Generation Beta Isn’t Coming. They’re Already Here.
Let’s stop pretending we’re still marketing to Millennials. The future has moved on.
We’ve officially entered the era of Generation Beta — kids born from 2025 to 2039. Most of them aren’t even old enough to sit up, let alone scroll TikTok, but make no mistake: their arrival marks a cultural reset.
This generation will never know a world without AI. Their toys will be powered by it. Their classrooms will be shaped by it. Their worldviews, preferences, and expectations will be molded in real time — not by media, but by intelligent agents learning alongside them. If you thought Gen Z changed the rules, Beta will rewrite the entire playbook.
What Makes Gen Beta Different?
Gen Beta Is Born Between 2025 and 2039
Millennial + Gen Z Parents: Beta’s parents are already shaping the brand choices that will surround them. Millennial moms and Gen Z dads are skeptical of screen time, fluent in TikTok, and hyperaware of digital overload. Brands that ignore their influence now will miss the foundational moments where loyalty is formed.
Digital-Native DNA 2.0: Beta won’t just be digitally native. They’ll be AI-native. That’s a game-changer. The systems that train them will be as adaptive and personalized as their favorite music playlist. They'll grow up expecting ultra-personalization — not just in media, but in healthcare, education, shopping, and identity itself.
Global Turbulence = Value Shift: This generation is being born into a world shaped by climate anxiety, geopolitical unrest, and a collapsing middle class. That matters. Values aren’t just inherited — they’re forged in chaos. And Beta’s value system will likely reflect resilience, reinvention, and radical transparency.
For Marketers, the Clock Has Already Started
Let’s be clear: Generation Beta doesn’t have buying power yet — but their influence is already percolating. Just look at the parental spend around STEM toys, organic snacks, and “anti-screen” screen time. The decisions are happening now.
If you’re building products or brands for the next 10 years, you need to:
Understand Millennial and Gen Z parenting psychology — that’s your path to influence.
Design with digital boundaries in mind — frictionless, not mindless.
Reimagine loyalty — brand equity will be passed down through voice assistants and algorithms, not 30-second ads.
Generational Labels Are Cracking
Here’s a curveball I brought up in a recent Marketplace interview: What if the concept of a “generation” is no longer useful?
We’ve historically used 15- to 20-year spans to define cohorts. But tech is accelerating too fast. We may be heading toward a world where generational identity is better defined by tech milestones than birth years — the first iPhone generation, the first ChatGPT-native generation, etc.
Final Thought
Generations aren’t boxes. They’re clues. Gen Beta is a signal — a blinking neon sign that the way we’ve done things won’t work anymore. The brands that win will be the ones that stop looking backward and start decoding the future before it arrives.
Generation Beta isn’t a future concept. It’s our current reality. Ignore it at your peril.
