By Mason Edwards, Editorial Intern for the Chattanooga Times Free Press
Max and Lola Howell pose together on UTC campus. (Photo by Mason Edwards)
Like millions of other Gen Z young adults, 21-year-old Lola Howell didn't realize that there is a generation behind hers until this year. According to Google Trends data, searches for Generation Alpha rose steadily from November 2023 until this summer, when the trend "Gen Z makes fun of Gen Alpha" washed over social media like a tidal wave.
Unlike other rites of passage, such as taking a driving test or plucking your first gray hair, members of Gen Z say they felt unprepared for how quickly trends and viral videos coalesced around Generation Alpha.
Howell thinks Gen Z wasn't ready for the social media world to pivot to the nation's newest crop of young people. "
When I saw the younger generation posting and stuff, I was like 'woah,'" Howell says. "They're famous on Instagram and TikTok, and they're 12. I didn't feel prepared to feel old at 21."
Not only does the Gen Alpha emergence redraw how Howell sees her relationship with her younger siblings, but it also stirs conversation about the future of Gen Z as role models while Gen Alpha adopts trends and styles for themselves.
"My 6-year-old sister likes Stanleys, which is something I never liked when I was little," Howell says."We played with toys and [played] outside, and now they're on iPads and wearing Lululemon."
Like Gen Z members, who remember facing stereotypes about being technology-addicted tweens and teenagers, Gen Alpha is distinguished by their technology habits. After noticing today's toddlers and elementary school kids demanding screen time, Gen Z embraced a TikTok trend hashtag for chronically online Gen Alphas: @iPadkids. Some Alphas are emotionally dependent on their devices, with disconnections resulting in temper tantrums.
Kayli Gunter, 22, recently started her second year of teaching first grade at Spring City Elementary School. She decorated her classroom's gray walls with a calming jungle theme, and she diffused the intense fluorescent light through blue and white filters that mimic the clouds and sky. Even with her attention to the classroom environment, she's noticed that some children have trouble paying attention without screens.
"You can tell with these kids — they need a lot more stimulation," Gunter says."It's just the lack of ability to sit. I try to show a video a day because they need that stimulation so much."
As a Gen Z teacher of Gen Alpha kids, Gunter feels as if it's easier to relate to the children. For example, she notices when the students in her classroom try to use internet language and social media slang, and she says they're usually mortified when they realize she knows what they mean or is up on the latest YouTubers, like Nikocado Avocado.
Gunter says that the closeness in age between her and her Gen Alpha students helps her decipher what they're saying."I've not had a moment yet where I'm like 'what are they talking about?' but I'm sure it will come," she says.
Gunter noticed that the kids respond to her more than they do to teachers in older generations, which is important to her as she tries to help them recover from the pandemic's learning loss.
"As a generation, I think we're so much more focused on connection and showing other people that they matter," Gunter says of Gen Z."It makes a difference, I think."
Gen Z's shift from being the youngest generation to becoming emerging role models comes with a new perspective on the fleeting nature of time. Gen Z is realizing that moments, trends and relationships evolve faster than they had imagined.
As Howell and her friends compared the rapid rate of change between their childhoods and the experiences of their younger siblings, it reinforced the importance of sharing experiences while they still can."We're already looking back at stuff from before our 20s," she says.
Meanwhile, she often bonds with her brother, Max, 12, as they watch YouTubers such as Mr. Beast or participate in TikTok trends together. The less slang their mother understands, the funnier the videos are to Max.
"Max says the craziest stuff, stuff I don't even know what it means," Howell says."[Kids] have a whole new vocabulary where we haven't even caught up."
For Howell, being in the moment is not just about staying connected to her friends — it's about savoring every shared meal, inside joke and spontaneous TikTok session with her family
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