LA-based Sharleen Ernster is a mother of two daughters, aged 14 and 16. Some years ago, Ernster says, she hadn’t heard of Brandy Melville. But today, her Gen Alpha daughter influences “probably 50%” of her household discretionary spending, and she’s a big fan.
“There are countless brands I never would have heard of without her TikTok and YouTube referrals,” she says. “Beauty is huge. [My 14-year-old] knows more about beauty products than I do, and we shop across CVS, Amazon and Sephora. Whatever she finds on TikTok and Snapchat affects our entire family universe.”
Ernster is not alone. Born between 2013 and 2025, Gen Alphas, now aged roughly between one and 15 years old, have major influence over their parents and families. According to market researcher GWI, a “clear majority” of eight to 11-year-olds have a say — maybe even the final say — on purchases in their home, for everything from toys to food. Already, Gen Alpha has $100 billion direct spending power, according to public relations firm DKC. And with an estimated spending power of $5.5 trillion by 2029, as the eldest reach working age, there’s a major growth avenue for brands who can reach them.
“Gen Alpha are kind of mini bosses. Basically, they’ve got this pull over the family, because they really advocate for what they want. And they’re used to the commercialization of everything,” says Alice Crossley, analyst at The Future Laboratory, who’s co-authored several reports digging into Gen Alpha and their Gen Z parents.
Part of the reason Gen Alphas have more agency is their millennial and Gen Z parents, “who are very tapped into mental wellbeing, and encourage children to advocate for themselves and speak about what they want”, she adds. One Vogue Business colleague recently shared with me that she spends her weekends on days out planned for her five-year-old son. We laughed, as millennials, at the contrast: as kids, we were dragged around department stores and ran whatever errands our parents needed to take care of. This shift is underscored by a 2025 report from Hilton, which states that some 70% of parents choose holiday destinations based on their children’s interests, a figure that continues to rise as younger generations have more and more influence over the home.
“We took a week-long trip to NYC recently because [my daughter is] obsessed with moving there when she’s an adult. We adopted a second cat at her urging. The list goes on,” says LA-based parent Jill Ettinger, who has a 12-year-old daughter that she says influences “at least 40% to 50%” of her spending.
“Gen Alpha influences household decisions more collaboratively than previous generations, meaning successful strategies often speak to shared experiences — whether that’s gaming, beauty, food or entertainment — rather than siloed youth marketing,” says Lucy Robertson, global head of brand marketing at creator agency Buttermilk. “In doing so, brands increasingly close traditional age gaps, becoming multi-generational rather than age-segmented.”
Flattening of age-appropriate culture
With the oldest Gen Alphas only in their teens, it’s a little early to map their consumer behavior, particularly for luxury brands. However, Bain & Company has found Gen Alphas — at least the older ones — “approach premium brands and luxury categories much, much earlier than Gen Z”, says senior partner Federica Levato, because of their “hyper-digital DNA”.
The majority of parents I speak to in this story say their children are aware of brands, but the most common labels are sportswear incumbents like Nike and Adidas.
“Gen Alphas don’t value status as much as [older generations] do, but they value how they can stand out, and how they can be seen as an individual. Brands are a way they can self-express, and any way they can use products to differentiate themselves from other people is super relevant,” Levato adds.
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