How the Internet Destroyed Generation Alpha
Today's Generation Alpha, born and raised with technology, is said to be doomed. Are they truly as doomed as people believe?
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00:00What are all those touchscreens doing to all those growing little brains?
00:06All she wants for the holidays is, well, not toys, but skin care products.
00:11All I wanted this year was skin care and makeup.
00:13Eleven-year-old Olivia Clyde is obsessed with beauty products.
00:17Eighth grade kid could not spell a single word correctly on his list.
00:23Eighth grade.
00:27Generation Alpha, the supposed future leaders and current generation of our society.
00:31But with the way they're growing up, will they actually be the future generation to
00:36make an impact?
00:37Or is Gen Alpha as doomed as people say it is?
00:40Who are Generation Alpha?
00:41Gen Alpha are people born between 2010 and 2025, is said to become the most populated
00:48generation in history, with over 2.8 million kids born every week.
00:53They follow Gen Z and are the children of the millennial generation.
00:56Although Gen Alpha is populating a large amount of society, why do other generations
01:01think there's no hope for this generation?
01:04With countless cases of kids acting out in public, lashing out, and behaving erratically,
01:09many believe that Gen Alpha is already ruined.
01:11You see, babies and toddlers often throwing temper tantrums the second their smart devices
01:17are taken away.
01:18And teachers are begging parents to do something because their kids barely scrape by in school.
01:24Time and time again, we hear about just how doomed Gen Alpha is.
01:28But where are these horror stories coming from?
01:30And what makes Gen Alpha so different from all the generations before them?
01:34The short answer?
01:35The internet.
01:36The rise of iPad kids.
01:38When you think of a kid in today's day and age, how do you picture them?
01:41Most of you probably had an image of a kid with an iPad in their hands, right?
01:45That's because Gen Alpha is not only the youngest generation, but also the most technologically
01:49dependent one.
01:51Gen Alpha was raised by screens, whether by TV, a computer, or the infamous iPad.
01:57With almost 80% of kids owning an iPad or another version of a tablet, you can't deny
02:02the nickname that many call this generation.
02:05iPad kids.
02:06This is what happens when mom and dad take away an iPad from two-year-old Ashlyn Brooks.
02:22Since their creation, iPads have been used as a tool for parents who are simply too busy
02:26with work.
02:27Technology has proven to be a hassle-free way of keeping kids occupied, whether at public
02:32places, social events, or just during the day-to-day.
02:35With iPads being an evolved version of parenting in the 20th century, screens are simply considered
02:41the new nanny.
02:42And although parents may benefit from relaxing after work, iPads could be doing more harm
02:47than good.
02:48It's gotten to a point where Gen Alpha is entirely reliant on their devices, growing
02:53a digital addiction that they cannot seem to stop.
02:56In 2012, a three-year-old boy was kicked off an Alaskan Airlines flight from Seattle because
03:01of the extreme temper tantrum he threw after getting his iPad taken away.
03:06The kid had been playing with a tablet before takeoff, but when planes ascend, all devices
03:11were asked to be turned off.
03:12And this one iPad was no exception.
03:14But when flight attendants tried to get the kid to turn his tablet off, he started to
03:18wreak havoc.
03:19The child began a raging outburst, hitting his head against the roof of the plane and
03:23desperately begging for his tablet back.
03:26His family tried to calm him down and buckle him in so that they could take off, but no
03:30one was able to control him.
03:32Things got so bad that the pilot had to turn the entire plane around on the runway.
03:37The boy and his entire family was escorted off the flight, causing them to miss their
03:41vacation to St. Martin Island.
03:44And this was over 10 years ago, at the start of the iPad kid's generation.
03:48Since then, Gen Alpha has grown more attached to their devices.
03:52Social media has become a part of their day-to-day routines, for better or for worse, and it's
03:56caused kids to become addicted to the internet.
03:59And the stay-at-home crisis that happened in 2020 only made things worse.
04:03Kids were locked indoors and were unable to get any sort of social interaction from other
04:08peers or teachers.
04:09Gen Alpha was treating technology like a full-time job, devoting 40 hours a week to
04:14using it.
04:15With social media being accessible to anyone, internet usage was at an all-time high.
04:20They couldn't go out to play because of restrictions, so the only way they could get
04:24any form of contact with the outside world was through their devices.
04:28Gen Alpha was going through critical development phases during the stay-at-home crisis.
04:33The online world became their new reality because it was all they knew.
04:37Considering the sort of horrible stuff that we have access to online, this is concerning.
04:42Technology usage on its own isn't necessarily a bad thing.
04:45It's the content that's being consumed that's the real perpetrator.
04:48Parents may think that they know what their kids are watching online, but sometimes things
04:52aren't what they seem, even in videos supposedly made for kids.
04:58Internet Brain Rot
04:59You might have heard of the term brain rot.
05:01Popularized by social media, brain rot is the term that internet users have created
05:05to describe those lacking proper socialization and are obsessed with digital content to an
05:11unhealthy level.
05:12When you think about brain rot, Gen Alpha tends to be the usual demographic that comes
05:29to mind.
05:30That's because the internet has been their primary means of interaction with the world
05:33since they were born.
05:35Brain rot content can also be identified by the constant usage of internet slang, overly
05:40bright colors, and attention-grabbing content that switches every few seconds.
05:45A key example is popular kids media like Skibbity Toilet that seem to capitalize on Gen Alpha's
05:50decreasing attention span by overwhelming them with hyper-stimulating content.
05:55Skibbity Toilet is a web series on YouTube that features a variety of models from games
06:00like Garry's Mod and Counter-Strike as they battle in a raging war.
06:04The two sides are singing human-headed toilets, which are called Skibbity Toilets, and humanoids
06:09who have human bodies but items as their heads, like cameras or TVs.
06:14The series was created by a man named Alexey Gerasimov.
06:17It first premiered on YouTube in February of 2023.
06:21Since the first episode was released, the channel had gained over 40.6 million subscribers
06:27and has over 15 billion views to date.
06:30Each episode features the Skibbity Toilets and other characters engaged in full-on conflicts
06:35animated in the most obscure and dramatic ways.
06:38There's never a dull moment in the videos, which, to Gen Alpha, is the exciting part.
06:43On the surface level, this might just seem like out-of-the-box, wacky content for kids.
06:47But the harsh reality of it is that Skibbity Toilet could be damaging to children.
06:52With the constant over-stimulating content, kids get used to hyperactivity making everything
06:57else feel mundane.
06:58This can cause irritability, a low attention span, and a lack of patience since kids are
07:03now so used to hyperstimulation.
07:06Parents have long since been concerned with whether or not Skibbity Toilet is appropriate
07:10for their kids to watch.
07:11And it even got to a point where Russian authorities had to get involved to investigate the show.
07:16A Moscow man concerned over Skibbity Toilet's detrimental effects on children asked the
07:20police to block the videos from the internet to prevent kids from watching it.
07:24This investigation has gotten mixed opinions so far, with some claiming that getting the
07:29police involved over a kid's series is ridiculous.
07:32Other parents also echoed the same concerns, believing that Skibbity Toilet may be doing
07:37more harm than good.
07:38While there's still no conclusive answer as to whether or not the series is negatively
07:42affecting children, this form of hyper-stimulating media has become a growing trend for Gen Alpha.
07:48Parents are becoming increasingly worried that their kids are becoming like zombies
07:53because of this kind of content.
07:55Another popular kid show is Coco Melon, which is usually targeted toward babies and younger
08:00children.
08:01Coco Melon has become one of the most famous kid shows and has been a go-to entertainment
08:05source for parents to show their kids.
08:07But in recent months, the once favorable reputation of Coco Melon has completely shifted because
08:13now parents are starting to discover a correlation between their kids' behavioral issues and
08:18the show.
08:19On November 26th, 2021, TikTok user ItsMamaBelle posted a video that raised some serious concerns
08:26about Coco Melon.
08:27The text on the video said that she had just switched from showing her kids Coco Melon
08:31to a YouTuber called Miss Rachel, and that prior to switching, her children would just
08:36sit in front of the TV like zombies.
08:38In the comments, countless moms agreed with her, saying that Miss Rachel, who is a YouTuber
08:43who focuses on educational content, was much more beneficial for their kids.
08:48More and more parents realized that their kids were becoming addicted to Coco Melon
08:52to the point where they wouldn't be able to move away from the screen, and they weren't
08:55learning anything from the show either.
08:57The show focused solely on keeping the children's attention with bright colors, repetitive songs,
09:02and fast jump cuts.
09:03All of which are tactics that the show uses to keep kids hooked.
09:07Let's see how many seconds it takes for each one of these scenes to change.
09:11One, two, three, one, two, one, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three, one, two,
09:18three, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one.
09:24This epidemic of overstimulation can be compared to the feeling that you get from substances,
09:30hence why Coco Melon is so addictive to children.
09:32And it's not just random TikTokers that have said this, actual childhood experts have chimed
09:37in agreeing that Coco Melon is too overstimulating for kids, which can lead to addiction.
09:42Coco Melon watchers are usually between ages two and five, which are critical years when
09:47it comes to early childhood development.
09:49This is the time when kids are developing language, creativity, and social skills.
09:53And shows like Coco Melon have possibly only made these tasks more difficult.
09:58And not to mention the disturbing influx of Elsagate content that's taken over all of
10:03the kid-friendly platforms.
10:04And I have a whole separate video of that that you can watch.
10:07All of this inappropriate content not only has caused concern for Gen Alpha parents,
10:12but also for teachers as well.
10:14Because not only are kids becoming more addicted to screens, but they're also doing much worse
10:18in school.
10:20The dumber generation.
10:22It's a common theme in social media for people to say that Gen Alpha is considered one of
10:27the dumber generations.
10:29The more kids become addicted to their screens, the harder it is for them to live a life away
10:33from it.
10:34That includes during school hours.
10:36It's as if kids are having a harder time paying attention, likely because the internet may
10:41be conditioning their brains to shorter content, hence a shorter attention span.
10:46Teachers around the world have been going viral on TikTok after sharing just how concerned
10:50they are about the educational development of their Gen Alpha students.
10:54They've said that students are now reading and writing at several grade levels behind,
10:58with a large majority of kids being unable to understand basic literacy, spelling, and
11:04grammar.
11:05This 8th grade kid cannot spell, could not spell a single word correctly on his list.
11:128th grade.
11:13TikTok user QBSki is an elementary school teacher from Atlanta, Georgia, who took to
11:19TikTok to express his concern for the students in his class.
11:23He said that although he teaches a 7th grade class, many of his students are nowhere near
11:27that level of education.
11:28I teach 7th grade, they are still performing on the 4th grade level.
11:32Ain't nobody talking about how they just keep moving, passing them on.
11:35I can put as many zeroes in this grade because I want to, they're going to move that child
11:38to the 8th grade next year.
11:39This teacher even stated that some of the students in his class perform at kindergarten,
11:44first, second, and third grade levels even though they're just two years away from entering
11:49high school.
11:50And he's not the only teacher that feels this way.
11:53And I teach at one of the more affluent schools, and when I tell you that these babies cannot
11:58read, they cannot write, and they cannot comprehend, I'm not being funny, I'm being dead serious.
12:04When it comes to high school kids, it's not much better because the creator, Kool Nace,
12:08aka N, said that her 10th and 11th grade English students were only capable of performing at
12:15a 6th or 7th grade reading level despite being in their upper years of high school.
12:20And other sources continue to claim that Gen Alpha kids don't only have poor learning skills,
12:25they have poor behavior too.
12:27Young students misbehaving in the classroom has become the new norm, and when teachers
12:31like N try to discipline them properly, it doesn't work out.
12:34My principal told me you can't do that in Georgia.
12:37They have completely taken discipline out of education at this point, especially in
12:41Georgia.
12:42You cannot use the gradebook to implement any kind of discipline or any kind of enforcement
12:46with students, and that is going to be the ruin of our kids.
12:50But it's not just attention disorders that are at fault here.
12:53The internet has also given Gen Alpha a golden ticket when it comes to cheating their way
12:57through school.
12:59AI tools like ChatGPT can easily help kids finish their homework in seconds.
13:04This shift has reduced the emphasis on work ethic along with valuable life skills like
13:09critical thinking and communication.
13:11Without these skills, Gen Alpha has become prone to all sorts of influences.
13:15Because since they are so conditioned to only look at the surface level, they take most
13:19of what they see on social media as the truth without researching for themselves and questioning
13:25it.
13:26What you see online is immediately taken as a fact, which is detrimental to these young
13:30impressionable kids.
13:32And companies are taking advantage of this.
13:34They're targeting a demographic that they shouldn't be.
13:37Kids.
13:38The gullible generation.
13:40Anywhere you go on the internet, you are destined to run into an advertisement.
13:44Whether on the TikTok shop or just casually scrolling on social media, marketing has evolved
13:49from billboards and newspapers to scrolling on your phone.
13:52Adults are able to understand what an organic piece of content is versus a paid promotion.
13:58But young kids are less perceptive of this.
14:00They use viral trends as guidelines for what they should or should not like, even if it's
14:05not meant for them.
14:06As kids consume more online content, including advertising, they're being influenced to buy
14:11products that are just not made for them.
14:13We see this happening all the time with Gen Alpha, especially due to the rising influence
14:18of TikTok.
14:19But they aren't alone.
14:20Millennials and older generations drive forward these trends and make them mainstream on social
14:25media.
14:26One product being the infamous Stanley Cup.
14:29Drawing screams of excitement and tears of joy.
14:34This year's hottest status symbol and most coveted holiday gift is the Stanley Tumbler.
14:41This Tumbler Cup has become the reason for multiple news headlines and heavy in-person
14:46lines as early as 4am.
14:49And because it's so popular, people are willing to go to the ends of the earth to get one.
14:53Although this is the new craze, if you want to get your hands on one, it won't be cheap.
14:57The Stanley Tumbler will run you back around $45 USD with limited edition cups costing
15:02even more than that.
15:03This cost is pretty hefty for a water bottle, and it's definitely not one that everyone
15:08can afford.
15:09But there are consequences if you can't pay for one.
15:11Ohio mom Dana Motika went viral on TikTok, posting how her nine-year-old daughter was
15:18bullied for bringing a less expensive lookalike to school.
15:23Dana had bought her daughter a $10 Stanley lookalike from Walmart as a gift for Christmas.
15:28Her daughter brought the cup to school after Christmas break, only to come home upset because
15:33kids in school were bullying her.
15:35The sole reason?
15:36Because her Stanley Cup was fake.
15:38Over the break, multiple girls in her grade had gotten real Stanley Cups as presents,
15:42and they were quick to call out Dana's daughter for her dupe.
15:45They said that hers was not as cool, and made fun of her because of it.
15:49To us, it might seem wild that a young girl is being bullied over not having an expensive
15:54water bottle, but for Gen Alpha, this is their new reality.
15:59Gen Alpha has become possibly one of the most materialistic generations ever.
16:03With so much advertising being shown at their young eyes, these kids feel the need to buy
16:08everything they see, or face the fear of not fitting in.
16:11And it's not just Stanley Cups that have proven this.
16:13Earlier this year, the beauty retailer Sephora made headlines after multiple story times
16:19about Sephora 10-year-olds went viral on TikTok.
16:22Viral clips have been going around of kids going in Sephora making a big mess.
16:27During this trend, dozens of people flooded the TikTok For You page with their own personal
16:31horror stories with Generation Alpha shoppers at the makeup store.
16:35They complained that the kids were rude and had no respect for anyone or anything in the
16:39store.
16:40I'm in Sephora right now, and I'm going to count how many 10-year-olds I see.
16:43One, two, three.
16:45Currently walking past a 10-year-old getting her eyebrows done.
16:48Four, five, six.
16:50There's a whole group of them over here.
16:53Kids as young as four were shopping in the aisles of Sephora for expensive beauty products
16:59that they clearly did not need.
17:01The reason behind it?
17:02The internet.
17:03All she wants for the holidays is, well, not toys, but skincare products.
17:07All I wanted this year was skincare and makeup.
17:10Social media has become Gen Alpha's go-to guide for how to live their life.
17:15Whatever they see influencers do, they want to do.
17:18Whatever they see influencers buy, they want to buy.
17:21With every beauty influencer on platforms like TikTok and Instagram becoming obsessed
17:25with skincare, it was only natural for Gen Alpha kids to follow in their footsteps.
17:30But this can be a red flag, especially for parents as social media sets a bad example
17:35for young girls.
17:36The Sephora kids trend is a prime example.
17:39These young girls do not need to be spending hundreds of dollars on beauty products that
17:43are targeted at adults.
17:44These products have chemicals and ingredients that can be harmful to kids, especially the
17:48ones that have gone viral online.
17:50Drunk Elephant is the name on every Gen Alpha's tongue.
17:53Originally a skincare brand meant for millennials, now a larger portion of Drunk Elephant's
17:59consumer base consists of beauty-obsessed kids.
18:02With products priced from $20 to upwards of over $100, this is definitely not a brand
18:08that most kids can afford to buy, at least without the help of their parents.
18:12But is this really something that parents want to be getting for their kids?
18:15Many of these Drunk Elephant products contain ingredients like peptides, acids, and retinol,
18:20which can all be damaging to youthful skin.
18:23Retinol is a form of vitamin A that's known for its anti-aging effects, with higher concentrations
18:28being used to fight wrinkles.
18:30These kinds of high concentrations are regularly found in beauty products and are definitely
18:35not meant for young girls.
18:36But it's not only physical health concerns the parents are having about this growing
18:40obsession with skincare and makeup.
18:42It's also the mental effects too.
18:45Social media is doing this and this could be setting up a lot of young girls with issues
18:50that will follow them well into adulthood.
18:52Young girls are constantly being overwhelmed with societal beauty standards and ever-changing
18:57trends in fashion and beauty.
18:59And for Gen Alpha, this pressure has only increased with the influx of social media
19:04influencers.
19:05They look up to influencers more than they do their own parents.
19:09But is this influence positive or negative?
19:12I'm addicted.
19:14Gen Alpha is social media obsessed.
19:16It's said that by the age of 1, the average Gen Alpha kid already has over 100 pictures
19:22of them posted on social media.
19:24Almost every Gen Alpha kid is on social media.
19:27It's their main form of communication with their friends and where they get the latest
19:31news.
19:32But their social media screen time is often unregulated by parents so there's no telling
19:37what these Gen Alpha kids are watching on their devices.
19:40And that's the scary part.
19:41Although most social media platforms have age restrictions or content guidelines, kids
19:46can easily bypass them just by lying about their age.
19:49And regardless if the platform is meant for younger audiences, anyone can break the rules
19:54by posting inappropriate content anyway.
19:56TikTok, the most popular platform for Gen Alpha, is a mishmash of all different sorts
20:01of content.
20:02The For You page throws a bunch of different videos together in an endless scroll, showing
20:07users the type of content they like as well as new content they've never seen before.
20:12One of the most common trends you can find on social media is thirst trapping.
20:16This form of content is meant to attract attention from viewers, usually in the form of posing,
20:22dancing, or acting seductively.
20:24Although the nature of this content is meant for a much older audience, there's a ton
20:28of kids participating in these trends without realizing its implications.
20:32It's become more and more common to see a Gen Alpha kid dressed up in revealing clothing
20:37making thirst trap content, which in itself is already unsettling.
20:42But not to mention, there's no telling who's watching or saving this content online, which
20:46can leave them vulnerable to a certain audience that may have other intentions.
20:51With the influx of OF promotions, adult content is becoming more accessible, with social media
20:56heavily influencing young people, it's become difficult for them to see the importance of
21:01real relationships.
21:02One in four children go outside to play nowadays, missing crucial social interactions.
21:07Most of Gen Alpha spends their time indoors consuming media meant for adults.
21:12The severe dopamine addictions from internet platforms like TikTok have resulted in negative
21:17effects on younger generations, as simple as enjoying their day-to-day life.
21:21Kids no longer have the patience for anything because they're so used to the instant gratification
21:26that social media provides them.
21:28Kids can't do simple, everyday tasks like brushing their teeth, eating food, or using
21:32the restroom without the constant stimulation of a screen.
21:36Gen Alpha becomes impatient and frustrated at the drop of a hat, with even the smallest
21:40inconveniences getting blown out of proportion, turning into full tantrums or breakdowns.
21:46With most of their learning coming from the internet, they're being exposed to horrible
21:49behavior from those entitled influencers that they see online.
21:53And when you look at the biggest influencers now who've flown their opulent lifestyles
21:56and endorsed things like OnlyFans, are these really the people you want raising your children?
22:00Now the question is, is Generation Alpha really doomed?
22:04I've talked a lot about the problems of Gen Alpha, but there are still many strengths
22:09that they have.
22:10Gen Alpha has access to more resources, knowledge, and tools than ever before.
22:15They're living in an exciting time, with technology advancing at such a rapid pace
22:20and them being so adaptable to it.
22:22If they're able to use the internet for good rather than bad, they can become some
22:26of the most intelligent people on the planet, and they're also born with empathy inside
22:31them.
22:32The future can be bright for Gen Alpha.
22:34All they need is a little guidance and a push in the right direction.
22:37We as people who care can monitor what our siblings are doing on social media, and as
22:41adults we can teach our kids the value of hard work, and we can be better examples for
22:46them to follow.
22:47My friends, it's time to stop the internet from destroying this generation.
22:52Visual Venture.