If your child calls you “bruh” accompanied by an exaggerated eye roll, congrats, you’re the proud parent of a member of Gen Alpha. These teens and tweens love to throw around this term, which is basically the “dude” of today, especially to their moms and dads, but it’s far from the only one they use.
No one knows this better than Philip Lindsay, a special education middle school teacher who’s become an expert in all things Gen Alpha and TikTok star as a tween/teen slang translator. He says Gen Alpha made a name for themselves in 2024 thanks to using “nonsensical” words like “skibidi” and “sigma.”
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“They quickly and collectively decided on the meaning for certain words that had no meaning,” Lindsay explains. “Skibidi started as a nonsensical filler word and within a few months had a very specific—mostly agreed upon—meaning on the Internet.”
According to this expert, these are the Gen Alpha trends that made 2024 their year:
- “Brain Rot” – This slang term refers to all the time kids spend online and it became so popular, it’s the Oxford Dictionary 2024 word of the year.
- “Mewing” – There are more than half a million #mewing videos on TikTok, but a lot of grown-ups are still confused by what it means. It’s Gen Alpha’s complicated way of shushing someone by tracing their jawline with their finger.
- “Sigma” – It’s someone who’s cool and confident, but they don’t have to prove it, as it’s effortless.
- “Skibidi” – You’ve probably heard this term, as it’s been everywhere this year after the YouTube series “Skibidi Toilet” went viral. But knowing what it means can be tricky, as it can refer to anything from cool to dumb.
- “Aura Points” – These are a “measure of your coolness,” according to Mr. Lindsay, who explains you can gain points for things like getting a great haircut or acing a test, but lose them for doing something cringey.
- “Sephora Tweens,” “Smellmaxxing” and “Utah Fit Check” also make his list of the top Gen Alpha trends of the year.
Source: Parents
