Wasteful consumerism has a new worst enemy: Gen Alpha tweens

The underconsumption core aesthetic has also been trending in recent months, with online creators hoping to “de-influence” their audiences and inspire them to buy less.

Many Gen Zers and millennials would like to do the same but struggle to resist the lure of budget-fashion sites.

Gen Alpha, at least so far, seems purer of mind.

A 2024 survey of 1,000 Gen Alpha parents found that 63% of their kids care about sustainability.

In 2019, the digital agency Wunderman Thompson Commerce also surveyed 4,000 Gen Alphas and found that 66% wanted to buy from companies that were trying to have a positive impact on the world, and that 18% wanted to buy products that were non-plastic and sustainable.

Saving the turtles

Julie Peak, a decluttering expert and professional organizer, told BI that a recent job was clearing out a kid’s playroom.

The mom had realized the kids weren’t playing with their toys anymore. When Peak asked them why, they said they’d rather have one big thing they could play with in lots of different ways than a bunch of small things.

Peak said she’s also noticed children as young as 8 recommending their parents be more mindful about their impact on the environment.

“I had one client’s child request to the parents that they wanted to start using reusable bags,” she said. “They said that they wanted to protect the turtles.”

Peak said she thinks Gen Alpha is starting to see through the tricks of consumerism early, noticing that their older family members aren’t getting that much joy out of their impulse purchases.

“We know so much more now, and our kids are getting more exposure to our footprint and our choices and how they affect the environment,” Peak said. “I think they’re more conscientious of that.”

Laura Ascher, a DIY blogger who focuses on minimalism and sustainability on her site Our Oily House, told BI she’s also seen Gen Alpha’s “passionate advocacy for decluttering.”

“This generation is being raised in an era of social media and seems to have rejected the impulsive consumerism that is often associated with older generations,” she said.

Return of the mall

An unexpected sign of this shift — as shown by Boykiv’s kids — could be heading back to the mall. While Zoomers and millennials prefer to shop online, Gen Alpha specifically likes shopping in-store.

Stephen Yalof, the CEO of the retail operator Tanger, told BI that malls are cool again for tweens.

They like to “shop in packs,” he said, looking for “very specific brands and very specific products,” such as 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, an author, financial-literacy expert, and dad of two boys.

Helenor Gilmour, the director of strategy at the kid-focused consultancy Beano Brain, told BI that Gen Alpha are “savvy spenders and savers” who are “very aware of the importance of doing the right thing.”

“The savviest amongst them are becoming mini entrepreneurs,” she added, through reselling their old things.

They’re “emotionally intelligent about where, when, and how to treat themselves,” Gilmour said, and still go to Amazon, Temu, and Shein for bargains.

Overall, Delisle doesn’t think it’s likely that every Gen Alpha child is above consumerism. But they probably will grow up to be better equipped to navigate it, and work out what value means to them.

“With my guys, one is a spender, and he isn’t a minimalist, and he will always have a cluttered room full of a million different hobbies and things,” Delisle said. “The other one, that stuff doesn’t matter at all. He just wants to go to the beach and play with his friends.”