Raising Gen Alpha: How to Parent Kids Growing Up in an AI World

What does it mean to raise children who have never known a world without social media, smartphones, the internet, and now artificial intelligence?

In this episode of God-Sized Stories with Patricia Holbrook, Patricia talks with Dave Boden, author of Raising Gen Alpha: Helping Kids Navigate Everything from Anxiety to AI, about the generation growing up in the middle of an extraordinary cultural and technological shift.

Dave is an author, educator, former pastor and youth worker, parent, and leader of Grace Foundation, a schools-based charity in England. His work with thousands of young people has given him a unique perspective on the challenges facing Gen Alpha.

Together, Patricia and Dave discuss:

• Who Gen Alpha is and what makes them different
 • Anxiety and mental health among today's children
 • The impact of COVID on the next generation
 • Social media and hyperconnectivity
 • Parenting children in an AI-driven world
 • Helping kids develop wisdom and discernment
 • Identity, purpose, and belonging
 • Why real relationships matter more than ever
 • How parents can maintain their influence
 • What schools and educators are learning
 • Why the church needs to understand and reach Gen Alpha
 • The spiritual curiosity emerging among today's young people

Dave's book uses the ALPHA framework—Anxious-minded, Leading influencers, Pandemic-impacted, Hyperconnected, and AI-shaped—to help adults understand the experiences shaping this generation.

But this conversation isn't ultimately about fear.

It's about understanding.

It's about learning to see the world through the eyes of the children we're trying to love and lead—and remembering that even in an increasingly artificial world, our children still need something deeply human: real relationship, wisdom, belonging, and hope.

And for Christian families, there is good news. Jesus is still good news for the next generation.

Interested in the topic? Read my blog companion, find links to Dave Boden, Grace Foundation, the book and the giveaway in the blog post from the link below:

https://patriciaholbrook.com/2026/08/raising-gen-alpha/

Subscribe to God-Sized Stories with Patricia Holbrook, share this conversation with someone raising or working with Gen Alpha, and leave a review to help others find the podcast.

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