01 Oct The Alphas Are Coming
“I’m scared we’re all gonna die,” Emma whispered. The five year old was creating an elaborate scene in the play room with 2 doll houses, numerous pieces of furniture, a variety of trees, people of all shapes and sizes, cars (“a fast one like my dad’s”), and animals big and small.
In the moment I couldn’t tell if she was talking to me, to the characters in her story, or if she was acting like she was one of the dolls.
“Who’s going to die?” I tentatively asked, hoping I was going in the right therapeutic direction.
“All of us.” Emma looked up from arranging the toys and stared straight at me. “Don’t you know? The world’s getting hot and making big storms and it’s going to get all of us.”
With that proclamation Emma looked over the world she had taken the last 35 minutes to create, brought out the fire-breathing dragon puppet and proceeded to destroy everything. In the end nothing was standing upright, not even the small puppy in his dog house.
“I’m done,” she said, and we spent the next 5 minutes cleaning everything up.
Emma, a member of Generation Alpha (generally considered to be born 2010-2024, but it hasn’t been decided yet), came to counseling for help with anxiety. Although in a recent poll by Gallup and Walton Family Foundation Generation Z (born between 1997-2012) reports the poorest mental health of any generation, it’s predicted that Gen Alpha will likely experience higher levels of depression and anxiety (therapist.com).
It used to be when a young child brought up fears concerning the environment, I could assume it was a topic of conversation in their home. Especially in our community, environmental awareness and stewardship is a core value and often discussed while families are out on hikes or mountain bike rides.
However YPulse (a research team that focuses on the younger generations) reports that 87% of 13-15-year-olds believe it is up to their generation to stop climate change. Now, it’s a regular topic in the play therapy room.
“I don’t know what to do,” proclaims Donna. “All my kid’s friends have phones and I just don’t want my son to have one yet. But all he does, all he talks about, is how he needs a phone. He’s 10. 10! I’m so tired of fighting with him.”
Common Sense Media’s recent report shows 42% of U.S. kids have a phone by age 10, and 91% of 14 year olds have smart phones.
Interestingly, Gen Alpha kids are the first generation to be immersed in technology since birth. It’s estimated that 65% of Gen Alphas will work in technology jobs that do not exist today.
So how do we address these issues? In the therapy room, we go back to the basics.
Over the following sessions Emma and I work to resource the people, animals, trees and houses to face the dragon. Conversations about architecture, family habits, animal behaviors, the resiliency of nature, and learning what we can and cannot control filled the play room as we played out the different outcomes.
She ended counseling feeling empowered and ready to take on the environmental issues of her world.
Donna’s initial conversation turned into a few parent coaching sessions. I sat down with her and her husband to learn the values and habits of their family. We then put together a technology plan for everyone (not just their 10 year old), which included conversations about phones, tablets, computers, and tv/streaming at home, school, work, in the car, on vacation, and at other people’s homes.
With some trial and error the family was soon committed to the plan and feeling successful with the process and result.
Mark McCrindle, who coined the term Generation Alpha, estimates that it will be the largest generation in the history of the world with almost 2 billion by the end of 2025. Their passion for the environment and expertise in technology has the potential to change the world in incredible ways.
Who are the Gen Alphas in your life and how might they benefit from your support?