LET THEM COOK!: Inside the Minds of Generation Alpha

ARTICLE: RENZO CABITLADA | FEBRUARY 9, 2024.

This 2024, there is no escaping Generation Alpha. Born from 2010 to 2024, they are on their way to becoming the largest generation in history with more than 2.8 million Gen Alpha children born globally every week.

As we look to the decade ahead, it is time to understand those next in line: a generation defined by unprecedented times of change and rapid technological advances.

Who are they?

Raised as ‘screenagers,' screens become the substitutes for pacifiers and educational aids for Generation Alpha. In 2023, GWI found out that kids from 8 to 12 years old have an average screen time of 4 hours and 44 minutes. Social researcher Mark McCrindle, the coiner of the term, suggested that the effects of being exposed to this much screen time during their formative years can result in shorter attention spans and increased digital literacy, but impaired social formation.

With unlimited access to the internet and technology, this next generation is growing up in an environment with so much diversity and choice. Subsequently, this gives them so much power over the digital and physical landscape. Admit it or not, their choices will matter.

What are they ‘rizzing’ up?

Living up to their adaptable nature, both 13-year-old baller Seane Gabriel Soteo and 14-year-old student leader Cristina Cacho say they want their future to be fun, successful, and filled with experiences that would let them evolve and grow.

Meanwhile, 11-year-old dancer Jewel Mae Bellinario and 13-year-old student John Rey Señeres have more specific plans for their future. The former wants to be a part of the uniformed personnel that serves and protects Filipinos, while the latter aims to become a leader who makes significant contributions to his community.

Erm, chronically online?

Being the first generation of children to press on screens instead of holding rattles, these kids definitely have a closer relationship with their gadgets.

Cacho admitted that although it may sound stereotypical for their generation, it can’t be helped that gadgets are vital elements of their day-to-day life. Both Bellinario and Soteo added that the privilege of using one allows them to gain new knowledge and have an open mind.

Nevertheless, with their parent’s support, these youngsters’ hobbies are not limited to their gadgets. Soteo spends most of his time practicing and playing basketball after school while Bellinario dances in the competitions she joins. Gadgets are indeed a big part of their lives, but it’s not everything and all that they can do.

Their GOATed lore in the making

As if being raised as ‘screenagers’ isn’t enough, their generation’s developmental years got invaded by the pandemic—leaving them with no choice but to isolate themselves and rely even more on hand-held best friends.

Thankfully, as things start to return to a version of what it used to be, these youngsters are also finding new ways to build communities on their own.

Cacho and Soteo took a different yet holistic approach to building communities in the present age. Both said that our differences as individuals help us understand each other and live harmoniously. At such a young age, these kids can grasp the role of understanding one another in building and maintaining communities in the present.

So before we pick on their memes about their inability to spell, let’s get off our high horses and look at the bigger picture. It is our role as the previous generation to help them navigate the world during its most confusing state. Being the most digitally savvy generation, it is now imperative to impart interpersonal skills to this generation.

Judging from these kids' answers to what kind of future they see themselves in, they are hungry for a chance to connect with people. The drive to create relationships will allow them to grow. Whether through failure or success, this will teach them the resilience they need for the unforeseeable changes that will happen in the future.

All eyes are focused on Generation Alpha to give us a lens on what we can expect in the future. It is the time for this generation to live up to their name and show the world just how much of an Alpha they can be.