I was recently invited to be on the air with ABC 10 in San Diego, during a prime time back to school segment, about how parents can help balance technology with Generation Alpha children. We also talked about the learning styles of Gen Alpha and what parents can expect how to handle technology with this generation.
WHO IS GENERATION ALPHA?
Generation Alpha children are born between 2010-2025 and are the first generation to grow up with technology at their fingertips from birth. To put the timing into perspective, 2010 was the same year that the iPad was born! They are also known as the “Glass Generation” because glass fronted devices are going to be their main form of communication.
HOW GEN ALPHA IS DIFFERENT THAN THEIR PARENT’S GENERATION
Unlike their parents, who knew what it was like to not have technology as a young child, Get Alpha children only know a world with technology in it. Education and technology and consumer products are at their fingertips. When I was growing up, I had to look up how to spell a word in the dictionary and my daughter voices into in her iPad. When I cooked, I set a kitchen timer and now my preschooler can command Alexa to do it for him. Both of my Gen Alpha children love asking Siri to tell them the weather or information on anything they want to know with the snap of a finger or rather, voice command. When I was younger and wanted to buy something, I had to go to the store, but now I can buy something on a device with one tap if my credit card is saved on the app!
BENEFITS OF MODERN DAY TECHNOLOGY
There are a lot of benefits of modern day technology. In fact, without it, children in this generation wouldn’t have had an education during Covid quarantine. Without virtual learning, children would have suffered and fallen behind even more than they did without Google Classroom and Zoom.
Coding is also a pretty big deal among Generation Alpha children. It was something only computer experts handled back in my day and now it’s being offered as a children’s class like art, gymnastics or soccer and is immersed in multiple technology games. But coding is a key to the future and is now as beneficial to put on a resume as being bilingual is. Coding is a language all on it’s own!
And not all technology is bad. There are so many educational games, apps, and programs out there that really help children learn critical thinking and problem solving skills.
HOW GEN ALPHA CHILDREN LEARN BEST
Gen Alpha children are finally learning in a way that is kinesthetic, hands on, and experiential instead of having to memorize concepts out of a textbook or theoretically just listening by only auditory format from a parent or teacher. Kids can get immersed in their learning and it will help them love education, pursue higher degrees, get better jobs, and make more money. For example, instead of learning a theoretical word problem for math about two cars driving toward each other at different distances, Gen Alpha children can visually see two cars driving toward each other on their school iPads and can conceptualize the problem much easier than thinking about it in their head.
FINDING BALANCE WITH SCREEN TIME IN A TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN WORLD
Even though technology is so prominent with Generation Alpha, there still can be balance between technology and non technology time. It is the responsibility of parents of this generation of children to encourage their children to engage in various activities in moderation with screen time. Getting exercise and movement, playing outside and getting dirty, having dinner around the table as a family, going on field trips, and meeting up for a playdate to learn social and complication skills are still very valuable to this generation of children.
Gen Alpha children will no doubt be immersed in technology, but parents can still have a say on how much time is spent with technology at home, what kind of content they are engaging in, and where it’s appropriate to be on a screen (dinner table, before homework, etc). Limits still need to be made and moderation is still a priority that can be accomplished.
Without some sort of balance and boundaries around screen time, it could lead this generation to expect instant gratification, have shorter attention spans, and grow unhealthy lifestyle habits among other detrimental conflicts and challenges.
It’s also helpful to remember that parents are role models for their children and are on screens throughout their day, so if parents set limits for themselves, it will set up the stage for their children.
To watch the full segment on ABC 10 San Diego news, please watch the video here!
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