Gen Alpha Rising: Millennial Parenting And The Fate Of Tomorrow

By Iolee Anagnostopoulou

Millennials, Gen Z (or Zoomers), and the youngest bunch, Generation Alpha, are, by default, the generations shaping the future of this world. But are we inadvertently steering it towards peril? I remember a quote by G. Michael Hopf that goes ‘Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.’ 

I wonder if what we’re witnessing in the evolution of our generations justifies that argument. With the dubious Millennials stepping into the role of parenting Gen Alpha, questions arise about the implications. 

Is our future leadership doomed with these “feral” and “illiterate” Alphas taking centre stage on platforms like TikTok and YouTube? 

Meet The Villains

Generation Alpha, the latest addition to the generational roster, is the largest cohort of children ever, comprising over 2 billion globally—more than a quarter of the world’s population! It consists of those born from the early 2010s to the mid-2020s, making them the youngest generation alive and the first to be born entirely in the 21st century. 

Despite their young age, concerns already loom large for Alphas. If Zoomers are known as snowflakes, then Gen Alpha is like a whole different breed, recently dubbed TikTok’s newest villains, who can’t read by the time they hit puberty or function without a screen.

Online critics highlight illiteracy as a significant concern for Generation Alpha despite their median age of only 6 and a half years old. The lack of essential reading skills, whose optimal development was skipped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, becomes evident at school. And since English teachers often aren’t trained to teach reading beyond the early grades, many fourth-graders find themselves functionally illiterate by eighth grade. 

This shortfall impacts academic performance and raises concerns about the development of empathy, which is often nurtured through literature. 

Couple that with decreased social interactions due to the Alphas’ notorious iPad addiction, and you have a recipe for behavioural issues. 

With their tablet constantly glued to their hands, they’re almost always hiding in their little virtual world, where everything is exciting and entertaining. Experts say YouTube is like Wikipedia for school-age Alphas, answering random questions from ‘what’s the tallest building in the world’ to ‘how to beat the Ender Dragon in Minecraft’. 

Meanwhile, skinfluencer videos reinforce the Sephora Kid phenomenon, aka young girls who are informed skincare consumers already at 8 years of age and go shopping for pricey, influencer-recommended products. 

Let’s call a spade a spade: These ‘kids’ haven’t known a world without technology. They have access to much more information than we did at their age, making our concept of childhood development very different from what they’re experiencing. And they’ve got their millennial parents wrapped around their little fingers, influencing everything from what they watch on TV to what they buy and even where they vacation.   

Yet, should the blame fall on these pint-sized individuals or the adults shaping their narrative?

Understanding The Millennial Parent

Millennials, also known as Generation Y, typically encompass those born between the early 1980s and the mid-to-late 1990s. They came of age during the turn of the millennium, hence the name. Millennials often find themselves taking hits in intergenerational banter, bearing the brunt of blame for many societal issues—from ruining the housing market and the institution of marriage to childhood itself. While Boomers have often been criticised on social media for lacking strong connections with their children, “millennial parenting” now faces its share of scrutiny. 

Millennial childcare traits, from the popular choice of muted colours to a woke approach to upbringing, have shaped the toddlers and pre-teens of this world. Of course, there were also the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic that further complicated the journey of raising Alphas. While one could argue about the abundance of parenting resources nowadays, most Millennial parents say it leads to information overload and self-doubt that ultimately undermines their natural parenting instincts. 

Yet many Millennials have sought to differentiate themselves from previous generations through their parenting approaches, actively expressing their dedication to good mothering/fathering online. Social media platforms praise Millennial dads for their hands-on involvement, while “gentle parenting” trends emerge as a response to harsh treatment in their own upbringing. 

That said, some parents are totally misinterpreting the method, veering towards excessive leniency instead. Many say that Millennials avoid conflict because they’re too “scared” to discipline their children, like failing to manage screen time effectively due to laziness. 

But are we forgetting a tiny little detail here? Nobody exactly prepared Millennials to raise an entire digitally distracted generation that’s decades ahead of any of their younger versions. Simply put, We don’t quite understand what it is to be a Gen Alpha because our childhoods developed in dramatically different ways. 

The real question is, have we caught up with them yet, or are we unintentionally failing them?

Are We Really Doomed?

During my teaching years, I remember phrases like ‘the kids are to blame’ or ‘it’s the parent’s fault’ flying abound. But pointing the finger is easy. Bringing up the real questions, though, is what actually takes us somewhere. 

For example, do we forget that these are also just kids and that we were probably the same (or worse), just not filmed and exposed online to be judged by millions? Or, has our education system evolved to cater to a generation of technologically advanced children? Have teachers been retrained to catch up with the ever-growing generational gap? Is the food we give to our kids further destroying their brain development and mental health? Are future parents adequately prepared and supported in the most critical thing they’ll ever do: Raise a child?

If there’s anything we should have learned from previous generations, it is that every problem also presents an opportunity. If that opportunity is seized correctly, it can become a legacy. Despite the sweeping statements regarding Generation Alpha’s literacy struggles and technology overexposure, reading levels have actually improved compared to 1992. 

Also, the shift towards phonics-based reading methods and the advanced digital literacy of young Alphas paint an optimistic academic future. And thanks to their parents breaking negative generational patterns, Alpha children tend to be more emotionally intelligent and self-aware. 

So it’s not all doom and gloom. The challenges posed by technology and societal shifts are undeniable. Still, the resilience and ingenuity of parents, teachers, and children offer a beacon of hope. As Alphas grow up in an increasingly digitised world, the influence of technology on their development cannot be undermined. 

To prepare for the future, our world needs to adapt to theirs. That doesn’t mean tossing every old-fashioned value out the window—simply bridging our two generations optimally so we can all thrive. Upgrade education methods, teach parents tech-savvy parenting, and invest more quality time and genuine effort in nurturing these kids.  

With the right course of action, Generation Alpha can leave its mark on the world in unimaginable ways.