‘Generation Next’: Young up-and-comers being pegged, labeled before they even come of age

Kids labeled ‘generation next’ before they grow up

CHICAGO — They aren’t even out of grade school. But already, people are trying to name the youngest up-and-coming generation, and figure out who they might be and how they might be different from their predecessors.

At a loss for something more original, many call them Generation Z, because they follow Generations X and Y. They’ve also been referred to as Generation Net or “iGen,” since they’ve never known a world without the Internet.

Beyond being the tech savviest of generations, some generational experts think these kids will be different — and perhaps less entitled — because they’re growing up in a recession.

But other experts who study young people say they have their doubts about that.