The latest Gen Alpha slang says a surprising amount about how kids connect, communicate and define themselves.
If your child says someone “has aura,” they’re essentially saying that person has coolness, confidence or an effortlessly impressive vibe. “Aura points” turn that idea into a pretend scorecard, with kids awarding or subtracting points based on someone’s actions.
Tripping in front of classmates might cost you 100 aura points, while doing something impressive could earn them back. The numbers aren’t actually calculated, and there is no winning score—the joke is in pretending that everyday social moments are part of a giant, invisible scoreboard.
The language is heavily connected to TikTok and other social-media platforms, where kids can turn an embarrassing moment into a joke almost instantly. One Yahoo explainer describes aura points as a way for teens to “quantify” their coolness, essentially turning social approval into a playful video-game-style scoring system.
For parents, the good news is that “aura points” are generally harmless slang rather than a secret code for something dangerous. Understanding the joke can nevertheless provide an easy opening for parents to learn more about the online culture their children inhabit.
Why Slang Matters to Teenagers
Teen slang can sound nonsensical to adults, but psychologists say it serves important social purposes. The American Psychological Association describes slang as a “dynamic social code” that can provide insight into identity and belonging in an increasingly digital world.
For adolescents, using the right words can signal that they belong to a particular group. APA psychologist Ryan Boyd calls slang “one of these really classic indicators of identity,” because language helps people communicate who they are and who they feel connected to.
That may explain why slang changes so quickly among today’s kids. Digital platforms allow a phrase to move from a small online community into classrooms, group chats and everyday conversation at remarkable speed.
Slang can also provide teenagers with a relatively low-risk way to experiment with identity and independence. In other words, when your child tells you that you’ve just lost 500 aura points, they may be doing something much more ordinary than it sounds: playing with language and sharing an inside joke with their peers.
What Was the Millennial Version?
Today’s parents may be tempted to roll their eyes at “aura points,” but millennials had plenty of slang and catchphrases that baffled their own parents. A recent look at millennial responses to the Gen Alpha “6-7” phenomenon found thousands of people reminiscing about the expressions they used to repeat endlessly.
Among the most popular responses were “your mom,” “Wazzzzzzzuuuuuuuppppppp,” “That’s what she said,” “The game,” and “NOT!” The Reddit responses ranged from silly playground jokes to catchphrases borrowed from television and movies.
The comparison is revealing because the mechanism hasn’t really changed—only the technology has. Millennials had Clueless, Saturday Night Live, commercials and playground jokes; today’s kids have TikTok, YouTube, Roblox and Discord.
So the next time your child tells you that you’ve lost 1,000 aura points, don’t panic. You might actually be witnessing the newest version of something parents have been complaining about for generations: kids creating a language that makes perfect sense to them and almost none to adults.
