Australia’s most globally connected generation values deeper, real-world connections
Despite being more digitally and globally connected than any other generation before them, Australia’s Gen Alpha seems to value deeper connections with the people around them, resulting in ‘friend’ being awarded Oxford's Australian 2024 Children’s Word of the Year (CWOTY).
Using data collected through the online program Writing Legends, which aims to improve students’ writing skills, OUP analysed over 25,600 children’s stories and almost 2.3 million words written by mostly mid- to late-primary school students across the country, and found that students are writing more about the value of their relationships with family and friends, the complexities around friendships, and the ways in which they connect with others.
Words such as ‘friend’, ‘hope’, ‘love’, ‘play’ and ‘game’ all appeared in higher frequencies in 2024 compared to 2023, with other similarly associated words, such as ‘companion’ and ‘friendship, and slang words like ‘bestie’ and ‘bff’, experiencing significant percentage increases in usage as well.
Read the full report
Our experts comments on Oxford's Australian CWOTY:
Dr Damon Thomas
Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Queensland
“According to the most recent Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, the tables have turned with young people, particularly Gen Z, experiencing a steady rise in loneliness, making them feel more alone and isolated than those aged 65 and older. It’s completely understandable that the next generation would want to avoid the physical and mental issues that they’ve seen arise from such social isolation.”
Lee Walker
Director of Publishing at Oxford University Press ANZ
“It was clear that connection was at the heart of students’ stories – a theme that stretches to our chosen slang word of the year, ‘sigma’, which was also on our UK 2024 shortlist. With this young generation being so digitally connected, it came as no surprise that their stories also touched on society and learning, with students writing about their knowledge and topics they’ve learnt about."
The 2024 Shortlist
Trending Themes
Connection/Social and emotional learning
- Students are writing about the value of their relationships with friends and family and the ways in which they connect with others. Words such as “friend”, “hope”, “love”, “play” and “game” were all appearing in high frequencies. There was also a significant percentage increase in the usage of words such as “companion”, as well as slang words like “bestie” and “bff” in comparison to previous years’ data.
Fantasy, adventure and magic
- Students’ imaginations and interest in creating adventure stories were evident with many stories about mysteries, adventure, fantasy and magic.
Society and learning
- Students are writing about their knowledge, as well as topics and concepts they’ve learnt about with the word “fact” trending this year. Facts about safety, the environment and personal interests were some of the topics students wrote about.
Animals/Environment and nature
- Pollution and the environment continues to be a topic that students are concerned with, particularly the impact on animals and the ocean.
Read a selection of the children's stories
Please note spelling and grammar has been corrected in the samples presented. Citations are faithful to the original stories.
I love netball because you can make so many friends and you are part of a team to congratulate someone when they win. Your friends will cheer you on when you score a goal in the hoops, Let's enjoy the sport we do and just have fun.
Year 5 Student
What exactly makes a good friend?
Well, being a good friend includes loving our friendship and throwing the bad thoughts away. Having a good friend needs kindness and positivity. As well as honesty. If someone is rude to you, they might be a friend and they could be full of sadness. Try looking after them, so they can help you.
Year 1 Student
It was 7.27pm precisely. George knew he had to act right now to save his best friend Bob or he would die from the enourmous meteorite that was coming from space. The evil baddie named Jordan had taken one of the meteorites from Saturns rings with his new, super cool UFO that he created.
Year 6 Student
It's time to go. No buts it's time to go, it's getting later and later. But I'm scared because it's the first day of school and I'm scared to make friends and what if they don't like me or the kids laugh at me because I am a little bit more shy and scruffy.
Year 2 Student