should raise children. In fact, I am not against the idea of gentle parenting itself, I’m against the way the values of gentle parenting are being applied. Many parents are raising their children in a permissive style and calling it gentle parenting. Permissive parenting is a parenting style that focuses more on building a friendship with your child but not enough on actually raising your child. It is one of the four parenting styles and is labeled as being warm and nurturing but lacking discipline. Permissive parents are the “Your Wish Is My Command” Moms and the “Kids Will Be Kids” Dads. This parenting style causes children to think everyone must do what they say no matter what. In other words, permissive parenting results in self centered, narcissistic, and entitled children.

Permissive Parenting

The iPad Generation:

As of 2024, it is estimated that around 50 to 60 percent of Gen Alpha had access to an iPad before turning 5. If that isn’t worrisome enough, maybe this next statistic will. According to a 2024 article by pro.morningconsult.com, “Older Alphas are forming their social media habits now: 65% of those ages 8-10 are spending up to 4 hours a day on social media, which is similar to what younger Gen Zs report doing.” So what are these kids watching on social media anyways? Something called “brain rot content” by the TikTok community. Brain rot content is basically classified as low-value videos and memes that are usually, in my opinion, senseless and plotless. Those videos leave kids’ brains in a constant state of brain fogginess and with low attention spans. Social media these days is filled with less cute dogs in DIY teacups and more videos of teenagers “twerking” on camera. And that’s only one side of social media.

The other side of social media is more directed to young girls. It’s the side that’s filled with influencers GRWM (Get Ready With Me) videos and is responsible for things such as Stanley’s, Lululemon, Drunk Elephant, and Uggs going viral. It’s important to notice that although this side might seem harmless, it’s actually exposing girls to things they shouldn’t be thinking about at their age. For example, which retinol is better for sensitive skin, how to layer skincare, natural makeup tutorials, and boy tips (among other things).

Sephora Ten-Year-Olds:

Little girls consuming lots of social media has brough a new problem that store employees and costumers are sick of having to deal with. That problem is young girls at stores such as Sephora and Ulta. What are these girls doing at Sephora anyways? They’re making skincare concoctions known as “skincare smoothies” particularly with a brand called Drunk Elephant. The problem with “skincare smoothies” is that they are made using Sephora’s testers and these specific kids usually don’t clean up after themselves. In addition, most of the Gen Alphas at Sephora have been raised in the permissive style I was talking about earlier, causing them to think it’s OK to treat store employees rudely. Basically, Gen Alphas are treating Sephora and Ulta stores like a playground.

Skincare Smoothie

Generation Alpha Can’t Read:

Yep. You read that right. A 2024 article by Explodingtopics.com says that, “67% of fourth graders aren’t proficient in reading”. If that data sound familiar, you’re correct. Earlier in this article I said that 65% of 8-10 year olds are spending up to four hours a day on social media. Turns out excessive use of social media isn’t good for kids’ cognitive development. (Read the next line in a sarcastic tone) Isn’t that just soooooo shocking?

What might be actually shocking is the way some of these kids are treating their teachers. Some Gen Alpha kids are so used to getting what they want at home that they expect to get what they want at school too. What they want is to scroll on social media all day. This brings up another compelling point against social media being used compulsively by anybody (specifically children). That is easily-gained dopamine.

You see, dopamine is the pleasure neurotransmitter. It’s naturally released when we accomplish goals, when we learn, when we receive positive reinforcement, and when we spend time with our friends and family members. Believe it or not dopamine plays a crucial role in learning because it has a strong correlation with motivation. Unfortunately, social media is an easy way to get cheap dopamine. This is very hurtful for children because dopamine is addictive and although you can get dopamine from achieving a goal, it’s way easier to get dopamine by wasting your life scrolling on social media. Back to the point, teachers are struggling to do their jobs because kids are not motivated to learn.

Why Hope is Not Lost:

It’s important to remember that although hope might seem out of sight, it’s not out of reach. My solution to the Gen Alpha problem is to limit device exposure tremendously. I would say about an hour on weekdays and an hour and a half on weekends. On weekdays devices should only be available after the child in question has finished their homework and any other tasks he or she needs to complete at home. In addition to implementing stricter device rules, parents need to learn to discipline their children correctly. I’m not saying every Gen Alpha kid is awful. In fact, some parents are actually raising their children quite well. But if your child is disrespecting their teachers or any other authority figure it’s time to learn how to be strict without being disrespectful to your child (kids learn from example). In conclusion, there’s a problem with (most of) Gen Alpha. Fortunately, there’s still a way to solve it.

Love,

Carol M.