Gen Alpha girls have a post-stereotype mindset, according to new research into under-10s which claims that this age group is one that judges people by who they are, not what they are.

Arguably those notions might change as they get older, but right now Gen Alpha girls are encouraged to reject narrow gender stereotypes and instead take inspiration instead from rebellious and capable women across cultures and history, to aspire towards athleticism and STEM accomplishments, and to reimagine girlhood as something empowering and liberating.

That’s one of five trends noted by Beano for Brands, the in-house, kid-first consultancy owned by content business Beano Studios.

UK-wide semiotic and quantitative research and a survey of 2,000 kids and their parents revealed that Gen Alpha is already exerting influence on the world around them through positive pester power, tech-enabled creativity and progressive attitudes to gender, sexuality and social identity.

“Gen Alpha is the generation that will seek to bend the digital world to their needs and ambitions and not be defined or consumed by it,” stated Emma Scott, CEO at Beano Studios.

“They will set aside our current worldview stereotypes of identity and difference, and their love for cherishing and saving the physical world around them will literally change the face of our planet.”

That’s a bold statement for a bunch of kids but the evidence suggests they’re way ahead of their millennial parents in many matters, from caution over sharing photos (45% are anti-‘sharenting’; 60% of parents don’t ask) to criticism of influencers and scepticism about online information (73% say it’s important to question what they find there).

And unlike selfie and app-addicted millennials, almost half (48%) of Gen Alpha kids often spend time away from devices and tech: the research shows 98% are still playing outside, and nearly three quarters (72%) are still climbing trees.

That may inform a new pester power, as the research reported this age group is speaking out at home about issues from climate change to single-use plastics. One in five five-to-nine year olds have already been on a march or protest for something they care about.

The final trend centres around tech-enabled creativity: 86% of Gen Alpha kids enjoy designing, making and building things, including creative videos (55%) and creating digital worlds (66%); significant proportions also engage in tinkering with electronics (47%), robotics (43%) and computer coding (36%).

Over half of Gen Alphas believe they could make a career out of their hobby – and a fifth are already making money from them.

Sourced from Beano for Brands; additional content by WARC staff