Millennials Are Raising the Class of 2039 - Gen Alpha, the Velocity Gap, and the Kindergarten Class That Can Generate Its Own Childhood

Generational futurist Ryan Vet has eight predictions for the kindergarten class of 2039. They never wore a mask. They may never need to read to find an answer. And they are the first children who can be convincingly faked.

Every August the front porch photos start. Letter boards, chalkboard signs, a five-year-old predicting what they want to be when they grow up. In this episode, USA TODAY bestselling author and international keynote speaker Ryan Vet turns the lens away from this year’s graduates and onto the kids who just started. Nearly three quarters of 2021 births went to Millennial mothers, so this is a Millennial-raised class walking into phone bans, state AI guidance, homeschooling at double their parents’ rate, and a playground where a convincing fake is one prompt away. Thirteen years of school begin now. What shapes us is already in the room.

Key Takeaways

• The COVID baby boom never came. There were 3,664,292 births in 2021, up only 50,645 from the year before, a 1.4 percent increase (Osterman et al., 2023). This class was conceived during the pandemic, not just born near it.
• 74.5 percent of 2021 births went to a Millennial mother. Hold the labels loosely, but this is functionally a Millennial-raised kindergarten class.
• They are likely the first class that never had to wear a mask. Most were under age two when the mandates lifted.
• Three years ago, one state restricted phones in the classroom. Today 38 states plus DC require districts to ban or restrict student cellphones, and roughly 28 go bell to bell (Dalbey, 2026; Rock, 2026). Their parents carried a phone through high school. These kids may go twelve years without one.
• By early 2026, more than 30 state education departments had issued official AI guidance, up from none in 2022. Nobody is asking whether these kids get exposed to AI anymore. The question is when.
• The homeschooled share of K-12 students doubled between 1999 and 2023, from 1.7 percent to 3.4 percent. In 1999, their parents were the ones sitting in those classrooms. This class will not graduate from one system.
• They never needed to read to find something out. They can say “hey Siri” before they can spell it, and the device will hold a conversation with them.
• They may never build a project the slow way. Ryan traced a nearly four-foot Statue of Liberty onto foam board with an overhead projector. You could prompt that in seconds now, and the learning was in the laboring.
• Driver’s ed may become optional. North Carolina separated the driver from the license in 2017, before a single child in this class was born (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-401).
• They have been watched their whole lives, and they are the first who can be faked. The next frontier in bullying is a realistic image or video made by somebody who knows them.
• Still on the horizon: robots doing ordinary physical work, universities closing, and a transhumanism debate this class may be having by middle school.
• Millennial parents are overcorrecting on screen time and pushing back toward free play. That is a good instinct. In many cases, less screen time is still code for secretly supervised free play.
• The landing: the signs on the front porch say astronaut and veterinarian and paleontologist. If the photo ever goes missing, these kids will be able to generate the childhood they remember.

Research and Sources Cited

• Ballotpedia. (2026). AI guidance issued by state departments of education.
• Bielick, S., Chandler, K., & Broughman, S. P. (2001). Homeschooling in the United States: 1999. National Center for Education Statistics, NCES 2001-033.
• Dalbey, B. (2026, July 28). Back-to-school rule check: Your kid’s phone policy may have changed. Patch.
• Education Commission of the States. (2025). How states are responding to the rise of AI in education.
• N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-401 (2017). Regulation of fully autonomous vehicles. North Carolina General Assembly.
• Osterman, M. J. K., Hamilton, B. E., Martin, J. A., Driscoll, A. K., & Valenzuela, C. P. (2023). Births: Final data for 2021. National Vital Statistics Reports, 72(1). National Center for Health Statistics.
• Rock, A. (2026, July 31). School cell phone bans by state. School Security Leadership.
• Sempeles, E., & Cui, J. (2024). Parent and family involvement in education: 2023. National Center for Education Statistics, NCES 2024-113.
• Twenge, J. M. (2023). Generations: The real differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents, and what they mean for America’s future. Atria Books.
• U.S. Department of Education. (2025, July 22). Guidance on artificial intelligence use in schools.
• Ryan Vet, “Millennials Are Raising the Class of 2039,” COLLIDE: https://ryanvet.com/collide/millennials-are-raising-the-class-of-2039/
• Ryan Vet, “Same Footage, Two Verdicts,” COLLIDE: https://ryanvet.com/collide/same-footage-two-verdicts/

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About Ryan Vet

Ryan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold.

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