Gen Alpha is no longer the youngest generation — Gen Beta has arrived

Tom Carter
Updated ·2 min read

  • Babies born January 1 and after will be part of Generation Beta, the newest generational label.

  • Emerging technology, especially AI, will likely have a profound effect on their lives.

  • The new generation replaces Gen Alpha, which includes those born between 2010 and 2024.

Gen Alpha is about to have some competition.

Babies born on January 1 and after will be part of Generation Beta, a new label for those born between 2025 and 2039.

The research firm McCrindle said in a blog post that Gen Beta will make up 16% of the global population by 2035 and that many Gen Beta children will live to see the 22nd century.

The firm was founded by the social researcher Mark McCrindle, who coined the term Gen Alpha.

Here is a rundown of the generational buckets commonly used for those born in the last 100 years:

Gen Beta: 2025-2039

Gen Alpha: 2010-2024

Gen Z: 1997-2009

Millennials: 1981-1996

Generation X: 1965-1980

Boomers: 1946-1964

The Silent Generation: 1928-1945

Gen Beta is also expected to be heavily shaped by technology, just like their Gen Alpha forebears who are sometimes called "iPad kids" because of their perceived reliance on tech.

McCrindle wrote that Gen Beta's lives would be defined by AI and automation — and they'll face major societal challenges such as the climate crisis and global population shifts.

Parents of Gen Alpha kids are increasingly grappling with how to manage their children's relationship with technology and AI tools, which have become widespread since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022.

A study by the Pew Research Center released in November 2023 found that one in five students who had heard of ChatGPT used it to help with their schoolwork.

Parenting commentators previously told Business Insider that Gen Alpha parents should seek to keep their children off social media for as long as possible, citing the harmful impact it can have on mental health.

The validity of using generational tags has been questioned in the past.

The Pew Research Center's president, Michael Dimock, cautioned in 2019 that it was best to view the categories as a lens for thinking about societal change rather than as a label to oversimplify differences between groups.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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