Meet Your Future Student: Engaging Gen Z & Gen Alpha

How Digital Natives Are Reshaping Engagement, Education And The Classroom Experience

One of the biggest challenges facing education today is that many of our classrooms were designed for a world that no longer exists, while the students sitting in them are preparing for a future changing faster than ever before.

Today’s students are the first generation in history to grow up with touch screens, social media, streaming platforms, instant communication and unlimited access to information from the moment they entered the world. They have never known life without WiFi, smartphones or algorithms shaping the content they consume every day.

And while technology is transforming the way young people learn, the world they are preparing for is changing just as quickly.

According to the Foundation for Young Australians, the average young person entering the workforce today is expected to have 17 jobs across 5 industries during their career. At the same time, the World Economic Forum predicts that 35% of all workplace tasks will be completed by AI by 2030, while remote and hybrid work continue reshaping how teams collaborate around the world. Some reports predict there could be more than 1 billion remote workers globally by 2035.

This raises an important question for educators. If the world has changed this dramatically, why are we delivering learning experiences that are decades old?

Meet Your Future Student

Generation Z and Generation Alpha have grown up in a world of constant connectivity, where information, entertainment and communication have always been instantly accessible. From streaming platforms and social media through to YouTube tutorials and creator-led content, young people have become used to consuming highly visual, personalised and on-demand experiences in almost every aspect of their lives.

As a result, technology hasn’t just changed how young people communicate and consume content. It has also fundamentally shaped how they engage with learning. For many young people today, learning no longer starts and ends in the classroom.

A McCrindle study found that 42% of Gen Z are using TikTok to learn something new every day, while 55% of young people say YouTube has contributed to their education, learning or personal development in the past 12 months.

This generation has become incredibly comfortable with self-directed, creator-led and on-demand learning. If they want to learn how to edit a video, build a business, design a website, bake sourdough or use AI, they can access thousands of tutorials within seconds.

But despite the rise of digital learning, one of the most important insights for educators continues to be that young people still deeply value human connection.

In fact, 57% of Gen Z say they prefer in-classroom activities with classmates and 78% say teachers are important or very important to their learning and development. Research from Barnes & Noble College also found that 80% of Gen Z students prefer studying with friends because it makes learning more enjoyable.

The challenge is not that young people no longer value educators, classrooms or connection with peers. The challenge is that they now compare every learning experience to the highly engaging digital experiences they interact with every single day.

Designing For Digital Natives

Today’s learners have grown up surrounded by highly engaging digital platforms. From TikTok and YouTube through to Spotify, Netflix and Duolingo, the apps and platforms young people interact with every day are visual, personalised, interactive and designed to capture attention quickly. Growing up in these digital environments is beginning to shape what young people expect from learning as well.

Research has found that 47% of Gen Z learners prefer using interactive games or apps as part of their learning experience, highlighting the growing expectation for learning to feel engaging and dynamic rather than passive.

And as Generation Alpha begins moving through our education system, these expectations are likely to become even stronger. Many Gen Alpha children are accessing technology earlier in life, with research from Acacia University suggesting around 40% have access to a tablet by the age of two and 58% by the age of four. They are also growing up surrounded by AI tools, voice assistants and highly personalised digital environments from the very beginning.

Rather than viewing technology as a disruption to learning, educators can begin exploring how digital tools can enhance creativity, collaboration and engagement within the classroom. The goal is not to replace great teaching with technology, but to use technology intentionally to create more impactful and relevant learning experiences.

Meet Them Where They Scroll

Platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Duolingo have quickly become some of the most influential learning environments in the world.

Why? Because they understand how modern learners engage.

TikTok delivers short, visual and creator-led content designed to capture attention quickly and communicate ideas clearly. Young people are consuming huge amounts of information through short-form video content every day and becoming increasingly comfortable learning in quick, accessible bursts.

In fact, the average TikTok user now spends around 97 minutes per day on the platform, roughly the same length as a feature film. On top of this, McCrindle finds that while Google has 3.5 million searches per day, almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every day. This highlights the shift of our emerging generations as they discover new ideas and engage with creator-led educational content because the experience feels entertaining, interactive and easy to consume.

This does not mean young people are incapable of deep learning or sustained focus. It simply means they have become highly selective with their attention. If content feels overly passive, disconnected from the real world or difficult to engage with, many students will quickly switch off.

A 2024 Gallup study found that between 25% and 54% of Gen Z students report lacking engagement at school. At the same time, Gen Alpha students are growing up in even more technology-infused environments, with many accessing tablets before the age of two and spending almost five hours per day engaging with screens.

As educators, this creates an important opportunity to rethink how learning experiences are structured.

• Could information be broken into smaller and more digestible learning moments?

• Could key concepts be delivered visually before diving deeper into discussion or application?

• Could students engage with content in flexible ways both inside and outside the classroom?

Today’s learners are increasingly used to mobile-first experiences that allow them to learn anytime and anywhere. The challenge for educators is not to replicate social media, but to understand what makes these platforms effective at capturing attention and communicating ideas clearly.

The Gamification Of Learning

One of the most fascinating shifts in education over the past decade has been the rise of gamification.

Platforms like Duolingo have transformed learning by turning progress into something visual, interactive and rewarding. Rather than relying on long passive learning experiences, Duolingo uses streaks, points, progress tracking and leaderboards to keep learners engaged and motivated.

The platform has now reached hundreds of millions of users globally, highlighting how powerful these engagement strategies can be when thoughtfully designed.

What makes gamification so effective is that it taps into something deeper than entertainment. It creates momentum by helping learners clearly see their progress, receive immediate feedback and experience a sense of achievement as they move through content. In many ways, it mirrors the real-time feedback loops young people have become used to across video games and other digital platforms.

What Can They Do That AI Can’t?

As AI rapidly transforms the workforce, one of the biggest questions facing educators is not simply what students should know, but how we can best prepare them for success in an increasingly uncertain future.

With AI expected to complete 35% of all workplace tasks by 2030, technical knowledge alone may no longer be enough to keep young people competitive in the workforce. Instead, the capabilities becoming increasingly valuable are the ones technology struggles to replicate. Skills like creativity, communication, empathy, leadership, collaboration, adaptability and critical thinking will play an increasingly important role as automation reshapes industries around the world.

These are the skills that help people navigate uncertainty, build trust, solve complex problems and work effectively with others. While AI can generate information quickly, deeply human capabilities like emotional intelligence, ethical decision making and relationship building remain incredibly difficult to automate.

This means education can no longer focus solely on helping students memorise information. It must increasingly focus on helping young people learn how to think critically, communicate ideas clearly, collaborate across diverse teams and adapt to continuous change.

Project-based learning, industry engagement and inquiry-driven learning experiences all play a critical role in helping students build these future-focused capabilities. As the workforce continues to evolve, the students who thrive may not necessarily be the ones who can recall the most information, but the ones who can learn, adapt and connect most effectively in an ever changing world.

Designing Learning Experiences For The Future

As educators, we are no longer simply preparing students for the world as it exists today. We are preparing them for a future shaped by artificial intelligence, automation, hybrid work, emerging technologies and industries that may not even exist yet.

At the same time, the students sitting in our classrooms are arriving with vastly different expectations around learning, engagement and communication. They are growing up in a world of personalised algorithms, creator-led content, instant access to information and highly interactive digital experiences.

This creates an important opportunity for schools and educators to rethink how learning experiences are designed.

Not by abandoning great teaching practices or replacing teachers with technology, but by creating learning experiences that feel more relevant, engaging and connected to the future students are preparing to enter.

As we look ahead, here are a few practical ways educators can begin engaging the next generation of learner.

Design Learning In Smaller Chunks

Break learning into shorter and more digestible moments with clear progression points throughout lessons. Today’s learners are increasingly used to consuming information in bite-sized formats, so structuring learning into smaller sections can help improve engagement and retention.

Incorporate More Interactive And Visual Learning

Consider how you can use video, simulations, collaborative activities, discussion and visual storytelling to bring concepts to life. Young people are growing up surrounded by highly visual digital experiences and increasingly expect learning to feel interactive rather than passive.

Build Real-World Relevance Into Learning

Students want to understand the “why” behind what they are learning and how it connects to their future. Industry challenges, project-based learning, guest speakers and real-world scenarios can help make learning feel more meaningful and connected to life beyond the classroom.

Focus On Human Skills Alongside Digital Skills

As AI and automation continue to reshape industries, skills like communication, collaboration, adaptability, creativity and leadership will become increasingly important. Consider how your classroom can help students build both the digital confidence and the human capabilities needed to thrive in an increasingly automated world.

Today’s young people are creative, globally connected, digitally fluent and deeply passionate about creating impact in the world around them. They are learning differently, communicating differently and preparing for vastly different futures from the generations before them. 

But they still crave connection. They still value great teachers. And they still want learning experiences that challenge, inspire and prepare them for what comes next.

The opportunity for educators is not to abandon traditional teaching altogether. It is to evolve alongside the learners sitting in front of us.

Because the future student is already here.

About The Author

Scott Millar is a generational consultant, keynote speaker and trusted voice on the future of work, helping organisations understand the trends shaping Gen Z, leadership and the workplace of tomorrow. Scott brings fresh, practical insight into the shifts transforming workplaces, industries and communities. Recognised as one of Australia’s Top 30 Business Leaders Under 30, APAC’s Inspiring Youth Leader and a two-time TEDx speaker, he is regularly engaged to help leaders bridge generational divides and connect more meaningfully with the next generation.

To find out more about Scott and to book him to speak at your next event, head to: www.iamscottmillar.com/speaking