Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Generation Beta officially begins on January 1, ushering in an era likely to be marked by rapid technological advancements and profound societal changes.
Spanning from 2025 to around 2039, this cohort follows Gen Alpha (2010–2024), Gen Z (1996–2010), and millennials (1981–1996). As with past generations, these dates are flexible, reflecting the evolving nature of generational definitions.
What’s certain, however, is the world they’ll inherit—a planet navigating climate change, urbanization, and rapid technological shifts. According to a blog post from demographer and futurist Mark McCrindle, “Sustainability will not just be a preference but an expectation” for Generation Beta, pointing to the environmental challenges he predicts will shape societal values during their formative years.
Technologically, Generation Beta is expected to also heavily utilize artificial intelligence and smart devices, integrating these tools into their problem-solving and daily routines. Social media, a defining feature for earlier generations, may play a different role for this cohort.
While Gen Alpha has been nicknamed “iPad kids,” known for their immersion in platforms featuring content like “skibidi toilet” and “what the sigma,” Gen Z parents—poised to be the most tech-savvy generation of caregivers—may approach their children’s screen time with greater caution.
“They are pushing back on technology and the age at which their children access and engage with it,” McCrindle observed.
This generation will also grow up in a post-pandemic world, removed from the direct experiences of school closures and social isolation that impacted earlier cohorts. Jason Dorsey, generational researcher and author of Zconomy, explained to NBC, “It’ll be something that maybe older siblings went through, certainly something they learn about in history, but not something that is necessarily a contemporary event.”
Despite the rapid evolution of technology and society, Dorsey emphasizes the limitations of generational labels. He suggests these labels offer a framework for understanding shared experiences, such as 9/11 for millennials or the pandemic for Gen Z, while acknowledging that predicting defining moments for Gen Beta remains speculative.
“These are clues to help us get context for what a group of people likely or may have experienced as they came of age,” Dorsey said. Still, critics argue that these labels can oversimplify.
In 2023, the Pew Research Center announced it would largely move away from generational labels in its studies, citing that factors like race and class often play a more significant role in shaping shared experiences.
“By choosing not to use the standard generational labels when they’re not appropriate, we can avoid reinforcing harmful stereotypes or oversimplifying people’s complex lived experiences,” Pew researchers wrote.
