Introducing Gen Alpha: America's newest kids
Voice of America
Gen Alpha is the first generation to have all of its members born into a society where smartphones and other connected devices are commonplace. The children who make up Gen Alpha are often growing up, exploring and competing in a virtual world rather than in real life. An over-dependence on smart phones and devices could make children less self-reliant, according to licensed professional counselor Shelly Melia, a professor at Dallas Baptist University.
Numbering 2 billion and counting, Gen Alpha (born 2010-2024) is expected to be the biggest generation in history. And even though its oldest members are only 14 years old, Gen Alpha is already an economic force to be reckoned with.
FILE - Part of the temples of Baalbek, a UNESCO world heritage site in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, illuminated in blue light, Oct. 24, 2015. FILE - This picture shows closed shops on an empty street in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek on Oct. 19, 2024. FILE - People walk near the Roman ruins of Baalbek, Lebanon, Jan. 5, 2024. FILE - A man sits amidst the rubble at a site damaged in the aftermath of an Israeli strike on the town of Al-Ain in the Baalbek region, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Lebanon, Nov. 6, 2024.
Dr. Jaafar al Jotheri, shown here Nov. 10, 2024, holds satellite images and explores the site of the Battle of al-Qadisiyah, which was fought in Mesopotamia -- present-day Iraq -- in the 630s AD. A desert area with scattered plots of agricultural land with features that closely matched the description of the al-Qadisiyah battle site described in historic texts, Nov. 10, 2024.