When we hear “youth”, we think Gen Z.
But that’s so 2022! 😝
Did you know that the oldest Gen Z are now in their late 20s…and that the next gen who are making waves are now entering their teens? 😱
meet the next gen:
Get to know some quick facts
about these new gen kids & teens!
#1: gen alpha are...
Gen Alpha Kids x Millennial Parents
Gen Alpha kids
✅ Tech-native digital ninjas
✅ Behave as mini-Millennials
✅ Influenced by what millennial parents want
✅ Yet also heavily influence parents’ decision-making
@thedfamiily on TikTok
Millennial parents
✅ Quick to adopt tech advancements
✅ Brands that reflect their values earn their loyalty
✅ Parents’ tastes greatly influence their kids’ preferences
What do we know about millennial parents?
They’re tech-savvy & do their research online—including researching about parenthood 💻
- Millennials go to online spaces for parenting advice and product recommendations, and have a wide variety of parenting personalities to learn from
- Prioritize being hyperinformed and conscientious, down to their brand and product choices for their kids
They see their kids as an extension of their lives & an important part of their identity 👯♀️
- According to a study by Archrival (a youth agency in the US), “parenthood has become increasingly ‘cool’ (and Instagrammable!) over the last decade”
@nanaycess on TikTok
@mommydiariesph on TikTok
They are passing down their values and brand preferences to their kids—which reflects on the gen alpha’s tastes.
In terms of taste in brands…
✅ For millennials, consumerism is equal to emotional empowerment—and the brands and products they consume should reflect their personal values and beliefs.
✅ This trickles down to their taste in entertainment and content they consume too, according to a study by WarnerMedia
✅ The most important factors when purchasing items for their gen alpha kids include:
- 66% educational
- 43% sustainable
- 26% locally made
- 26% gender inclusive
- 24% charitable
(Source: Archrival)
When it comes to their values…
✅ Millennial parents are making up for what their boomer parents lacked: emotional fluency—and instilling values of empathy and compassion to the gen alphas.
✅ These are values they would also be looking for in the brands they patronize.
#2: gen alpha are...
How important are these issues to Gen Alpha?
✅ 97% no one goes hungry with enough food to eat
✅ 96% fair treatment of people regardless of their physical appearance
✅ 96% everyone has a place to live
✅ 95% taking care of the environment, including placing importance on recycling and making big corporations accountable for their actions
Despite the negativity around them, alphas have a positive & hopeful outlook for the future.
According to a 2021 UNICEF global survey, teens around the world are 50% more likely than the older gens to agree that “the world is becoming a better place.”
#3: gen alpha are...
How much YouTube do Alphas consume?
FACT #1:
Kids watch YouTube from an early age—some even younger than 2 years old!
Parents who say their kids watch YouTube:
✅ 57% of parents with kids aged 2 or younger
✅81% of parents with kids aged 3 or 4
They watch more than 1 hour of YouTube everyday (at an average of 84 minutes) too!
(Source: Statista, Archrival)
FACT #2:
YouTube is the brand 53% of millennial parents say they trust for their kids.
This is followed by Netflix (48%), Amazon (42%), and Google (39%).
(Source: Archrival)
FACT #3:
51% of Gen Alpha learn about new brands on YouTube.
✅ They might be more familiar with YouTubers than they are with celebrities. They have their own favorite influencers—and whatever those YouTubers like, the Gen Alpha like too.
✅ 58% of Alphas have asked their parents for something they saw on YouTube, & 55% say they will purchase a product if they see their favorite YouTubers have or recommend it.
(Source: Wunderman Thompson, Archrival)
FACT #4:
Gen Alphas’ career options include becoming YouTubers, Twitch Streamers, influencers, & pro gamers.
✅ A survey conducted to 1,000 kids aged five-to-eight by “The Ellie Sparkles Show”, a kids’ show on YouTube, showed that YouTuber / TikToker / vlogger is the 4th most popular career choice (12%) by Gen Alpha in the US.
✅ Meanwhile, 55% chose influencer as their future career, while 3.3% chose professional gamer.
(Source: Archrival, Fast Company)
Some Gen Alphas have long since started their YouTube careers:
#4: gen alpha are...
Heavily influenced by their parents,
Gen Alpha are more brand-aware & brand-obsessed.
Plus, they already have very mature tastes!
They shop where their parents shop. In the US, that includes Lululemon, Sephora, Walmart, and Target.
According to a study by Razorfish in the US, 8 out of 10 of Gen Alpha’s favorite brands are same with Gen Z (like Amazon, Apple, Nintendo, Target).
TikTok hauls in 2023 also showed that the most popular gifts for Gen Alpha included Stanley tumblers, Dyson hair gadgets, and Birkenstocks!
2023 also gave birth to the concept of “Sephora Kids”.
Sephora Kids:
Kids and tweens buying skincare items from Sephora—including anti-aging products from brands like Drunk Elephant!
According to Glamour UK, parents are leaving comments on Drunk Elephant’s Instagram to ask about the safety of ingredients like retinol for kids.
Gen Alpha actually do have purchasing power—
in fact, they have a big role in shaping family purchases & retail experiences.
“Because Gen Alpha and Gen Z are so digitally native, this group of young consumers will have even more purchasing sway over their parents’ decisions.”
– Casey Lewis (writer of newsletter Afterschool, which delves into the youth consumer)
