Slang Whisperers: Decoding How Gen Alpha Communicates
It's less "How do you do, fellow kids" and more “I want to learn your language.”
What’s going on?
“Here’s your weekly update on the words that kids are using in the classroom.”
A new genre of creator is rising: the Gen Alpha Slang Explainer. Mr Lindsay is among those who have made it a regular feature, posting weekly videos listing (and, almost more importantly, explaining) the trending terms of the moment.
His latest list (from May 28 – I assume his last one for a while since 104 days of summer vacation are imminent) includes:
F students are the greatest inventors
Grug
Glazing
Honorable mentions to what the hell / helly / hellyante (etc.) and six seeeven (hanging on for months, apparently)
What’s Driving It?
If culture is shared meaning (as per Stuart Hall), then slang is one of its most powerful signals – and a distinct form of social currency. Knowing specific terms shows that you get it; being an early adopter shows that you’re ahead of the game.
And young people, especially teen girls, have always driven the coolness agenda. But as Samantha Grindell wrote for Business Insider:
“Teen girls wield a large amount of cultural capital, often determining which brands and celebrities become popular […] But when their interests don’t align with what the rest of the world tells them is valuable, they’re often mocked.”
Even before the invention of the teenager, older generations were dismissive of younger ones. But Millennials are genuinely parenting differently. According to Beano Brain’s Raising Gen Alpha report, they’re more present and intentional, asking their kids for input (very democratic) and prioritizing happiness over success.
And it matters: 49% of household spending is influenced by Gen Alpha.
What Does It Mean?
The fact that so many people are invested in Gen Alpha slang explainer content shows something deeper: kids are being listened to. It’s a quiet recalibration of power.
Final takeaway
Underestimating teens has never been wise. They’re not just reinventing how we speak – they’re building the world we’re all about to live in.
*BUT don’t tell me that Gen Alpha (or the tail end of Gen Z) influences parents to make environmentally conscious decisions (“46% of [Gen Alphas] care about climate change” says GWI) , because if you look at their favorite brands, the 3 top ones are Amazon, Nike, and Walmart.