Latest news with #GenAlpha
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
20 photos that show how summer vacation in the US has changed over the last 100 years
Summer has officially begun. Summer vacation these days looks quite different from how it did in the 1920s. Kids used to play sports in the streets, explore on bikes, or play on "dangerous" playgrounds. Summer vacation used to mean two months of freedom: pools, playgrounds, and hours spent hanging out with your friends. But for Gen Alpha and the youngest members of Gen Z, summer is starting to look a little different. Changing technology, safety standards, more cautious parents, and social media have all changed how summer looks. Imagine explaining a unicorn pool float to a Victorian child — it'd send them into a tailspin. These photos show how summer vacation has changed over the last century. In the early 1900s, school used to be centered on crops, and summer wasn't a vacation — it was a time for hard work. Before child labor laws were adopted in the first half of the 20th century, a 1890 United States Census report showed that 20% of kids ages 10 to 15 were workers — that was over 1.5 million children. A decade later, that went up to 1.75 million gainfully employed kids, according to The Social Welfare History Project. Bathing suits used to be a little more elaborate. Bathing suits have come a long way over the past century. Kids didn't need any fancy technology; a stick and a hoop used to be more than enough to keep everyone entertained. Officially, this was called hoop rolling or hoop trundling. It's been around since the 1600s and lives on today in a different fashion: the hula hoop. Stickball was the sport of choice, especially when there was no grass to be found. Stickball has been around since the 1800s and is still played now, but many parents are wary of the potential dangers of playing a sport in the middle of the street. Who doesn't remember sliding down a burning hot metal slide in the dog days of summer? Playgrounds used to play fast and loose with kids' safety (think those metal slides), which was sort of half the fun anyway. All your best stories came from scars earned during your playground days. Over time, metal was replaced by wood and wood chips, which still wasn't great. Remember all the splinters? That's pretty much the only downside of them, though. Kids used to have to meet up with each other just by biking around the neighborhood and seeing who was available. It's rare now to see a pack of young kids biking around without a chaperone. Pool floats were a lot simpler. In general, most things were simpler. There were no Instagram or TikTok followers to show off for. Arcades eventually became the entertainment of choice, with games like "Pac-Man" and "Asteroids" taking over. Arcades are something of a dying institution in 2025 — you can play all your favorite video games in the comfort of your own home. The only arcades left are the big chains like Dave and Buster's, or bars like Barcade that are for adults, not kids. But before '80s kids even had video games, they had comic strips and crosswords. One of the first things many people do in the morning is turn on their phone and fill out the daily mobile crossword of their choosing — maybe you're partial to The New York Times, perhaps USA Today. But back in the day, kids and adults would crack open the daily newspaper and play the games, whether it was a crossword or a word scramble or a word search. And, of course, you can't forget about the comics section — Charlie Brown was just as famous as Bluey or the pups of Paw Patrol. Sometimes, all you needed for a fun time was a tarp, soap, and a hose — voila! A makeshift slip-and-slide. Never mind that sticks, rocks, and anything else on the ground could rip the tarp and cut up your arms and legs. That was part of the fun. And it didn't matter if there was nothing to stop your momentum — sliding into your friends and knocking them over was the whole point. Ideal summer jobs were lifeguarding or being a camp counselor. Even though working teenagers are in high demand and could be making good money, the labor force participation of teens is much lower than it used to be. In 2024, 5.7 million 16-to-19-year-olds worked over the summer, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's a five-year high, but nothing compared to the 8.3 million teens who worked during the summer of 1978. Now, bathing suits look a little different. Vintage-style bathing suits are coming back, though, like the '80s-era high-cut one-pieces or belted bathing suits of the '70s. Virtual-reality games mean kids don't even have to go outside to get the summer experience. Per a Florida Atlantic University study in 2024, one in three kids has access to a VR headset. But even if a kid doesn't have access to an Oculus or an Apple Vision Pro, they might have a tablet or some type of video game system. "In our research, we found that kids were spending a lot less time outside," Ruslan Slutsky, an education professor at the University of Toledo, told Vox. "They were spending a lot less time in traditional forms of play because they were playing with devices." But, if "Black Mirror" is to be believed, we all might do with taking a breather from virtual reality and actually concentrating on real life and real relationships. Playgrounds are so safe they've become kind of boring, and some kids have forsaken them altogether. A study conducted in 2012 published by Pediatrics Digest found that kids aren't using playgrounds anymore because they're not stimulated enough. The Atlantic reported that lead researcher Kristen Copeland found that "some participants said that overly strict safety standards made much of the climbing equipment uninteresting, thus reducing children's physical activity." Per a 2024 report by the World Playground Research Institute, not much has changed in the intervening 12 years. In the UK, 27% of kids reported playing outside regularly. Teens and tweens make plans via text, and even when they're together, they barely speak. It's not the same making plans in a group chat. It takes all the fun out of being surprised by your friends biking up unannounced to your house. Now, having a pool without a gigantic float is frowned upon. There's an overwhelming amount of pool floats to pick from in 2025. Sports are well-organized these days, and significantly less dangerous. Though it's probably a good thing that kids aren't allowed to roam the streets without being able to call home, or play sports in the street, or play on potentially dangerous playgrounds — it's just not the same. Finally, even slip-and-slides have been commodified into giant events. Slide the City was a cool event while it lasted — a giant slip-and-slide took over a few blocks of your city — but it was not the same as getting covered in dish soap with your friends. In 2020 and 2021, masked kids were a normal sight because of the pandemic. By 2025, though, masks are a less frequent sight than they were in 2020 and 2021. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
a day ago
- Business Insider
20 photos that show how summer vacation in the US has changed over the last 100 years
Summer vacation used to mean two months of freedom: pools, playgrounds, and hours spent hanging out with your friends. But for Gen Alpha and the youngest members of Gen Z, summer is starting to look a little different. Changing technology, safety standards, more cautious parents, and social media have all changed how summer looks. Imagine explaining a unicorn pool float to a Victorian child — it'd send them into a tailspin. These photos show how summer vacation has changed over the last century. In the early 1900s, school used to be centered on crops, and summer wasn't a vacation — it was a time for hard work. Before child labor laws were adopted in the first half of the 20th century, a 1890 United States Census report showed that 20% of kids ages 10 to 15 were workers — that was over 1.5 million children. A decade later, that went up to 1.75 million gainfully employed kids, according to The Social Welfare History Project. Bathing suits used to be a little more elaborate. Kids didn't need any fancy technology; a stick and a hoop used to be more than enough to keep everyone entertained. Stickball was the sport of choice, especially when there was no grass to be found. Stickball has been around since the 1800s and is still played now, but many parents are wary of the potential dangers of playing a sport in the middle of the street. Who doesn't remember sliding down a burning hot metal slide in the dog days of summer? Playgrounds used to play fast and loose with kids' safety (think those metal slides), which was sort of half the fun anyway. All your best stories came from scars earned during your playground days. Over time, metal was replaced by wood and wood chips, which still wasn't great. Remember all the splinters? That's pretty much the only downside of them, though. Kids used to have to meet up with each other just by biking around the neighborhood and seeing who was available. It's rare now to see a pack of young kids biking around without a chaperone. Pool floats were a lot simpler. In general, most things were simpler. There were no Instagram or TikTok followers to show off for. Arcades eventually became the entertainment of choice, with games like "Pac-Man" and "Asteroids" taking over. Arcades are something of a dying institution in 2025 — you can play all your favorite video games in the comfort of your own home. The only arcades left are the big chains like Dave and Buster's, or bars like Barcade that are for adults, not kids. But before '80s kids even had video games, they had comic strips and crosswords. One of the first things many people do in the morning is turn on their phone and fill out the daily mobile crossword of their choosing — maybe you're partial to The New York Times, perhaps USA Today. But back in the day, kids and adults would crack open the daily newspaper and play the games, whether it was a crossword or a word scramble or a word search. And, of course, you can't forget about the comics section — Charlie Brown was just as famous as Bluey or the pups of Paw Patrol. Sometimes, all you needed for a fun time was a tarp, soap, and a hose — voila! A makeshift slip-and-slide. Never mind that sticks, rocks, and anything else on the ground could rip the tarp and cut up your arms and legs. That was part of the fun. And it didn't matter if there was nothing to stop your momentum — sliding into your friends and knocking them over was the whole point. Ideal summer jobs were lifeguarding or being a camp counselor. Even though working teenagers are in high demand and could be making good money, the labor force participation of teens is much lower than it used to be. In 2024, 5.7 million 16-to-19-year-olds worked over the summer, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's a five-year high, but nothing compared to the 8.3 million teens who worked during the summer of 1978. Now, bathing suits look a little different. Vintage-style bathing suits are coming back, though, like the '80s-era high-cut one-pieces or belted bathing suits of the '70s. Virtual-reality games mean kids don't even have to go outside to get the summer experience. Per a Florida Atlantic University study in 2024, one in three kids has access to a VR headset. But even if a kid doesn't have access to an Oculus or an Apple Vision Pro, they might have a tablet or some type of video game system. "In our research, we found that kids were spending a lot less time outside," Ruslan Slutsky, an education professor at the University of Toledo, told Vox. "They were spending a lot less time in traditional forms of play because they were playing with devices." But, if "Black Mirror" is to be believed, we all might do with taking a breather from virtual reality and actually concentrating on real life and real relationships. Playgrounds are so safe they've become kind of boring, and some kids have forsaken them altogether. A study conducted in 2012 published by Pediatrics Digest found that kids aren't using playgrounds anymore because they're not stimulated enough. The Atlantic reported that lead researcher Kristen Copeland found that "some participants said that overly strict safety standards made much of the climbing equipment uninteresting, thus reducing children's physical activity." Per a 2024 report by the World Playground Research Institute, not much has changed in the intervening 12 years. In the UK, 27% of kids reported playing outside regularly. Teens and tweens make plans via text, and even when they're together, they barely speak. It's not the same making plans in a group chat. It takes all the fun out of being surprised by your friends biking up unannounced to your house. Now, having a pool without a gigantic float is frowned upon. There's an overwhelming amount of pool floats to pick from in 2025. Sports are well-organized these days, and significantly less dangerous. Though it's probably a good thing that kids aren't allowed to roam the streets without being able to call home, or play sports in the street, or play on potentially dangerous playgrounds — it's just not the same. Finally, even slip-and-slides have been commodified into giant events. Slide the City was a cool event while it lasted — a giant slip-and-slide took over a few blocks of your city — but it was not the same as getting covered in dish soap with your friends. In 2020 and 2021, masked kids were a normal sight because of the pandemic.
CNBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
Gen Alpha are spending big — here's 2 tips to raise money savvy kids in a world of instant gratification
In the age of instant gratification where Gen Alpha has easy access to instant delivery services like Amazon Prime and Uber Eats, some parents are wondering how to teach the young money-saving skills. Born between 2010 and 2024, Gen Alpha are not like other generations. They grew up with smartphones in their hands and the ability to make purchases at the click of a button. In fact, their spending prowess is huge. Gen Alpha spent £92 million ( $126.2 million) between 2023 and 2024, according to research from financial technology company GoHenry, which provides debit cards for kids in the U.K., U.S., France, and Spain. GoHenry published its Youth Economy Report in September 2024, which provided data from 311,832 GoHenry kids. Much of this money is going to online services, with GoHenry kids spending over £3 million on food delivery services, up 113% from the year before. Additionally, almost half like to make purchases on social media platforms like TikTok Shop, Facebook Marketplace and Instagram. Their economic footprint is expected to reach $5.46 trillion by 2029, according to research firm McCrindle. "Convenience and speed have become the norm," Louise Hill, GoHenry founder, told CNBC Make It in an interview. "One of the things we need to remember when we're thinking about Gen Alpha in particular, is that they are totally used to everything being available at the flick of a switch, at the click of a button, and this drives different behaviors with money." Hill explained that despite the influx of financial education resources online, there has also been a surge in money products and apps that are easy to use, such as credit cards, buy-now-pay-later options, and contactless payments. This makes it more complex for parents to navigate teaching money skills to kids. She emphasized the importance of kids understanding "that money has to be earned before it can be spent," and then spending it with thought and consideration. Hill said it's crucial for children to see the "tangible aspects of money" like physical cash, to understand its value. Giving "regular pocket money" is one solution, from giving 50 pence a week to £5 pounds. "If you give a child 50 pence and pick a day of the week that works for you as a family for pocket money, that might be Saturday, then you can literally give them 50 pence every Saturday. It is incredible how quickly they will start to realize 'Oh, look, it's every Saturday. If I save up four Saturdays, I've got two pounds. And now I can buy X, Y, Z, if I save up 10 Saturdays." Handling physical cash allows kids to know how much their favorite items cost. "You can give a child some coins, and then they can have the concept of how many of those coins get exchanged for a bag of sweets, versus a bigger toy," the GoHenry founder said. For teenagers, Hill proposed the method of "pizza budgeting," which allows children to visually understand how much money goes into running a household and paying bills. "The pizza is your pot of money, or your wages, or your pocket money and then taking the child through, 'Would you like to guess how big a slice of pizza we need to cut out if this is the household wages? How big a slice we need to cut out of that to pay the rent or to pay the mortgage?" As the pizza gets smaller and smaller, it creates an understanding of how much money is left over for leisure spending. Kids are like sponges and tend to absorb attitudes around money from their parents, so Hill believes it's good to keep them in the loop about household finances. She offered the example of the cost of living crisis in the U.K. after the Covid-19 pandemic, which was cited widely in the media. GoHenry started hearing from customers that their kids were concerned about the cost-of-living crisis. "Kids do soak up everything in that sort of situation where perhaps as a family, you're stressed about money," she said. Parents can talk about money struggles without raising the exact issue, such as if they're unable to pay the rent. For example, Hill said that if you can no longer afford to have a takeaway every Friday night, then get children involved in making a "fakeaway," which means making a takeaway at home. "What about getting the kids involved in making a pizza and choosing their toppings? Maybe even going to the supermarket with you and picking up those toppings instead of paying the money for a takeaway and then showing them how much money is being saved," Hill added. This can help children feel more in control of their money spending habits, and learn to tighten their belts when they need to as they get older.
Fast Company
2 days ago
- Fast Company
Gen Alpha slang baffles parents—and AI
If a Gen Alpha tween said, 'Let him cook,' would you know what that meant? No? AI doesn't either. A research paper written by soon-to-be ninth grader Manisha Mehta was presented this week at the ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency in Athens. The paper details how four leading AI models—GPT-4, Claude, Gemini, and Llama 3—all struggled to fully understand slang from Gen Alpha, defined as those born between 2010 and 2024. Mehta, along with 24 of her friends (ranging in age from 11 to 14), created a dataset of 100 Gen Alpha phrases. These included expressions that can mean totally different things depending on context—for example: 'Fr fr let him cook' (encouraging) and 'Let him cook lmaoo' (mocking). According to the researchers, the LLMs had trouble discerning the difference. In particular, AI struggled with identifying 'masked harassment,' which is concerning given the increasing reliance on AI-powered content moderation systems. 'The findings highlight an urgent need for improved AI safety systems to better protect young users, especially given Gen Alpha's tendency to avoid seeking help due to perceived adult incomprehension of their digital world,' the study reads. It wasn't just the AI models that performed poorly; parents didn't do much better. The parent group scored 68% in basic understanding of Gen Alpha slang, nearly identical to the top-performing LLM, Claude (68.1%). While the LLMs did slightly better at identifying content and safety risks in the language, only Gen Alpha members themselves scored highly in understanding the slang, its context, and potential risks. It's nothing new for young people to feel misunderstood by their parents, but now the gap is widening. Members of Gen Alpha, born post-iPhone and known as the iPad generation, have grown up online. Their native language, often sourced from online spaces (most notably gaming), evolves so quickly that what's popular today may disappear within a month.
Coin Geek
3 days ago
- Business
- Coin Geek
Gen Alpha leading the push for digital payments: report
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... A new report has identified a new trend of Generation Alpha leading the push for digital payments, with the cohort leading adoption metrics over other demographics. The study, carried out by Mastercard (NASDAQ: MA), reveals that one in two Gen Alpha have a digital wallet, while nearly 50% of respondents have access to an investment account. Gen Alpha are individuals born after 2010, characterized by tech-savviness, given their access to smartphones and tablets from childhood. The Mastercard study honed in on the Asia-Pacific region, highlighting key payment trends in the emerging demographic. Mastercard based the report on the submission of 9,131 Gen Alpha respondents and their parents. The study revealed that despite the high prevalence of digital wallets, 48% of Gen Alphas still rely on credit cards. A staggering 47% of respondents say their kids (Gen Alphas) introduced them to new digital financial tools. The report highlights key differences between Gen Alphas and Millennials in terms of digital finances. Among Gen Alphas, there is a preference for innovative financial tools leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology. Gen Alphas are more likely to adopt tokenized assets and gamified finance over other demographics, showing a preference for voice interface and decentralized finance (DeFi). Sandeep Malhotra, Mastercard VP for core payments in APAC, disclosed that cash adoption in the cohort is the lowest across the spectrum while digitization is at its highest ebb. 'They're low-key money bosses, tapping phones before they can tie their shoes and turning budgeting apps into their playground,' said Malhotra. 'Cash? Not their go-to. Today it's all Tap & Go.' Gen Alphas indicate a preference for superapps, financial applications that go beyond payments, offering in-app social and shopping functionalities. Indonesia and China are leading the push for super apps in the region, with local data indicating a surge in Gen Alpha users. APAC is setting the global pace for digitization Regarding emerging technology adoption, the Asia Pacific region is moving ahead of its peers. Digital wallet adoption has increased throughout Asia while cash usage has reached new lows, outperforming the metrics of North America and Europe. In terms of AI, the APAC workplaces are the biggest adopters of AI-powered workflows, integrating them into their internal operations. APAC is miles ahead of the global average of 62.3% for digital workplace maturity, but job loss concerns and steep implementation costs continue to hinder progress. Benin Republic to national digital ID system with mobile wallet functionalities In other news, authorities in the Benin Republic have flashed the signal to roll out a national digital ID system for the country, merging emerging technologies into the offerings to improve existing solutions. According to a report, the West African country will integrate digital wallet functionalities into its digital ID system in a massive innovative leap. Aristide Guy Adjinacou, Director General of the National Agency for the Identification of Persons (ANIP), revealed the plans during the ID4Africa conference. Adjinacou disclosed to conference attendees that Benin has all the components needed to proceed with a national digital ID system. However, the last piece of the puzzle of the West African country is a mobile digital wallet for citizens to store credentials and personal data. The DG hinted that the offering would rely on blockchain, but it remains unclear if the digital wallet would offer payment functionalities. In terms of timeline, Adjinacou disclosed that the agency is eyeing a rollout by the end of 2026, prioritizing the digital ID system for citizens. Adjinacou disclosed that the integration into the national digital ID system will promote inclusivity while ensuring the security and privacy of personal data. Adjinacou stated in his keynote address that the country's digital transformation stems from a forward-thinking approach of the ruling government. The push toward digitization has the backing of local legislation, with the DG pointing to the 2017 Identification Law. Per Adjinacou, swift enforcement has seen 10 million individuals registered across Benin in the last six months, providing a deep database for the push towards a national digital ID system. 'Our register is connected to more than 80 public and private institutions, including banks and telecom operators,' said Adjinacou. ' This success is no accident, it is the result of deliberate strategy and strong foundations.' Integrating AI into local ID services Amid the push, Adjinacou disclosed a series of forward-thinking statements pointing to integrating artificial intelligence into the digital ID system. AI integration will be limited to information gathering to enable authorities to make data-driven decisions, particularly in reaching individuals in remote locations. 'Reaching the remaining two percent of the population is one of the most difficult tasks,' said Adjinacou. 'These last-mile communities each have unique characteristics and needs, and we must tailor our approach accordingly.' Across Africa, digital ID initiatives are gathering steam, with Nigeria and Zambia unfurling their national offerings. Ethiopia, Namibia, and São Tomé and Príncipe are the latest to signal an incoming national digital ID initiative. Watch: Importance of digitalization for enterprises title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="">
