School bans Gen Alpha slang parents can’t understand: ‘I must be really old’

A sign at a primary school revealing a list of words students are “banned” from using has caused a stir online – with many parents revealing it makes them “feel old”.

In total 11 phrases were named by an unidentified teacher as being unsuitable for use by students during school hours on a sign placed by the school’s entrance.

Words featured are current Generation Alpha favourites, including “skibidi”, “sigma”, “rizz”, “mewing”, “gyatt”, “bet”, “bussin’”, “ohio” and “baddie”.

While two phrases also made the list, “it’s the _ for me” and “let him cook”.

Those from previous generations have understandably gone wild over the youthful slang after a photo of the sign was shared by the Meanwhile in Australia Facebook page, alongside the caption: “Gen alpha is cooked.”

Many parents replied in the comments section, with some declaring those who don’t know the words are “old” as others revealed they were “confused” by everything on the list.

“My 6 year old says a lot of these, I’m like WTF does that even mean,” one lamented.

“I’m going to have to google most of these words because I have no idea what they mean,” another agreed.

As one simply noted: “I must be realllllly old.”

In fact, one Millennial mum who struggled to translate some of the slang words after her 10-year-old daughter tried to teach her, recently went viral due to her relatable reaction.

As the young girl read out many of the words featured on the school’s banned list, the mum admitted she had “no idea” what her daughter was saying, comparing her “weird words” to a “foreign language”.

Australia isn’t the only nation struggling to decipher the words, with a US school posting a similar sign recently that was later shared on Reddit.

“This sign showing words you can’t say in school…” the post read, alongside a photo of showing the list blu-tacked to a window.

The post also attracted a string of comments, mostly from people who were “clueless” over the slang terms and how to use them.

What do the slang words mean?

For those who have never heard of the words before (don’t worry, us too), we’ve scoured the World Wide Web and uncovered the unofficial definitions, so you don’t have to.

Skibidi

This has emerged in reference to a viral meme of a person’s head coming out of a toilet. To call someone that, or refer to someone’s actions as such, is to say they’re “weird”.

Sigma

Don’t mistake this for the 18th letter of the Greek alphabet as the kids have given it a new meaning. It’s used today as part of a bizarre hierarchy for males. While “alpha” still leads the pack, sigma means the same thing, “but humbler”, Today reported.

Rizz

This one is so widely used, it was formally recognized as the 2023 Oxford word of the year in December. Beloved by Gen Z, it is short for the word “charisma”, and is used to describe someone’s ability to attract another person through style or charm.

Mewing

According to Urban Dictionary, “mewing” is an exclamation or retort used to interrupt someone who is complaining about something trivial. Many kids are using the technique on their parents and teachers, driving them up the wall in the process.

Gyatt

The slang gyatt is an exclamation used to express excitement or shock, especially in reaction to seeing large buttocks or a voluptuous woman, according to Dictionary.com. It is often used as a hashtag in videos of curvy women or, much less often, men.

Bet

This slang expression is used to affirm a statement or confirm an agreement. So when somebody says “bet”, really, what they’re saying is okay, understood, or alright, I agree with that, or I confirm that.

Bussin’

Often used to describe food, “bussin’” is a word that originated in the Black community and means extremely good or delicious, according to Merriam-Webster.

Ohio

While some argued this isn’t a slang word as it is the name of one a US state, in 2024 it now has another unfortunate meaning. To put it simply, Ohio means bad. Using it in this way began online after people started talking about how there doesn’t seem to be much going on in Ohio.

“The conversation eventually grew into a general understanding that it was embarrassing to be from the state altogether,” pop culture site Distractify stated.

“As a chronically online generation, Gen Alpha picked it up, ran with it, and made it a thousand times worse.”

Baddie

While you’d think being a “baddie” is not a good thing, the youth of today have embraced it as a positive description of a woman, Urban Dictionary states. She’s a “female who can hold her own and take care of herself. She is very pretty, and independent, she don’t take sh*t”.