THE DIGITAL NATIVES

you've heard of Gen X and Gen Y but what about generation Alpha Alpha's are aged 11 years and under and will soon outnumber Baby Boomers yeah they're likely to see in the next century and work in jobs that don't yet exist now a new book by oie social researchers is looking at what's in store for the kids of [Music] today they've been tapping on smartphones while still in nappies learning about the world through iPads even before they could walk meet generation Alpha also known as Generation glass I spend more time on Google I use YouTube more usually sometimes I just look up some questions that I need to be answered I normally I'm on messenger kids or I'm searching up photos Alphas already make up one in seven Aussie residents yet few people have heard them before them were the baby boomas born between 1946 and 1964 then came Gen X followed by Gen Y also known as Millennials and gen Zed generation Alpha covers those born from 2010 to 2024 now a new book looks at what's in store for their future the authors say many will never sit a written exam use cash vote in a traditional polling Booth or own a car it is a worry um I think their whole lives have being dictated by screens coauthor of the book generation alpha mark mccrindle joins us now Mark you you coin generation Alpha why well we got to the end of the alphabet there with Generations X and Y and Zed and it's not about going back to a it's not about going back to the start because this is the first generation fully born in the 21st century the first truly Global generation digital so it's a whole new naming classific that's why we went with the Greek of generation Alpha so what are their big challenges well Global connectivity just the distraction of phones the opportunities that comes with technology but also the challenges of that you know the year they were born 2010 was the year the iPad was invented Instagram was launched word of the year was app in that year so that tells something about the times that have shaped them and that's having a big impact on them and also some challenges for them okay so they're they're going through their lives will have rapid change so as a parent of a gen Alpha how do you prepare them for the future because the book is all about how they're going to have to cope with change that they're they're going to be on their screens the whole time so do we let them on the iPad we don't put restrictions on it cuz that's going to be their life well it is going to be their life and I think it's good that they have those technological skills but we don't want them just to be able to do what computers can do CU anything that can be a Outsource to Robotics and automation it will be what computers can't do is interact with people those people skills the empathy and social skills, being able to think about complex tasks and and and innovate and adapt and be entrepreneurial that's humanly uh uh alone and so I think this the key for us is to give them the people's skills the transferable social skills so they can use technology as a tool but still thrive in the world of humans don't no that's right they've grown up almost hiding behind the technology in .