Is Social media showing up for Gen Alpha?

A debate as old as time, or at least half a decade, centres around the growing influence social media has on reshaping our day-to-day. What started as haul videos, What I got for Christmas, and What’s in my bag has evolved into a hyper-speed era dominated by podcast bros, Twitch streamers, social commerce, and short-form content that demands attention within the first five seconds or it risks being swiped away.

For Millennials and early Gen Z, the internet was practically synonymous with YouTube. Waiting for the next Bethany Mota DIY or a new PewDiePie gaming upload was just part of the routine. Instagram, back then, was all about Valencia filters and capturing the perfect shot of the moon – even if it was just a blurry white dot. And Facebook was that girl. From updating your status in third person to joining niche groups like “I secretly judge people by their grammar”, it was the digital town square before anything else existed.

Today’s generation is growing up in a digital ecosystem that’s far more complex, exposed to limitless content, and multiple social platforms to cherry-pick from. The conversation is no longer one-sided, confined to comments or retweets. Today, it’s more immersive, more interactive, and significantly louder. From TikTok and Twitch to Patreon, and even virtual worlds like Roblox and Fortnite – digital experiences are now layered with nuance, participation, and real-time feedback.

In the midst of this content overload, social platforms have been pushed to evolve, especially when it comes to making the online experience not just addictive, but safe. 

So, let’s take a look at how some of these platforms are working to ensure social media and safeguarding goes hand-in-hand to make scrolling a little less chaotic and a tad more secure for the younger generation. 

The Australian Under-16s Ban 

In November 2024, the Australian government passed the first-ever complete social media ban for under-16s. This triggered a debate with social media experts and brands weighing in from all over the world on this approach to social media and safeguarding. The conversation that dominated was how parents should be given the authority to monitor their kids’ social media usage over a complete ban. 

The debate sparked a truth: the inevitable part that social media has played in our lives. Another major conversation point was the availability of the right tech to ensure that kids aren’t able to bypass these rules, and it doesn’t result in a black market of accounts, making this more of a bane than a boon. Despite the slew of opinions, the ban is set to take effect from the end of 2025.  

@7newssydney

Children under 16 will be banned from using social media under laws to be introduced into Australia’s parliament this year. #socialmedia #meta #facebook #insta #instagram #tiktok #youtube #snapchat #bereal #threads #twitter #anthonyalbanese #auspol #7NEWS

♬ original sound – 7NEWS Sydney – 7NEWS Sydney

The Drunk Elephant Phenomenon: Gen Alpha Beauty Packaging

In a study conducted by Revlon and consumer insights firm AYTM, it was estimated that Gen Alpha spent $4.7 billion on beauty in 2023 alone. In 2024, beauty brands started exploring immersive social commerce to tap into Gen Alpha’s growing presence on platforms such as Roblox and Fortnite and their appetite for beauty products.

With beauty’s consumers getting younger by the day, resorting to AHA BHA’s and serums to hydrate their already youthful skin, the skincare routines of Gen Alpha were a rather disturbing trend, sparking a debate around social media’s influence on the impressionable generation to look picture perfect. 

The Ban(e) of Beauty Filters

Cue beauty filters that further fuelled this trend, with filters becoming harder to detect and changes easily going unnoticed. The rise in conversations regarding social media and safeguarding body image issues consistently circles back to a few focal points: beauty filters being one of them. 

We’re not discussing the harmless Snapchat dog filters (major throwback) or the obvious fun ones. Appearance-altering or ‘beautifying’ filters have long been associated with distorting the way we perceive ourselves; even if subtle, they encourage traditional tropes of meeting beauty standards and normalise conforming to a certain type. 

When you think of how 54% of girls aged 11-21 reported that they wanted to look like the version of themselves with the filter, it truly puts into perspective the implications of social media. For under-18s, this can be further detrimental due to how easily accessible they are.  From something as small as filters that clear the appearance of acne, for a teen struggling with hormonal acne, it can be quite triggering.

In November of 2024, TikTok announced that it would be banning filters for under-18s. The ban is yet to take effect. 

Instagram’s New School Programme

Instagram recently announced a new collaboration with school officials to better prioritise reports of bullying – a move that speaks directly to the growing pressure younger students face online. With so much of their social lives playing out on screens, it’s no surprise that behaviours witnessed online can often spill over into real-world situations.

Through this initiative, schools can now sign up to receive a verified partner badge for their official accounts. This gives them the ability to fast-track any reports of bullying, ensuring they’re reviewed within 24 hours. It’s not a silver bullet, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.

What remains to be seen is how many schools will actually opt in, and more importantly, how they’ll use the tools available to them. If implemented proactively and thoughtfully, this program could serve as a tangible way to address harmful behaviour at the source.

However, safety features can’t just be a one-time rollout or a PR-friendly checkbox. They need to evolve just as rapidly as the digital habits of Gen Alpha and the generation coming up behind them. Real change will come when these tools are baked into the way we interact online from the start.

YouTube and Industry Leader’s Youth Digital Wellbeing Initiative 

With tons of online content out there – one thing’s undeniable: the power of “edutaining” content. Have you ever watched a video explaining a tough concept and thought to yourself, “where was this when I was in school?”.

YouTube announced its partnership with industry leaders to support a unified vision on the development of high-quality, age-appropriate content that can positively impact young people. Content that channels social media and safeguarding – supporting classroom learning, development, and wellbeing. The partnership also includes equipping parents and youth with resources to help navigate through mental health issues like suicide, self-harm, and implementing content safeguards that limit exposure to harmful content. 

A Look Ahead: Beyond Gen Alpha 

As the walls between social media and reality continue to blur, we expect the rise of AI-powered digital guardianship tools to flag unsafe online practices and age-restricted features, as they adapt to digital behaviours in real time. 

With the rise of ingredient transparency, we’ll possibly see skincare and beauty brands take a step towards age transparency, with wording such as ‘formulated for 18+ skin’ becoming a part of product labels. 

We’re witnessing the shaping of digital consciousness in real time. A generation for whom the internet isn’t an escape or an add-on, but the default. A generation that can toggle between avatars and real-world identities with ease, but might need help learning which one holds more weight.

Regulatory crackdowns, immersive brand collabs, virtual skincare stores, and beautifying filters that toe the line between fiction and reality. They are all part of a complex, coded language Gen Alpha is learning to speak fluently, often before they’ve even hit puberty. And in many ways, society is still catching up to the concept of social media and safeguarding going hand in hand.

Written by: Avanii Thakur

Our influencer marketing agency and social agency are located worldwide, with our agency network based in the USA, UK, UAE and China.

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