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Teenagers are falling into wasteful consumerism.
Some members of Gen Alpha are against buying too much stuff and drag their parents down that path.
“They’re on a decluttering mission,” said Yuri Boykikh, CEO of e-commerce accelerator Front Row Group and father of two children, ages 10 and 12.
“They don’t have a lot of stuff,” he told Business Insider.
Boykiv believes he is part of a growing group of parents who are feeling pressured to clean out their closets and donate excess items.
Before going to the mall, his kids and their friends “say, ‘Hey, let’s get rid of most of what we have before we buy anything,'” he says.
“Some of it has a very minimalist nature.”
Commitment to quality
Gen Alpha (those under 14) appear to be more selective with their spending than previous generations, even if they only have pocket money.
They still tend to be big spenders, and many are already seeing an uptick in skin-care sales thanks to their Sephora obsession.
They are expected to wield great economic power, with Business Insider recently citing analysts who predict that by 2029, they will wield $5.46 trillion in purchasing power.
But that’s tempered by a strong conscience: Gen Alpha learns about the environment and the climate crisis at school and recognises early on the consequences of fast fashion and consumerism, including their own choices.
Children, too, are calling on their parents to be more discerning. A recent study by consulting firm McCrindle It turns out that 80% of parents are being influenced by their Gen Alpha children to be more environmentally conscious when spending money.
“Not only are kids concerned about where the products come from, but they also tell their parents, ‘There’s too much of this,’ or ‘This is not good,'” Boykikh said. “They just want to consume quality products.”
The core aesthetic of underconsumption has also been trending in recent months, with online creators hoping to “de-influence” their audiences and encourage them to buy less.
Many Gen Z and millennials want to do the same, but are struggling to resist the lure of low-cost fashion sites.
For now, at least, Generation Alpha appears to be mentally pure.
Survey of 1,000 Gen Alpha parents in 2024 We found that 63% of children are interested in sustainability.
In 2019, digital agency Wunderman Thompson Commerce also Survey of 4,000 Gen Alphas The survey found that 66% of people want to buy from companies that are trying to make a positive impact on the world, and 18% want to buy plastic-free and sustainable products.
Save the Turtles
Julie Peake, a tidying expert and professional organiser, told BI that her most recent job was tidying up a child’s playroom.
The mother noticed that the children no longer played with their toys, and when Peak asked why, the children said that they would rather have one big toy that they could play with in different ways than lots of little toys.
Peake said he has also noticed children as young as eight urging their parents to be more mindful of their impact on the environment.
“One of our clients’ children asked their parents to start using reusable bags,” she said. “They said they wanted to protect the turtles.”
Peake said he believes Gen Alphas are starting to see through the tricks of consumerism early on and are finding that older family members aren’t getting as much joy from impulse purchases.
“We know a lot more now, and kids are a lot more aware of our footprints, the choices we make, and the impact it has on the environment,” Peake said. “I think kids are a lot more aware of that.”
Laura Asher is a DIY blogger with a focus on minimalism and sustainability. Our oily housetold BI that he’s also seen “a passionate embrace of decluttering” among Gen Alpha.
“This generation has grown up in the age of social media and seems to reject the compulsive consumerism common to older generations,” she said.
The revival of shopping malls
An unexpected sign of this change is that Boykiv’s children may return to the mall. Zoomer Generation And the millennial generation Prefer to shop onlineespecially the Alpha generation I like shopping in stores.
Steven Yaroff, CEO of retailer Tanger, told BI that malls are once again popular with teenagers.
They like to “shop by the pack,” he said, and are looking for “very specific brands and specific products,” such as Stanley Cup water bottles, Drunk Elephant serums and Glow Recipe cosmetics.
Shop smart
Generation Alpha could also benefit from a wider range of sources for research.
“They’re a smart generation, and we know they have more information than anyone else,” says David Delisle, an author, financial literacy expert and father of two.
Helenore Gilmore, strategy director at children’s consultancy Beano Brain, told BI that Gen Alphas are “smart spenders and savers” and “really understand the importance of doing the right thing”.
“The smartest among them are becoming mini-entrepreneurs by reselling their old things,” she added.
Gilmore said they are “emotionally intelligent about where, when and how they treat themselves, and they still go to Amazon, Thame and Shane for the best deals.”
Overall, Delisle believes it’s unlikely that all Gen Alpha kids will transcend consumerism, but they will grow up equipped to navigate it and understand what value means to them.
“One of my sons is a big spender and not a minimalist, so his room is always messy with all his hobbies and stuff,” Delisle says. “My other son doesn’t care about any of that stuff. He just wants to go to the beach and hang out with his friends.”