Generation Alpha is going to be the next generation of voters, and some kids have already made a difference in politics. Gen Alpha (kids born 2010-2024) is now the new “young activist” generation. Despite the oldest being 15-16 years old, many kids and teens have already advocated for the way they want their generation to be.

As of 2022, the American Press Institute conducted a study of news consumption comparing Gen Z and Millennials. The study gathered that 39% of Gen Z follow news daily, and 69% follow news weekly.

Many teens and young people nowadays are following politics through social media and are a lot more educated about politics than previous generations at the same age. Some kids and teens want to fight for what they believe and inspire people who can vote with their message. They are encouraged by the stories of teens from the past to become inspired to make a positive change in the world.

One example is Pakistani Malala Yousafzai. Yousafzai became famous after the Taliban took control of her town in Pakistan and prevented young girls from going to school. She became an activist, speaking out publicly on behalf of other girls. In 2012, when she was 15, she was on her way home from school when a masked gunman protesting against her as a women’s advocate shot her on the left side of her face. After months of recovery, she moved to the United Kingdom and continued to fight for the right of girls to go to school. She has won multiple Nobel Peace Prizes and has since graduated from Oxford University.

Another example of someone a lot of young people look up to is Ruby Bridges. Bridges was the first Black child to enter an all-white school. In 1960, Bridges was only six years old when she was the first African American child to attend William Frantz Elementary, an all-white school in New Orleans. Bridges was faced with racism and discrimination, as that was socially acceptable back then. People would call her names and throw things at her while she was walking down the hall.

Despite the discrimination Bridges received, it didn’t stop her from attending school every day and fighting for her education. To this day, Bridges advocates against racism and writes children’s books to teach young kids about her story. Many kids have been inspired by Bridges and her fight to end racism.

There are many ways kids and teens can participate in politics now and get their message across. One way is by posting your opinions on social media. Getting social media engagement is a very effective way of letting people know what you believe in. Another way is to help out your community. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America has a list of ways that teens can get involved and work to better their community and beyond. And for more ways on how you can get involved in affecting elections, see this Tufts-Tisch article, “18 Ways Youth Under 18 Can Contribute to Elections.”