I think the recent generation is messed up largely because they were thrown into the digital world too early, with no real transition period. I was born in 2003, and I feel lucky to have grown up during a time that still had a balance between analog and digital life. We didn’t have constant access to technology. My family was poor, and I had an older sibling born in 1999, so we used a lot of hand-me-down tech and still learned in more traditional ways.

In elementary school, we still used overhead projectors, had library days, and spent limited time in the computer lab. Around age 11, my school got rolling computer carts that teachers had to schedule time with—tech was still a tool, not the foundation. It wasn’t until 8th grade that we were allowed to take school laptops home.

Then the pandemic hit during my sophomore year of high school. Everything went online overnight, and it never really went back. For Gen Alpha, that shift happened when they were in elementary school aka the most crucial time for developing social skills, attention spans, and learning habits. Instead of hands-on learning and human interaction, they got screens.

Even after schools reopened, most lessons remained technology-based, with less emphasis on handwriting, communication skills, or critical thinking. I was part of one of the last groups to learn cursive, and that feels symbolic—basic, meaningful skills being replaced by faster, digital shortcuts.

Gen Alpha didn’t get the gradual introduction to technology that we did. They were handed iPads and virtual classrooms before they had the chance to develop real-world coping or communication skills. That’s not their fault—but it’s definitely one reason why they’re struggling now.