As of early 2026, the oldest members of Generation Alpha, born starting in 2010, are turning about 15 or 16 years old, as the generation typically spans birth years from 2010 to around 2024. This demographic, coined by McCrindle, includes children of Millennials who are growing up immersed in technology and digital worlds.
What is Gen Alpha? The term "Gen Alpha" was coined by social researcher and futurist Mark McCrindle, and according to McCrindle, refers to anyone who was born in 2010 and onward. The oldest among Gen Alpha are now about 14 years old and include the children of millennials.
Gen Z: Gen Z is the newest generation, born between 1997 and 2012. They are currently between 13 and 28 years old (nearly 69 million in the U.S.)
For example, psychologist Jean Twenge defines Generation Alpha as those born from 2013 to 2029. The Cambridge Dictionary, which added Gen Alpha to its corpus in 2025, defines this cohort generally as people born during the 2010s and 2020s.
People born in 2011 are generally considered the cusp between Gen Z and Gen Alpha, with many sources placing Gen Z ending in 2010 or 2012 and Gen Alpha beginning in 2010 or 2011, meaning 2011 individuals often share traits from both, growing up with early digital tech but witnessing the full rise of social media and AI that define Alpha culture. The slang associated with 2011 would likely lean towards later Gen Z trends (like Vine, MLG) and early Alpha terms (Skibidi, rizz), reflecting their transition period.
For Gen Z, the 😭 (Loudly Crying Face) emoji usually means something is overwhelmingly funny, cute, or heartwarming, signifying "crying with laughter" or being emotionally moved, rather than actual sadness, often replacing the older 😂 emoji for intense amusement. It's used for exaggerated, positive reactions to things like relatable humor, adorable pets, or touching moments.
Generation Z, also sometimes known as iGeneration, Zoomers, post-Millennials, or Homelanders, are defined by Pew Research Center as those born between 1997 and 2012.
This average life expectancy is expected to further lengthen as time passes. The members of Generation Z, the oldest of which are now in their 20s, on average are expected to live to 100 and beyond. Health technology may or may not eventually lift Gen Zers well past that.
"Rizz" is a term popular with both Gen Z and Gen Alpha, originating from Gen Z creators on platforms like TikTok, but quickly adopted and expanded by Gen Alpha through similar online spaces, essentially meaning charisma or charm, especially in flirting. While Gen Z popularized it, Gen Alpha has embraced it rapidly, even developing variations like "rizzler" or "unspoken rizz" within their own fast-evolving internet slang culture.
In 2012, world-renowned digital analyst Brian Solis coined the term “Generation C: The Connected Customer.” In recent years, this group has also been dubbed Generation COVID since children and young adults growing up during the pandemic had to rely on technology even more than previous generations.
Gen C isn't about an age bracket, it's about a mindset. You can be 12 years old, or 105, and still be part of this group. It is not defined by age, wealth, geography, nor ethnicity. It is defined solely by connectivity.
Donald Trump is a Baby Boomer, born on June 14, 1946, making him one of the first in that generation, which typically spans 1946-1964; the Silent Generation precedes this, generally from 1925-1945, with President Joe Biden representing the latter. While Trump shares some traits with the broader Boomer demographic, his formative experiences as a wealthy individual diverged from many of his peers, though he later became a significant political figure for many in the generation.
The Gen Z stare is a generally pejorative phrase coined by social media users to describe a "blank stare that members of younger generations give in situations where a verbal response would be more common" or appropriate.
Generations are classified by the years a group of people was born. Generation Z is the term for the people born roughly from 1997 until 2012. The year range indicates that Generation Z comes right after Generation Y (millennials) but before Generation Alpha. Gen Z's age range in January 2025 will be 13 to 28 years.
That is why the generations today each span 15 years with Generation Y (Millennials) born from 1980 to 1994; Generation Z from 1995 to 2009 and Generation Alpha from 2010 to 2024. And so it follows that Generation Beta will be born from 2025 to 2039.
The top five titles that Gen Alpha kids, generally considered to be those ages 12 and under, say they talk most about were Roblox, “Minecraft,” “Fortnite,” “Grand Theft Auto” and “Pokémon,” all of which originated from the world of video games.
loudly crying face emoji 😭
For Gen Z, this emoji is more exclusively used to indicate positive feelings, like when something is so funny, cute, or sweet that it's totally overwhelming. Example: “Look at my puppy wearing his new Halloween costume. 😭”
On TikTok and other social media, “gen” is short for “genuine.” In this case, “/gen” is added at the end of a comment or post as a tone indicator.
What does pookie mean? A term of endearment or nickname that you call your best friend or significant other. Also used to describe something cute/adorable. Example: “I can't wait to hang out with you, pookie!”
Whilst boomers and millennials may use the 😂 emoji, this has long since been deemed 'uncool' (or 'cheugy') by Gen Z. Instead, this has been replaced by the skull (💀) or the crying emoji (😭), dramatising the idea of 'dying with laughter'.
Humans Could Live For 1,000 Years by 2050—Ushering in the Dawn of 'Practical Immortality,' Futurists Say. Some experts warn that this radical change may remain out of reach for many, due to societal and economic challenges. Technology futurists foresee advances that will enable humans to live up to 1,000 years.
Older members of Gen Z leaned progressive while younger members were more conservative, particularly in the United States. Movements associated with Gen Z so far include fourth-wave feminism, School Strike for Climate, March for Our Lives, Students Against Discrimination and Pro-Palestine movement.
The Silent Generation (born roughly 1928-1945) is called "silent" because they were raised during tough times (Great Depression, WWII) and matured during the conformity-driven, anti-communist McCarthy era, leading them to be more traditional, cautious, and less rebellious than previous or subsequent generations, preferring to work within the system rather than challenge it. The name was coined in a 1951 Time magazine article highlighting their quiet, conformist nature compared to their "flaming youth" parents, emphasizing their desire to be seen and not heard.
Generation is 15 years: Gen Z: 1997 - 2011, Gen Alpha: 2012 - 2026, who with me?
Meet the mini millennials: Generation Alpha, the generation of children born between 2011 and 2025.