Twins are coming for wasteful consumerism.
Some Gen Alpha kids Taking a stand against buying too much stuff — and dragging their parents along for the ride.
“They’re on a decluttering mission,” said Yuri Boykiv, CEO of e-commerce accelerator agency Front Row Group, who has two children, ages 10 and 12.
They “don’t have a lot of stuff,” he told Business Insider.
Boykiw counts himself among a growing group of parents under pressure to clean out their closets and donate extra.
Before a trip to the mall, her kids and their friends “are like, ‘Listen, before we buy anything, we’re going to get rid of most of the stuff we have,'” she said.
“Some of them are very minimalistic in nature.”
A taste for quality
Gen Alpha, anyone 14 and under, seems to be more selective about spending than generations before them, even if they only have their allowance.
They are still likely to be big spenders. Thanks to him Obsessed with SephoraThere are many Already boosting sales in skincare.
They are presumed to be A major economic power – Business Insider recently quoted an analyst predicting that they will have $5.46 trillion in spending power by 2029.
But it is tempered by a strong conscience. Gen Alpha is learning about the environment and climate crisis in school, feeling the consequences of fast fashion and consumerism early — including his own choices.
Children also beg their parents to be wiser. A recent survey by consultancy McCrindle found that 80% of parents were influenced by their Gen Alpha children to be more aware of the environment they spend in.
“Not only do they care where the product comes from, but they go to their parents and say, you have too much stuff, or this thing is no good,” Boykiw said. “They just want to consume quality content.”
This Under consumption cor The aesthetic has also been trending in recent months, as well Online creators hope to “uninfluence” their audience And induce them to buy less.
Many Gen Xers and millennials want to do the same but struggle to resist the temptation of budget-fashion sites.
General Alpha, at least so far, seems pure of mind.
A 2024 survey of 1,000 Gen Alpha parents found that 63% of their children care about sustainability.
Also in 2019, digital agency Wunderman Thompson Commerce surveyed 4,000 Gen Alphas And found that 66% wanted to buy from companies that were trying to make a positive impact on the world, and 18% wanted to buy products that were plastic-free and sustainable.
Saving turtles
Julie Peek, a decluttering expert and professional organizer, told BI that a recent job was cleaning a child’s playroom.
Mom realized that the children were no longer playing with their toys. When Peek asked them why, they said they’d rather have one big thing that could play in lots of different ways than a bunch of smaller things.
Peek said she recommends that even children as young as 8 ask their parents to be more mindful of their impact on the environment.
“I had a request from a parent of a client’s child that they wanted to start using reusable bags,” she said. “They said they wanted to protect the turtles.”
Peek said she thinks Gen Alpha is starting to see the tactics of consumerism early, noting that older family members aren’t getting along. A lot of fun from their impulse buys.
“We know a lot more now, and our kids are getting more exposure to our footprint and our choices and how they affect the environment,” Peek said. “I think they’re more conscious of it.”
Laura Asher, a DIY blogger who focuses on minimalism and sustainability on her site Our Oily Housetold BI that she also saw General Alpha’s “passionate advocacy of inaction.”
“This generation is being raised in the age of social media and seems to have rejected the impulsive consumerism often associated with older generations,” she said.
Return to the mall
An unexpected sign of this shift—as shown by Boykiv’s children—may be a return to the mall. When zoomers and a thousand years Loves to shop onlineGeneral Alpha special Prefers to shop in stores.
Stephen Yaloff, CEO of retail operator Tanger, told BI that malls are cool again for twins.
He said he likes to “shop in packs,” looking for “very specific brands and very specific products” like Stanley Cup water bottles, Drunk Elephant serums and Glow Recipe cosmetics.
Shopping smart
Gen Alpha may also benefit from having a wider range of sources for their research.
“We’re seeing that they’re a smart generation, and they have more information than anyone else,” said David Delisle, author, financial-literacy expert and father of two boys.
Helenor Gilmore, director of strategy at kid-focused consultancy Beano Brain, told BI that Gen Alphas are “savvy spenders and savers” who are “very aware of the importance of doing the right thing.”
“The most savvy of them are becoming mini-entrepreneurs,” she added, by reselling their old items.
They are “emotionally intelligent about where, when, and how to treat themselves,” Gilmore said, and still go to Amazon, Temu and Sheen for bargains.
Overall, Delisle doesn’t think every Gen Alpha kid is above consumerism. But they will probably grow up better equipped to navigate it and decide what is of value to them.
“With my friends, there’s a spender, and it’s not minimal, and he’ll always have a messy room full of a million different hobbies and things,” Delisle said. “Another one, that stuff doesn’t matter at all. He just wants to go to the beach and play with his friends.”
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