You should ask your teens for shopping and investing tips

NEXT time your teenagers have a craving for the ultra-spicy Buldak ramen or the fierce-looking Labubu toy, don’t scratch your head and question their tastes. Rather, consider yourself lucky, because they are helping you spot the next billion-dollar brand before it gets on global investors’ radars.

With birth rates falling around the world, Generation Alpha, roughly born between 2010 and 2024, will have the largest economic footprint in our lifetime. An estimated US$5.3 trillion has already been spent on them, and by 2030, some will be joining the labour force and earning.

What’s different with this cohort – as opposed to Gen Z, which is into self-care and “little treats” – is that they have their parents’ ear. Over 90 per cent of mums and dads surveyed say their children are great at finding new products, according to public relations company DKC. In addition, participants say 42 per cent of all household spending is impacted by their children’s options.