It’s no fun as a “youth expert” to realize you’re not exactly considered “the youth” anymore. As one of the oldest members of Gen Z, that moment is happening to me right now. Gen Alpha has started to take the zeitgeist’s reins, with brands now attempting to connect with the new owners of what’s cool, fresh, or up-and-coming.
Youth will forever be a hot-button topic that executive teams seek to understand. I get it. Young people often represent dollar signs, meaning that getting an early look at where youth culture and demographics are headed can be one of the most surefire routes to securing future profit.
What executives don’t realize is they could be setting themselves up for even more success. The key? Looking out further. Generational blindness attributes to the myopic fascination with today’s youth rather than asking questions about the generations to come – or even ones that have yet to be born.
Gen Alpha may be top of mind today, but 2025 actually marks the beginning of a new generation – Gen Beta, which will include babies born from now until 2039, and in just the next 10 years will make up 15% of the population. Predictions about what we could surmise about this generation ran rampant at the top of the year, with people weighing in on who these now-babies will soon become to our economy and to society at large.
The sticking point here is that there’s really no need to throw around predictions when foresight allows you to plan. By observing what macro drivers are set to influence and make real impacts to Gen Beta, our research allows us to already prepare for the generation ahead. And if your business hasn’t started yet, consider this a kick in the pants from your resident ex-youth.
Gen Beta will represent a wildly different youth generation compared to ones past, and while these nuances will drive plenty of business opportunities for innovation, they will also pose their fair share of challenges too. Any foresight plan covering the next 10–20 years should also include how Betas might impact it, or risk falling into a generational blind spot.
Naturally, this plan begins with artificial intelligence, because just as Gen Zers were born as digital natives – babies who were raised without knowing a time before the internet – Gen Beta will come up in the world as the first cohort of AI natives.
A recent FTSG project explored the future of synthetic childhoods, where AI-powered toys and experiences will blend the boundaries between what is real and what is artificial. But for Gen Beta, “synthetic” won’t necessarily mean “fake.” When an AI companion can accompany you from womb to tomb, all the while knowing your memories and preferences more intimately than a family member, we’ll need to plan for how this will fundamentally reshape the next generation’s understandings of truth, connection, and intimacy.
Businesses that want to be proactive rather than reactive must start developing AI tools that clearly signal what is human-made vs. machine-generated, to help young users navigate blurred realities. They’ll need to include embedded explainability features, age-appropriate AI disclosures, and safeguards that teach digital discernment while also designing emotionally intelligent interfaces that foster trust without manipulation.
Fertility rates are another macro driver we’ll need to plan for when it comes to Gen Beta. As Gen Z adults postpone or completely forgo having children, Betas will likely represent a fairly smaller generation than others – namely the aging baby boomer population. This demographic imbalance could lead to a cultural shift where senior-focused interests eclipse youth culture in a reversal of typical social trends.
To prepare for Gen Beta, businesses should adapt strategies that prioritize intergenerational value by offering products and services that bridge the needs of both aging and younger consumers. They’ll also need to anticipate policy shifts and economic pressures by designing more affordable, future-facing offerings that address limited youth cultural influence and growing social responsibilities placed on this generation.
At the same time, we’ll need to consider how witnessing some of the longest lifespans in recent history will undoubtedly impact Gen Beta’s perception of time, health, and milestones. Just as Gen Z and millennials have delayed marriage or parenthood, Gen Beta will also likely renavigate life timelines based on the fact many will prepare to live and work for much longer than their grandparents.
In order to get ahead, businesses should develop modular services that support flexible education, lifelong career development, and delayed milestones like parenthood and retirement. With bioengineering extending reproductive timelines and enhancing preventive health, companies will also need to invest in personalized wellness offerings, longevity-focused products, and adaptable benefits that align with shifting expectations around age and health.
We can also observe the rise of urbanization and globalization, as Gen Beta marks one of the first modern generations to not just move to cities but also largely be born in them. Rising costs and shrinking urban housing means Gen Beta will be raised in density – already used to navigating shared space, surveillance, vertical living, and infrastructure-led childhoods. Businesses should counterbalance the need for shared spaces with hyper-personalized experiences, such as adaptive learning platforms, AI-powered content, and responsive environments that manage to honor Betas’ individual identities within collective systems.
And finally, while previous generations have been defined by singular political or social flashpoints – 9/11 for millennials, or COVID-19 for Gen Z – Gen Beta will grow up in a constant hum of overlapping crises. Forget a stable childhood when wildfires, service disruptions, power outages, and climate-forced migration are routine.
Instead of stability, businesses will need to refocus childhood experiences around resilience, adaptability, and fluidity as Betas grow into a world that relies on systems such as flexible housing, modular education, microgrids, digital currencies, and decentralized communities. In a polycrisis world, this might be the most important step we can take today.
We don’t need to wait until Gen Beta comes of age to understand them – we already have the tools to identify the forces that will influence their world. The question isn’t whether this newest generation and those that follow will reshape the future, it’s whether your business will be ready when they do.
