As one of the many born into Generation Alpha, I have noticed that the older generations don’t have as much confidence in us.
As a Grade 7 student, I have heard so much chatter about the younger generations, and so little of it is positive. We are constantly judged for overuse of technology, being disrespectful or rude, and not getting outside. I can’t help but wonder what would happen if instead of noting how we fail, help us work together to be better than the generation before us.
It’s not our fault we live in an age with phones and technology. Phones and technology are an everyday thing in everyone’s lives – not just teens’. As social media has become a key component in our social lives, and as we move to communicating through text, our social lives are now partially online. This is what the world has become. Naturally, this means that youth will more naturally engage in a digital platform.
When you were a teenager, did you rebel? Did you ignore your parents or push back? Did you make a few mistakes? Everyone goes through the angst of these transitional years. So I find it unfair and unjust that all teenagers are judged for being rude and disrespectful. After all, it’s hormones and we are just trying to figure out who we are and where we fit in this world.
Let’s not forget the added layer of COVID-19 and the lessened social interaction we have had. The pandemic did not just cause issues with social skills, but also we all became hermits. Remember, this was two years of our lives. That is over 15 per cent of what I have lived so far. Everyone was trying to survive this new reality. We were online for school, we were online to connect with friends and family, our entertainment was online. You could not go to a grocery or toy store without a mask or you would be stared down with disapproving looks by many people. We adapted like any other organism.
In order for us to change for the better, we need you to give us opportunities. To give us chances to show how good we can be. If all you look at is the bad you can never see the good. We need trust and respect. We need you to leave your mind open to change and the fact that we can change.
Generation Alpha is a great generation, but have you even noticed the good things about us? Have you ever noticed how diverse and inclusive we are? Or how much of a social generation we are or how independent we are? Most of all we are so informed on the current situation of the world. Our teachers have taught us what’s happening and how the world depends on us and how the younger generations must save it. Do you even know how much pressure that is for a 13 year old? How are we ever supposed to live up to your expectations when you keep raising the bar to even higher heights or ignoring the ways we have raised the bar over what you have done?
I am proud of Generation Alpha in many ways. Consider how we accept and embrace diversity, how social we are, and how independent we are.
No matter what, Generation Alpha is always the most diverse and accepting of that diversity. All of Generation Alpha grew up in an age where things like LGBTQ2+ and the Black Lives Matter movement started. We were exposed to this kind of stuff at a young age. Which leads to us being very diverse people and accepting of all people no matter what.
The internet also keeps us very social and connected. The internet keeps us connected and social with our friends when we are not at school or hanging out. We are proven as the most globally and digitally-connected generation. We are able to set up plans away from school. We are able to text and talk to our friends when they are on vacation or when they move away. We are a very social generation, but we are not just social – we are also very independent.
As one of the Generation Alpha, I see us as a very independent but educated generation. We don’t just make decisions off a whim, we are very cultured and learn things from experiences and the internet. We know how to make the right decisions all by ourselves because we adapted and learned how to without help. That’s the way most of us were raised.
In school, the internet has allowed us to not focus on memorization, but critical thinking and problem solving. You have created many problems in the world and they stress us out. Climate change, inflation, reliance on technology all existed before the year I was born. And we are the ones who are learning about these issues and how to fix them.
In order for our generation to improve, we need something from all of you. In order to meet up to your expectations and be better than the generations before us we need adults to be good role models. We need your respect and your confidence.
Every child ends up growing up with parts of their personality that reflect on the lessons we have learned from our ancestors. But over the years, parents and grandparents have been less involved in our lives. You would tell us to stop playing on our phones when we see you doing it too. How are we supposed to learn when you won’t teach us good behaviour by showing it? We can’t learn if you can’t show us.
A good role model is not enough on its own. We need your confidence in us. We need you to show us that you believe in us and that we could be better than the generations before us. We need you to say once and a while ‘I believe in you.’ If you do, we will try to live up to those expectations and be as good as we can. All we need is your confidence to have confidence in ourselves.
If you really want us to be the best we can be, we need your respect. Saying things like they are really rude or they never get outside will not change anything. If anything it will make everything worse. We need you to treat us with respect, not just as arrogant teenagers. Understand that being a teen in 2023 is challenging. Treat others how you want to be treated. When people treat you with no respect it does not make you feel good… it makes you even more arrogant to that person. We don’t just need respect, we demand it.
Barack Obama once said, “ I refuse to condemn your generation to a planet that’s beyond fixing.” We need to work together to have a better and brighter future. Not just for your children or grandchildren, but for everyone in this generation. So when you see a group of teenagers doing immature things, remember this is the age that we make mistakes, take chances, and act stupid. Remember that not all teens are the same even if some kids act extra immature.
This generation is a whole new generation of change. As a generation, our goal is to be better than the generations before us and we are on our way.
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Autumn Caskenette is a student at North Perth Westfield Elementary School.
