Written by: Claire Phillips | Entertainment Editor
Media consumption in the present day is a major concern for developing adolescents. For pre-teens, especially young girls, social media apps such as TikTok are major sources for the latest trends. However, are they the most accurate sources?
Anyone can be easily influenced by the internet. Short videos and status symbols in the form of consumer items have a knack for drawing attention from the young and old.
This article is in no way, shape or form meant to shame parents. However, parenting is the cause of many children wanting to grow up quickly. Lack of internet restriction and access to outdoor entertainment may have led to this phenomenon.
Millennials and older Generation Z alike are stunned at the newest generation’s trends. When you take a closer look, they’re not all that different from what we had — simply in new plastic packaging.
Older generations were drawn to bright colors and glitter in the ‘90s, 2000s and even into the early 2010s, but Generation Alpha’s draw to pastels and muted colors may have stemmed from their parents — yes, the children of “sad beige” and “millennial gray” parents are growing up, and these parents are enabling their children to engage in dangerous behaviors.
The biggest worry of older generations dealing with the next generation maturing has to do with behavior. Many of these younger kids have exhibited disrespectful behavior when sharing public spaces, especially with those who are older than them.
My advice to anyone who does not identify with Generation Alpha — do not let these kids get under your skin. Some of their critical developmental years were stolen by the pandemic and they have not yet learned their place in the world. They are not yet teenagers — sometimes not even close, so it’s on you at this point if you let them push you around. The internet is not the greatest space to complain, since it has also become the most popular space for Generation Alpha to hang out.
From a psychological standpoint, so much has been stolen from Generation Alpha. Parks are being bulldozed and COVID hurt cognitive development, all while the internet is becoming more accessible every day. Now, it’s up to the older generations to guide and shape the children who will someday be leading us.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
