Generation Z is a proposed generational name for the children born after Generation Y, though the danger is, of course, running out of letters: do we go back ot A? This name is somewhat controversial as this generation is still too young to have exhibited any common characteristics or to have lived through any common experiences that could be the basis for a generational name or identity. ""Generation Fat"" is a name that has recently been suggested based on the activities, diet, and habits already emerging in these children of Generation X. Many cultural critics prefer the term iGeneration to denote those born since the mid to late 1990s.

Date ranges for inclusion in Generation Z vary. According to the book Generations, this generation, which the authors William Strauss and Neil Howe simply call "New Adaptive", will be born from 2004 to 2025 (their later book, The Fourth Turning, uses the name "New Silent" instead). Some observers however, place this generation's first birth year earlier, perhaps 1997, on the grounds that a person born in that year could not expect to have any first-hand memory of the September 11, 2001 attacks; indeed, the alternate name of Homelander Generation has been proposed to convey the essence of this. Yet another alternative is Generation D, with the D standing for 'digital'. Their number of individuals included in this generation are projected be greater than that of Generation X - their parents - because of a trend towards rising birth rates among Generation X couples. Their numbers are projected to be far smaller though (both in total numbers and per year count) than Generation Y.

Conceptually, their great-grandparents belong primarily to the Silent Generation (with whom Strauss and Howe expect them to have similar life experiences), and the Baby boomers form the core of their grandparents. Their parents are seen as being roughly evenly divided between Generation X and Generation Y (13ers and Millennials, respectively, as they are termed by Strauss and Howe); their children will be born from approximately 2026 to 2069, while their typical grandchildren will be born from 2069 to 2091. These future dates are assuming that generations have an average length of 22 years; the years given are the top of the bell curve (these estimates would need to be revised to reflect earlier dates if indeed their first birth year is ultimately accepted to be 1997).

taken from Wikipedia