INTRODUCTION:

Generation Alpha is the generation who are born in between the 2010 and 2025. The term generation alpha was introduced by Australian social researcher Mark McCrindle¹. Generation Alpha mostly related with the millennial parents, and sometime called as mini millennial, following generation X, Y, and Z, Generation Alpha is the first generation to be named with a Greek alphabet letter instead of a letter from the Latin alphabet. They are growing up in the era where digital world exists; therefore we can’t describe them fully as they are still being born. Globally, it is been estimated that more than 2.8 million members of Generation Alpha are born per week, and by 2025 they are likely to be more than 2 billion.³

FEATURES OF GENERATION ALPHA:

Some of eminent features which we can observe in the Generation Alpha are:

· Digitally Oriented: Gen Alpha are enduringly connected with digital world; they are more focused digitally and it has almost become an integral part of their life. They are indulging in hi tech that they can’t imagine without being connected.²

· Highly Educated: Alpha children are still in their infancy stage, when they come to their age, they will be the most educated generation of all period. Most of the information are instantaneously available to them. They will be growing up with deeper sense of knowledge and for this the pattern of education will be implemented in the institutions.

· Modified learning skills: They are habituated to have an immediate access to material that it makes their teaching and learning methods to be changed. They learn things at their own pace and time. Along with their classroom teaching, learning modules and tutorials will make a marked difference in their learning.

· Dietary Habits: Gen Alpha is likely to prefer, high in carbohydrates, fats and energy drinks. Most of them literally prefer fast food like burger, pizza, pasta, noodles etc. which is considered to be unhealthy eating pattern.

· Styling: Alpha Kids are more focused on their dressing; they like to be cool and wear funky dresses. They love to wear the clothing’s that they feel comfortable and which makes them as individual, rather than following the societal norms and culture.

· Artificial Intelligence: Artificial intelligence (AI) has become their part of life to enable problem solving. This generation dominates AI reality and has almost become their natural part of their lives.

· Growing up Unlike: Gen Alpha’s parents had spent their childhood with playing outdoors, even though spending most of the time doing nothing or watching television was their part of entertainment. Gen Alpha kids are totally opposite of it they are spending their time being in virtual world.

· Living the moment: Alpha children are stressed free about their future coming. They are most likely to live in their present moment, which has now almost become a trend to be funky and live the life as a free bird.

PROBLEMS OF GENERATION ALPHA:

· Impaired attention and concentration. Gen Alpha kids are more prone to digital world, usage of mobile gadgets has made them to scroll quickly for getting the information this has made their attention and concentration impaired.⁴

· Reduced socialization. Spending most of their time digital its has affected their social life, kids are no longer playing out door/indoor games along with their same age groups. This attitude has impacted them a lot as they hesitate to speak face to face. However, their much of their interaction has moved on to social networks.

· Less creativity and imagination skills. As the usage of physical toys been replaced by mobiles and other gadgets, and AI is progressing in this era so these kids will suffer to develop their own imagination and creativity skills.

· Reduced ability to achieve happiness. As psychologist Jean M. Twenge notes in her book iGen, there is a “link between the rise of smart phones and social media and the increase in depression, anxiety and loneliness in today's youth”.⁴

TIPS FOR RAISING GEN ALPHA KID:

· Gen Alpha kid is concern about using technology so it’s important that you continue it with them, or else they will be like outdated in this digital world. Being a parent it is important to be in lime light of the virtual world. The better you are in it the more they will find you relevant.

· As being millennial you will find difficult to control them completely. As your parents had complete control over you now the circumstances are different. However that doesn’t mean that you have to agree for everything.

· Gadget time/setting the rules for screen is very important. Moreover, making them aware of pros and cons of gadgets will help them not to be in downside of technology.

· You should give importance for family time rather than their screen time, so indulge them in your daily chores/ activities so that they will get time to communicate with you and make you aware about their problems they are going through.

· As a parent you have to be a role model for them, let them learn and mould themselves with your good qualities. Praise them for their good qualities.

· Most of teenagers have taken the social media as a platform for communication, as being their parent you should teach them the values of interpersonal relationship, kindness, empathy towards others.

· Being their parent is aware of the online content what they are watching for, unknowingly they will fall into criminal mentality and it will be difficult for them as well to you to overcome with it.

· Most important of all is to establish a good rapport with your children. Have open communication with them and be the person whom they find trust worthy.⁵

CONCLUSION:

Alpha generation children’s were born when technology and digital usage are getting smarter, people are interconnected with these physical and digital world. As they grow up technologies will become their part of their lives, their feelings, attitudes everything will be changed, though it has many positive outlook but we should not neglect the negative aspects which can affect the quality of living. Now that you have seen a glimpse of their future, as a parent you can raise your kids on a better way.

REFERENCES:

1 https://mccrindle.com.au/article/topic/generation-alpha/generation-alpha-defined/

2 https://www.spiralytics.com/blog/generation-alpha-characteristics/

3 https://researchworld.com/articles/raising-gen-alpha-how-millennial-parenting-is-impacting-the-next-generation

4 https://www.iberdrola.com/talent/alpha-generation#:~:text=Problems%20of%20generation%20Alpha&text=Some%20neuroscientists%20and%20psychologists%20point,Reduced%20attention%20span%20and%20concentration

5 https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/style/who-is-generation-alpha/

Received on 08.01.2024 Revised on 15.11.2024

Accepted on 07.04.2025 Published on 17.05.2025

Available online from May 20, 2025

Int. J. Nursing Education and Research. 2025;13(2):123-124.

DOI: 10.52711/2454-2660.2025.00026

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Creative Commons License.