How is Generation Alpha’s experience of growing up different from that of Generation Z?
Like Gen Z, Gen Alpha is stepping into a very digitalised world, with social media and gaming, but now they also have the added layer of AI.
On the flip side, we’re more aware than we were ten or 15 years ago of the impact of excessive screen time and exposure to social media. So, there’s an equal and opposite pull towards rejecting that hyper-techno childhood and reverting to real-life play and social engagement, particularly since the pandemic.
What is the biggest challenge for schools right now?
Schools are seeing a lot of learning and behavioural difficulties that stem from having a one-size-fits all approach, where academic achievement is prioritised over everything else. Even at primary school level, the hyper-focus on SATs is taking away from what could be a broad education that develops the whole child. Activities such as play, art, music, drama and languages are being lost, and it’s made our primary school system worse in every way. That’s going to have to shift.
Mental health and wellbeing are among the biggest challenges affecting secondary school-age students. The majority are experiencing either moderate or severe mental health challenges that are largely flowing from things like the online world and online bullying. They will undoubtedly be using tech, but I think giving them the tools to manage those things is a big priority.
How will education need to change in the near future?
At a time when the world is changing so rapidly, we need to reflect on what it is that young people actually need to know. Is it still Pythagoras’ theorem and the chemical equation for photosynthesis? Personally, I think there will be more focus on getting skills that are of real use and value in the world. The question young people I talk to now always ask is how they will get jobs that are AI-proof. There’s a real revival of interest in traditional blue-collar occupations such as plumbing, electrics and hairdressing. I think the idea of offering more skills-based options before the age of 16 makes sense.
Another really important part of education, both at primary and secondary levels, should be online literacy: the ability to differentiate between real and fake information, good influencers and harmful ones, and understanding how algorithms work.
What will schools and PTAs need to raise funds for as a result?
Facilities and equipment will be a big focus – things like theatre spaces, design studios, art studios and musical instruments. Places where kids can go and create. Also, spaces that replicate real-world, professional settings. It might be a hairdressing salon or garage set-up, where they can learn practical skills.
And, of course, technology. Lots of kids, even at secondary school, don’t have the most basic tech equipment.
What kind of experiences will they need to fund?
We need to give kids a sense of wholeness and wellness in their lives. Funding initiatives such as wellbeing sessions, mindfulness sessions, cultural experiences and museum visits is a great use of PTA funds. There are lots of kids living in culture-rich cities who never get the opportunity to experience that.
I know PTAs are very mindful of the online world surrounding most young people and making them empowered to understand it. There are lots of projects, like my initiative The Respect Project, that go into schools and talk to kids about things like how influencers are affecting the way they see themselves. I do a lot of parent talks as well, because lots of parents have no idea what their kids are consuming and how much of an effect it’s having on them.
Author and speaker Chloe Combi is a leading expert on future generations. She has interviewed over 20,000 individuals from Gen Z, born between 1995 and 2009, and Gen Alpha, born from 2010 onward.
