Meet Generation Beta—Gen Alpha And Gen Z's Successor To Arrive In 2025

As we bid adieu to 2024, and prepare for a new calendar year in 2025, its also time for the beginning of a new generation. Jan 1, 2025 is the beginning for Generation Beta—the successor of Generation Alpha and Generation Z.

Starting Jan. 1, 2025, the newest demographic population, Generation Beta, is set to enter into the world. The group, comprising of children born between 2025 and 2039, is expected to constitute 16% of the global population by 2035, with many likely to see the dawn of the 22nd century, according to social researcher Mark McCrindle, who is often credited with defining the generational labels.

The 'Beta babies' as they are being called, are the successor of Gen Alpha (those born between 2010-2024), which came after Gen Z (1996-2010), and millennials (1981-1996).

Generation Beta follows a naming convention that started with Generation Alpha, using the Greek alphabet to signify a new era in human history.

Born into an era of artificial intelligence and technological boom, Beta babies will grow up with unprecedented technological integration into daily life.

"While Generation Alpha has experienced the rise of smart technology and artificial intelligence, Generation Beta will live in an era where AI and automation are fully embedded in everyday life, education and workplaces to healthcare and entertainment," McCrindle said in his blog post.

Beta Babies are expected to be the first generation to experience autonomous transportation at scale, wearable health technologies, and immersive virtual environments as standard aspects of daily life.

While technology will be at the touch of their fingertips, the Gen Beta will also inherit a societal landscape that has several significant challenges such as climate change, urbanisation, and shifts in global population dynamics. These challenges are expected to make Gen Beta prioritise adaptability, quality and collaboration.

The upcoming generation “will inherit a world grappling with major societal challenges,” McCrindle wrote in the blog post. “With climate change, global population shifts, and rapid urbanisation at the forefront, sustainability will not just be a preference but an expectation.”

Despite the previous two generations being more eco-conscious than their predecessors, the Gen Beta will have to take the onus to ensure that sustainability is just not a buzzword but a fundamental expectation.

Additionally, with social connection already becoming a scarce commodity in the modern world with the growth of social media platforms, Gen Beta will have to find ways to be connected in real sense.