Why Gen Alpha should start in 2008.

I think that Generation Alpha should start in 2008. Why? I’ll tell you.

#1: They were still a kid during COVID (they were 11/12 when COVID hit in 2020). Gen Z are known for being COVID teens or young adults. That alone differentiates them from the rest of Gen Z.

#2. They spent no time in high school during COVID - they started high school in 2022, after COVID, unlike 2007 and before who started high school during COVID, creating a distinction.

#3. They are the oldest potential iPad babies, they were 1-2 when the iPad released, unlike 2007 borns who were already in their childhood (age 3).

#4. They are the first born after the iPhone, further creating a distinction between them and people born in 2007 and before.

#5. They were never in school during the early 2010s aka 2012: The 2012-2013 school year was the last school year before complete smartphone ubiquity. Therefore, 2007 borns are likely the last to vividly remember a time before smart tech was everywhere. 2007 borns were also the last to enter school before Sandy Hook, which also happened in the 2012-2013 school year.

#6: 2008 borns are the first to be born after the recession started and changed a LOT.

#7: Because they were born after the recession started, they are also the start of the birth rate drop in the US that never rose again, further signaling the start of a potential new generation in 2008.

Therefore I suggest that we revise the ranges: 1997-2007 is Gen Z, while 2008-2019 is Gen Alpha. It just makes sense, given what I said.