Meet Generation Beta: Arriving In 2025, Shaped By Tech, Climate And Social Change

Newborn — The name "Generation Beta" follows the Greek alphabet, continuing after Generation Alpha. Pixabay

As 2025 arrives, babies born in the new year and the 14 years that follow will form Generation Beta, a group poised to explore digital worlds beyond our current imagination and live to witness the next century.

Generation Beta will grow up in a rapidly evolving world, shaped by technology, climate change, and shifting social norms. Whether it's how they interact with AI or how they face the environmental challenges ahead, their experience will be unlike any that came before them.

Why 'Beta'?

The name "Generation Beta" follows the Greek alphabet, continuing after Generation Alpha, reports USA Today.

A World of Challenges and Change

Generation Beta will inherit a world grappling with major challenges. According to demographer and futurist Mark McCrindle, they will face issues like climate change, shifting global populations, and rapid urbanization.

"Sustainability will not just be a preference but an expectation," McCrindle pointed out. As these young people grow up, they'll likely witness leaders from older generations being replaced by millennials and Gen Z, tasked with tackling these ongoing issues, reports NBC.

Starting Life in a Post-Pandemic World

Jason Dorsey, a generational researcher and author of "Zconomy: How Gen Z Will Change the Future of Business — and What to Do About It," points out that Generation Beta will start their lives very differently than their older counterparts in Generation Alpha.

Many Beta kids will be born into a world that's already dealt with the pandemic, and some may even live to see the 22nd century. This means they'll have to navigate a much-changed, technology-driven world from the very beginning.

A Seamless Merge of Digital and Physical

For Gen Beta, technology will not just be a part of life — it will be integrated into everything they do. While Gen Alpha has already grown up with smart technology, McCrindle predicts that for Gen Beta, the boundaries between digital and physical life will become even blurrier. AI and automation will be embedded in everything — from school to healthcare to entertainment — and will play a huge role in how they solve problems.

Dorsey further explains that Gen Beta will be far more entrenched in AI and smart devices than previous generations. These children won't just be using technology to communicate or play games; they'll depend on it for almost every aspect of life.

How Will Gen Z Parents Approach Technology?

While technology will be central to Gen Beta's life, their relationship with it might differ from Gen Alpha's. McCrindle notes that 36% of Gen Z parents — as opposed to 30% of millennial parents — strongly agree that children's screen time should be limited. This may signal a shift in how future generations of children will interact with technology.

Growing Up with Climate Change

Beyond technology, Gen Beta will also face the pressing challenge of climate change. Unlike their predecessors, they will witness the full force of its consequences as they grow older. As they reach adulthood, they'll need to confront the effects of environmental degradation, all while living in a world shaped by eco-conscious Gen Z and millennial parents.

A large percentage of these parents believe climate change should be the top priority for future generations. In fact, 71% of millennials and 67% of Gen Zers agree that fighting climate change should be a global priority.

Are Generational Labels Useful?

As the world changes at an unprecedented pace, the concept of categorizing entire generations might seem outdated. Dorsey acknowledges the challenge in labeling a group based on a 15-year span. While generational labels can highlight how specific events shape different age groups — for example, 9/11 for millennials or the pandemic for Gen Z — it's harder to pinpoint what will define Gen Alpha or Beta, he added.

However, some researchers believe generational labels have limitations. The Pew Research Center announced in 2023 that it would reduce its reliance on these labels in favor of exploring other factors like race and class, which can have a deeper impact on shaping common experiences.

Here are the commonly recognized generation names for the past 100 years: