Like every new year, 2025 represents new beginnings, the closing of one chapter and the start of another. But there is something special about 2025, specifically, for those born during it.
That’s because babies born this year are part of a new generation: Generation Beta. In fact a baby girl born in New South Wales at 12:05am on January 1, 2025, is considered to be the first of the new Beta generation.
By 2035, Generation Beta is expected to make up 16% of the global population, and many are predicted to see the 22nd century. Whilst it may seem that children born this year should be part of Generation Alpha, that generation is defined between the years 2010 to 2024, making them the first generation to be born entirely in the 21st century.
Gen Z is defined from 1997 to 2009, whilst Millennials are born between 1981 and 1996. The parents of Generation Beta are typically going to be younger Millennials and older Gen Z, likely introducing a new parent style, especially around topics such as social media, as they would have grown up on the internet.
McCrindle Research shared that Gen Z parents (36%) are more likely to strongly agree that limiting their child’s screen time is a high priority compared to older Millennial parents (30%). Yet despite some new parents holding these views, Generation Beta is expected to grow up more immersed in technology than ever, especially with the rapid growth of artificial intelligence. And in one way or another, they are likely to rely on this type of contemporary technology.
It is also expected that Generation Beta will grow up with the more direct consequences of climate change, continuing to make it an issue of concern for the younger generations.
By the time Gen Beta reach voting age, elected officials will more likely be Millennials and Gen Z, rather than Boomers and Gen X.
But experts warn against letting generational labels define groups too much, as it may oversimplify the lived experiences of individuals. However, recognising what generation an individual is from can give context clues to the defining moments of people’s lives.