From four TV channels to “brain rot”: educating for Gen Alpha (and preparing for Gen Beta)

As a proud Gen X’er, I sometimes smile at the memory of family entertainment in my childhood home. One small lounge room, one television, four channels. My mum, dad, sister and I would gather after dinner to debate which channel we would watch. Of course there wasn’t much to debate. If the news was on, the decision was made. No discussion, no negotiation. Everyone sat through it, my sister and I begrudgingly and trying to supress our giggles so we didn’t get in trouble for interrupting the daily headlines. 

Contrast that with today, where technology has shifted from a shared, social experience to an isolated one. Each of us can retreat into personalised feeds and curated content, driven by algorithms and predict our next choice before we’ve even made it. This reality raises an important question for us as parents and educators: how do we reclaim technology as a collective experience that connects, rather than isolates?

In our Junior School, we see the daily reality of Generation Alpha, the children in our ELC through to Year 6. McCrindle’s research gives us key insights into this generation: the first fully born in the 21st century, already the largest in history, and most likely to be living in the 22nd century. They will spend longer in education, enter the workforce later and experience more careers – many of which don’t yet exist and will be created by the Gen Alphas themselves. 

At a recent leadership meeting I attended, Ashley Fell, a social researcher from McCrindle, pointed to the Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year as a cultural marker. In 2011 it was ‘app’, in 2024 it was ‘brain rot’ – a term capturing the effects of doomscrolling low-quality content. This shift highlights to us that the pace of change is accelerating, and education is more vulnerable to disruption than ever before.

Emerging generations will never know a world without AI integration, hyperconnectivity and immersive digital experiences. Many may never carry a wallet, a credit card or even own an analogue watch. They are environmentally conscious, will be borderless in their lifestyles, and deeply shaped by technology’s integration into every facet of their lives. 

For us as educators, the implications are clear. We need to:

• reinforce foundational literacies (reading, writing, numeracy) but go further in teaching children how to apply them in creative and practical ways
• build complex competencies including quality thinking, collaboration and active citizenship
• cultivate character qualities like resilience, empathy and curiosity.

In this context, fostering a love of learning is essential. If our students are to thrive in a world of disruption and possibilities, they must see learning as an ongoing, lifelong pursuit. Just as importantly, we must create safe environments where risk-taking is encouraged, failure is reframed as necessary for growth and children build the resilience to navigate complexity.  

And just as we start to wrap our minds around Generation Alpha, along comes Generation Beta. Born from 2025 onwards, they will be entering our Junior School in just five years. If Gen Alpha gives us a lens into the future, Gen Beta will be our test of how well we’ve prepared for it.

The challenge before us is to shape schools where students don’t just consume personalised, isolated content but also experience shared moments of learning, debate and growth together. After all, if families once survived the nightly negotiations over four TV channels (with the news always winning), surely we can create classroom and home environments where technology and community co-exist in ways that prepare our students for the century ahead.

Kylie Baxter
Head of Junior School