Generation Alpha Is Causing Problems for Teachers

Newsweek

7 days ago

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Short attention spans, an overdependence on technology and a lack of interest in learning are all things that Generation Alpha has been accused of having.
The demographic, born between the 2010s and the mid 2020s, is entering a world of education that is radically different than their Generation Z predecessors. Hit by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as young children, Generation Alpha is going through school at a time when technology is more ubiquitous in education than ever before.
And if the discourse on social media is to be believed, their journey into education has been anything but seamless, with teachers and social media creators sounding the alarm on Generation Alpha and their relationship with learning and technology.
Concerns extend well beyond social media too – a report released in January 2025 from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that the reading and math skills of fourth- and eighth-grade students have declined in multiple states to below the national average.
Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, said in a statement after the January National Assessment of Educational Progress report was released: "These 2024 results clearly show that students are not where they need to be or where we want them to be."
Newsweek spoke with teachers to find out more.
Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Canva
What Difficulties Are Generation Alpha Students Experiencing At School?
Newsweek spoke with Elizabeth McPherson, who is known by her handle Ms Mac on TikTok. She told Newsweek by email: "There's been a noticeable shift in student engagement and accountability. Many students today appear apathetic and disconnected from their own learning, and it's not simply a matter of motivation—it's systemic."
Citing a lack of exam learning and low attendance, McPherson said: "When students learn that minimal effort still yields promotion and that they can be chronically absent without consequence, they stop seeing the value in showing up—mentally or physically."
Matt Eicheldinger is a New York Times bestselling author and TikTok creator with a background in teaching. Eicheldinger told Newsweek that while the experience of students varies greatly across districts and states, there are three points that illustrate a "noticeable change in student focus and engagement in school, all in regard to Gen A," he said, when "smartphones became more commonplace, when one-to-one devices were introduced into schools, and the post Covid-19 reentry to in-person school."
Eicheldinger said that smartphones becoming more common caused "major disruptions," particularly at a middle school level.
"It wasn't just the fact that students tried using them during class," he said. "Students' involvement in text messaging and social media brought outside-of-school social issues into schools. It was difficult to manage all the online bullying, harassment, and anxiety, and placed a lot of the burden on classroom teachers, counselors, social workers, and administration to figure out how to handle it. This had a direct negative impact on student learning."
Gabe Dannebring, a teacher and TikTok creator who has amassed more than 1 million followers, told Newsweek: "I have noticed Gen Alpha struggling to focus in school. Students are constantly stimulated by technology in their free time, so when it comes to learning, they struggle to stay focused on tasks for an extended amount of time."
Dannebring also noted that "Gen Alpha is also very anxious, which causes them to struggle with communication to large audiences. Now more than ever, I see students having panic attacks when they have to present to their peers."
How Is Technology Impacting Younger Generations?
"Technology is impacting this generation in powerful ways—both good and bad," McPherson said. "Students have unlimited access to knowledge. That's a gift. But with that gift comes a cost: instant gratification. And that makes it hard for students to commit to learning processes that are slow, complex, or challenging."
Dannebring echoed this: "Technology is impacting this generation in many ways, and not all of them are positive. Many students are so used to the instant gratification and dopamine rush from their phones that classroom learning, which is much slower and less stimulating, feels like a letdown."
Eicheldinger said that when his school introduced one-to-one iPads for students, "there were clear, obvious benefits that we were so excited for," including "the ability for students to have better workflow options, clearer communication with grading for parents, having the internet as a tool to compliment other teaching resources, and all other sorts of tech we saw the potential in."
A child sits on the floor in Germany on September 12, 2014.
A child sits on the floor in Germany on September 12, 2014.
Tobias Hase/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
But this came with a downside.
"I do not think we were ready for the negative impact it would have on learning," Eicheldinger said, explaining that students were "constantly trying to play games" and there was an "inability to control impulses," adding that "we had students who physically could not stop touching their iPad, even just swiping the home screen."
And students aren't having screen time only at school.
"We had students who would sometimes be on a screen their entire learning day and then go home to 4-5 hours of additional recreational screen time," Eicheldinger said.
Technology is in turn, impacting how students relate to traditional subjects like reading and writing.
"With the way social media algorithms work, students are being fed nonstop content that's not only entertaining but also specifically tailored to their interests," Dannebring said. "That personalized experience has made traditional academic tasks, like reading and writing, feel much less engaging.
"When you're used to content that's fast-paced, visually engaging, and highly personalized, a standard reading assignment just doesn't compete," Dannebring said, adding that students "are a product of their environment, and their environment is one of constant digital stimulation and dopamine rushes."
McPherson said: "Many students struggle to find value in traditional subjects unless there's a direct, tangible payoff. If they can't see how reading or writing will translate into a paycheck or immediate benefit, they're often uninterested. Intrinsic motivation—the kind that keeps you learning even when something gets hard—is fading."
What Needs To Change For Generation Alpha?
"We need to bring back accountability," McPherson said. And beyond that? "We have to rethink the curriculum and how we deliver it.
"This generation is different, so the same strategies from decades ago simply don't work anymore. We need more hands-on, student-centered learning experiences—projects, discussions, simulations, real-world applications."
Eicheldinger said: "We need to teach students how to determine if a source is credible. So often, students rely on the first thing they read [or in most cases, watch] as the main source, when in reality it might be just a popular video from an individual who isn't well educated on the topic, and is instead just giving their opinion."
Dannebring noted the challenges posed to education by AI.
"Some students are becoming incredibly savvy with tools like AI," he said. "Many teachers don't even realize how much of their students' work is being completed 100 percent with AI. It's a challenge because while tech can be a powerful tool for learning, it's also changing the way students engage with education, and many educators are still trying to catch up."
McPherson added: "It's not about abandoning tradition—it's about adapting it. We need to be willing to reimagine what school looks like. And that reimagination should start with the people who are in the classroom every day—teachers—and the people we serve—our students."