Move over Alpha, there’s a new generation in town!
2025 marks the arrival of Generation Beta, with any babies born from 1 January 2025 onwards belonging to the new generation.
But what is Generation Beta? Which generation do you belong to? And who decides the names anyway?
What is Generation Beta?
Generation Beta refers to any children born from the beginning of 2025 until the end of 2039 - and they’ll be following in the footsteps of Generation Alpha (2010 – 2024).
It’s estimated that by 2035, Generation Beta will make up 16% of the global population and many of this group are expected to live to see the 22nd century.
This new generation are predicted to grow up during a period where AI is everywhere – from healthcare to education. Experts also believe that self-driving cars, as well as virtual immersive experiences will be part of their everyday lives.
Who names the generations?
Both Generation Beta and Generation Alpha were named by Australian research firm McCrindle.
The company said they had moved to the Greek alphabet – following on from Gen X, Y and Z - “to signify how these different generations will be raised in a new world of technological integration.”
Writing for the Pew Charitable Trust – a non-profit US organisation that conducts research – US Professor of Psychology Jean Twenge explains that “no official commission or group decides what each generation is called and when it starts and ends. Instead, different names and birth year cutoffs are proposed, and through a somewhat haphazard process a consensus slowly develops in the media and popular parlance”.
"What generation am I?"
If you’re currently at secondary school, it’s most likely you’re part of Generation Alpha (born after 1 January 2010) or Generation Z (born up until the end of 2009).
Since there is no overarching organisation who defines the generations, there are some conflicting notions about when they start and end but they are roughly defined as below.
Generation Beta (Born between 2025 and 2039)
Generation Alpha (2010 to 2024)
Generation Z (1995 to 2009, however, there are conflicting ideas about when this generation begins – with the start date ranging from 1993 until 2000)
Millennials or Generation Y (1980 to 1995)
Generation X (1966 to 1980)
What are the online habits of Generation Alpha?
A 2024 Ofcom report on news habits found that TikTok and YouTube are the most popular platforms for 12-15-year-olds for news, followed by Facebook (including Messenger) and Instagram.
The Online Nation report found that in June 2024, three in ten UK internet users aged 13+ said they had seen something in the past four weeks that had made them feel uncomfortable, upset or negative. Misinformation was the most common harmful content with 39% of internet users aged 13+ saying they had encountered it.
Half of users aged 8 to 15 also believed they had encountered a deepfake in the first half of 2024, with children being more confident in being able to identify a deepfake than users aged 16 and over.
- Can you tell the difference between an AI and a real image?Try our quiz
Social media platforms are coming under increasing pressure to protect young people who use their services, with Instagram using AI to catch out users who lie about their age.
Overall, YouTube is the most-used platform among this generation, with more than eight in ten 3-17-year-olds watching or uploading content to the popular video site.
Ofcom also reported that 54% of children said they had used generative AI in the past year, with 53% saying they had used AI for schoolwork, a topic which has sparked much debate.
AI tools are trained on information found online meaning sometimes they can be unreliable, however a third of 8-15 year-olds said they were confident in the information provided by AI tools.
If you’re concerned about content that you’ve seen online or are worried that your online use is impacting your mental health, you should speak to an adult who you can trust.
This article was published in January 2025.
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