Right now, they’re swaying over 50% of family purchase decisions, pushing for sustainable and values-aligned products and experiences. With their influence growing as they approach adulthood in just four years, Australia’s family market share is at risk for those who aren’t already adapting, while also challenging brands and organisations to prove their future relevance.

Younger Australians aren’t just shaping the future – they’re leading it. They’re family trendsetters, culture changers, and future shapers, driving the shift we’ve known is coming but haven’t fully embraced. Success now depends on aligning profit with social impact. 

This isn’t just about young people growing up—it’s about how we show up for them, raise the bar and create lasting impact across generations.

The misread reality? Young people feel like adults are out of touch. As the world changes at a pace we can't keep up with, we’re becoming more irrelevant by the day.

Zalphas are often boiled down to caricatures—hyper-online, mimicking adult trends, speaking in slang like 'Sigma,' 'Alpha,' and 'Rizzler!' They’re reduced to numbers and stereotypes that miss their complexity. When we stay on the surface, we miss—and undermine—their true stories and identities, shaped by a world they’re navigating that’s nothing like what we knew.

We define them by the culture they’re growing up in—calling their behaviour superficial or disconnected, while yearning for a childhood that no longer exists. This results in alienation and paternalism. Generational clashes aren’t new, but today’s school-aged kids are drowning in limiting labels, harsh predictions, and judgment. And yet, their side of the story remains mostly unheard.

The study shows wellbeing as a major tension. Feeling safe, connected, and optimistic is becoming harder for 10-16s in a world of performance pressure, digital overload, and a toxic social climate—amplified by social media. This crisis isn’t just theirs—it’s impacting all of us.

While brands and organisations often prioritise short-term goals and connecting with aspirations, as young people’s influence grows, their wellbeing becomes everyone’s responsibility—and everyone’s future. Their actions will shape businesses, just as businesses will shape their future.

Solutions don’t come from tick-box surveys they come from digging deeper and co-creating. At the heart of this study is the Wellthy Futures Framework, delivered through three powerful guides: Values & Identity Compass, Culture Connections Map and Social Change Roles.

It offers brands a roadmap to engage with young people’s values through actionable pathways based on their perspectives, not assumptions, to drive cultural conversations and create meaningful, forward-thinking solutions that resonate across generations.

Even if 10-16s aren’t your primary focus, the framework offers a future-ready lens. It’s not only for youth-driven brands. It’s a lens on the future that’s happening now, where the next generation is actively shaping our world today, not in a far-off tomorrow.

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