What millennial parenting can tell us about Gen Alpha

Millennial parents are first-generation digital natives and are bringing their understanding of digital life to bear in their approach to parenting, a new report says.

Raising Gen Alpha: How Millennial Parenting is Impacting the Next Generation is the result of a year-long study by insights company Beano Brain, based on more than 200 hours of face-to-face interviews and a survey of 2,000 parents.

Why it matters

“Millennials are really the first generation to raise their children in the full glare and judgement of social media. And there is an overwhelming feeling of parenting under pressure, subject to the scrutiny of others in real life or by comparison on social media,” explains Beano Brain’s Helenor Gilmour. 

One consequence is that they are adopting a different parenting style to the one they themselves experienced growing up – and that has implications for everything from the media habits of both parents and children to the brands they choose.

Takeaways 

• 75% of millennial parents are trying to keep their children off social media for as long as possible. 
• Millennial parents feel the effects of influencers, with 45% stating that celebrity influencers “make them feel bad”.
• 77% of parents are prioritising time with their children over careers.
• 81% of millennials think it’s more important to be happy than “successful”.
• 53% of millennial parents believe that this generation will help solve the problems caused by previous generations – a theme rooted in parents’ fears for the planet and the world their children are inheriting.

Final thought 

“Parents want brands to help them help their children be citizens of the future but shouldn’t forget to be playful and fun with a renewed focus on happiness as an end goal” – Helenor Gilmour, Director of Insight and Strategy, Beano Brain.

Sourced from Beano Brain