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Generation Beta officially begins on January 1, ushering in an era that will likely be marked by rapid technological advances and profound social changes.
Spanning from 2025 to around 2039, this cohort follows Generation Alpha (2010-2024), Generation Z (1996-2010), and millennials (1981-1996). As with past generations, these dates are flexible and reflect the changing nature of generational definitions.
What is certain, however, is the world they will inherit: a planet navigating climate change, urbanization and rapid technological change. According to a blog post by demographer and futurist Mark McCrindle, “Sustainability will not just be a preference but an expectation” for Generation Beta, pointing to the environmental challenges that he believes will shape social values during their formative years.
Technologically, Generation Beta is also expected to heavily utilize artificial intelligence and smart devices, integrating these tools into their daily and problem-solving routines. Social media, a defining characteristic of previous generations, may play a different role for this cohort.
While Generation Alpha has been nicknamed “iPad kids,” known for their immersion in platforms with content like “skibidi toilet” and “what the sigma,” the parents of Generation Z, who are about to be the caregiver generation more tech-savvy, they can approach their children. children's screen time with greater caution.
“They are rejecting technology and the age at which their children access it and engage with it,” McCrindle observed.
This generation will also grow up in a post-pandemic world, removed from the direct experiences of school closures and social isolation that affected previous cohorts. Jason Dorsey, generational researcher and author of ZconomyHe explained to NBC: “It will be something that maybe the older brothers went through, certainly something that they will learn about in the story, but not something that is necessarily a contemporary event.”
Despite the rapid evolution of technology and society, Dorsey emphasizes the limitations of generational labels. It suggests that these labels offer a framework for understanding shared experiences, such as 9/11 for millennials or the pandemic for Generation Z, while recognizing that predicting turning points for Generation Beta remains speculative.
“These are clues that will help us contextualize what a group of people likely experienced or may have experienced upon coming of age,” Dorsey said. Still, critics argue that these labels can oversimplify.
In 2023, the Pew Research Center announced that it would largely move away from generational labels in its studies, citing that factors such as race and class often play a larger role in shaping shared experiences.
“By choosing not to use standard generational labels when they are inappropriate, we can avoid reinforcing harmful stereotypes or oversimplifying people's complex lived experiences,” the Pew researchers wrote.
