I'd say for absolute understanding, 1990. For basic memory, anywhere from 1993 to 1996, depending on the person's memory.

I said 1989.  If you were born before September, that would you make 12 when it happened, and I think that's an age where if you're explained something complex like that (and how would one go about explaining that horror to a child, especially if they saw it happen live on TV), they might be able to comprehend and grasp what you're saying without being overly scared. 

I said 1989.  If you were born before September, that would you make 12 when it happened, and I think that's an age where if you're explained something complex like that (and how would one go about explaining that horror to a child, especially if they saw it happen live on TV), they might be able to comprehend and grasp what you're saying without being overly scared. 


But I can remember the attacks almost like they were yesterday. Although of course being born in January 1990 I'm damn close.

I'm going to say 1990 as well, I think it's just old enough, of course it also depends on when in 1990 you were born.

I'll say this again: full comprehension of 9/11 is not a requirement for Gen Y. People born in 1958 wouldn't be able to comprehend (or even remember) Kennedy being shot, or the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show, but they're definitely still Boomers.

I was 11 in 1998 during the Clinton impeachment and I followed the whole thing very closely. Basically I remember it all. I remember Clinton's apology speech in August 1998 almost like it was yesterday, and the Starr Report being published in the paper. So I think 11 is plenty old enough to get 9/11.

I was 11 in 1998 during the Clinton impeachment and I followed the whole thing very closely. Basically I remember it all. I remember Clinton's apology speech in August 1998 almost like it was yesterday, and the Starr Report being published in the paper. So I think 11 is plenty old enough to get 9/11.


Would you say less clueless kids born a little later could remember 9/11 well enough to receive a paradigm shift?

Would you say less clueless kids born a little later could remember 9/11 well enough to receive a paradigm shift?


Born after 1990?

Born after 1990?


Yes. For instance if it happened in 1999 I think I'd probably be almost as affected by it.

Yes. For instance if it happened in 1999 I think I'd probably be almost as affected by it.


Yeah maybe a little later, possibly up to maybe a 1992er.

Yeah maybe a little later, possibly up to maybe a 1992er.


The 1993ers seem sort of raised in the 9/11 age, if that makes sense, unlike people born even slightly earlier. Someone my age, or a little younger would remember the late '90s like yesterday.

The 1993ers seem sort of raised in the 9/11 age, if that makes sense, unlike people born even slightly earlier. Someone my age, or a little younger would remember the late '90s like yesterday.


Yeah I just don't think the event meant as much to them since they were still only 8 or so. They remember it sure, but it probably didn't have a huge effect on them compared to someone who was a bit older at the time.

Yeah I just don't think the event meant as much to them since they were still only 8 or so. They remember it sure, but it probably didn't have a huge effect on them compared to someone who was a bit older at the time.


They wouldn't remember the air of prosperity during the late 1990s, which is where the paradigm shift comes from. No decade was safer than the '90s.

They wouldn't remember the air of prosperity during the late 1990s, which is where the paradigm shift comes from. No decade was safer than the '90s.


Yeah that's where the difference is. One thing I followed very well in the late '90s was the political enviroment and world events, I specifically remember how good the economy was the tech boom, the surplus, low gas prices, stock market doing very well, I knew that it was a prosperous time, someone born in 1993 will probably not remember much of the late '90s political enviroment.

Yeah that's where the difference is. One thing I followed very well in the late '90s was the political enviroment and world events, I specifically remember how good the economy was the tech boom, the surplus, low gas prices, stock market doing very well, I knew that it was a prosperous time, someone born in 1993 will probably not remember much of the late '90s political enviroment.


I think as a general rule, to be born "with" a decade, as opposed to "in" it you would be born in the 0-2 years.  People born in 1993 onward are the sorts that would see the '90s as "retro".

I think as a general rule, to be born "with" a decade, as opposed to "in" it you would be born in the 0-2 years.  People born in 1993 onward are the sorts that would see the '90s as "retro".


Yeah to really remember anything you have to be born in the 2 year or earlier.

Yeah to really remember anything you have to be born in the 2 year or earlier.


Would you say 1992 to 1993 is a semi-generational jump? I do kind of notice a difference around there.

Would you say 1992 to 1993 is a semi-generational jump? I do kind of notice a difference around there.


Yes, I believe it's where the gen z transition probably starts beginning.

But I can remember the attacks almost like they were yesterday. Although of course being born in January 1990 I'm damn close.



Some 11 year olds (at the time of 9/11) could understand what was going on better than others, but I usually go up a year in cases like this rather than down. 

Some 11 year olds (at the time of 9/11) could understand what was going on better than others, but I usually go up a year in cases like this rather than down. 


Do you consider 1990 the beginning of Gen Z then?

Do you consider 1990 the beginning of Gen Z then?



No, I think Gen Z begins somewhere between 1993-1995.  I'd put 1990 in the Gen Y category.

No, I think Gen Z begins somewhere between 1993-1995.  I'd put 1990 in the Gen Y category.


I think 1995 or 1996 is the beginning of Z, because their earliest memories would be from 1998/1999.

Some 11 year olds (at the time of 9/11) could understand what was going on better than others, but I usually go up a year in cases like this rather than down. 


Yeah, I think the mid 1992 to early 1993 is sort of a semi-generational jump, to the YZ cuspers.

Well, we all understood 9/11 as 6th graders quite well in 2001-2002. I remember having long class discussions about it and the Iraq War.

I'm not sure whether Gen Z begins in 1995 or 1996, it's one or the other.

Yeah, I think the mid 1992 to early 1993 is sort of a semi-generational jump, to the YZ cuspers.

Well, we all understood 9/11 as 6th graders quite well in 2001-2002. I remember having long class discussions about it and the Iraq War.

I'm not sure whether Gen Z begins in 1995 or 1996, it's one or the other.


I think fall of '93 is the beginning of the Z cusp. Late 1990 upwards has a tiny bit of Z, but I think 1991 and 1992ers are still more X-like than Z-like. 

I've decided that the fall of 1995 is the beginning of Gen Z, since they would start high school in 2010.

I've decided that the fall of 1995 is the beginning of Gen Z, since they would start high school in 2010.


Yeah, I agree with you. It's fall 1995.

Yeah, I agree with you. It's fall 1995.


Yeah I think it's around there as well.

I think as a general rule, to be born "with" a decade, as opposed to "in" it you would be born in the 0-2 years.  People born in 1993 onward are the sorts that would see the '90s as "retro".



Yeah. I think the people born in 1987-1992 seem like the core "child of the 90's" group while those born from 1993 on would probably see it as retro like you said. btw I say 1991 is the last year that you could really comprehend 9/11.

No, I think Gen Z begins somewhere between 1993-1995.  I'd put 1990 in the Gen Y category.



I think it begins around 1996 since kids born that year would start the 9th grade in 2010, 1994ers though(who'll graduate in 2012) could also be the start.

There was a kid across the street from me born in 1993 who didn't really comprehend 9/11, so I think that 1991 or 1992 is probably the last year. And my mom had a pre-K class of kids born in 1997, and they didn't get it all.

The 93-94ers are alot like the 83-84ers. The 1983-1984 are the last groups to at least have consciousness and some kind of understanding (depending on the person) of a Cold War world and one without all the technological advances that we take for granted today. They are the last to experience a good chunk of there childhood in a pre internet "old school" world. The 94-95 babies are the last to truly experience life in the prosporous 90's before the war/terror/fear/poor economy Bush years (not saying it's all Bush's fault, but he iss associated with this era).

The 93-94ers are alot like the 83-84ers. The 1983-1984 are the last groups to at least have consciousness and some kind of understanding (depending on the person) of a Cold War world and one without all the technological advances that we take for granted today. They are the last to experience a good chunk of there childhood in a pre internet "old school" world. The 94-95 babies are the last to truly experience life in the prosporous 90's before the war/terror/fear/poor economy Bush years (not saying it's all Bush's fault, but he iss associated with this era).


Yeah, I agree that the 93-95ers are alot like people born about 82-85 Y2K generation, and sort of bookend that 1986-1992 group of Y, though both the 82-85 and 93-95ers are Y, albeit with X and Z influences on either side. I also think that those people born about 93-95 are the last to have gotten what life was like (and how sweet, on the surface, it was) in the '90s or the Y2K era, so they're the last people that would miss it as much as I do.

I think alot of a child's understanding of ANY "world changing" event (e.g., Pearl Harbor, Kennedy assasination, Watergate, Challenger explosion, the Clinton impeachment and the terrorist attacks) depends as much on their living environment as their age and level of comprehension.

I was about seven when Nixon resigned.  My parents and grandparents were ardent Nixon supporters.  I remember watching the hearings on tv and my mother sitting me down to watch the President as he resigned.  I knew basically what was going on (that the President was "quitting his job" and that he might go to jail) as my family discussed it and it was part of my daily environment.

My daughter was almost ten years old in September 2001.  I grew up in New York and my family travelled there, by plane, a few times.  She saw how the attacks affected me personally.  She saw the difference in the skyline (we visited a few months after).  She saw the difference in airport security measures.  Et cetera.

I can't get into the Generaton X, Y, Z discussion as I know little about that.  But my opinion is that the effect is as much related to the environment as age.

I put 1991 as the absolute latest. I think a ten year old may understood far better than any age below that. Of course, it may be partially from a child's point of view, but at that age, you're still able to comprehend these things in a fairly intelligent way.

I was 11 at the time.....i live in New York (20 miutes away from NYC, i saw smoke)...if you were either 5 or 15, you knew exactly what happened...and be able to fully grasp it as a terrible tragedy

Yeah, I agree that the 93-95ers are alot like people born about 82-85 Y2K generation, and sort of bookend that 1986-1992 group of Y, though both the 82-85 and 93-95ers are Y, albeit with X and Z influences on either side. I also think that those people born about 93-95 are the last to have gotten what life was like (and how sweet, on the surface, it was) in the '90s or the Y2K era, so they're the last people that would miss it as much as I do.


This is very true!!!!

I was 7 when this event happened, I'm a 1994 baby and I vividly remembers watching this on breakfast. It had a big impact on me... I always knew that the world had achieved peace and stability and never expected anything else to happen :p

I wasn't paying too much attention to it but it was shocking and it lingers in your head, just saying

However I think the age of 5 is the absolute earliest anyone can comprehend their view of the world so my take for this is 1996 born

How can 1986 or 1987 even be at that poll? That's just ridiculous. I mean - I remember political events from the mid-90's  ::)

And I also have more in common with the 82-85-crowd than with people born in 1992... At least, the thread is old enough, so nobody can be accused anymore for writing such rubbish.

I'd say the last birth year to really comprehend it must be early 90's: Somebody who was around 8-10, depending where he lived and how much impact 9/11 had on his own country. I mean, I don't think that an 8-year-old German kid felt as effected as an 8-year-old American kid.

People born during these years had a strange growing up time.

People born during these years had a strange growing up time.


Don't think that this fits for most of the 90's-born people, but as for me, I think you're right.

My early childhood was late 80's influenced and pretty 'old school'. My mid-childhood was kind of 'old school', too (up till mid 1997). My late childhood and teenage years (11-17) were pretty modern, though I didn't do the typical Y-stuff till 1999. I also know how school was without the internet/computers and how school was with the internet/computers. 

Yes, and having 9/11 occur while you were still in high school or younger seems odd.  And growing up with so much technology.

And growing up with so much technology.


I am thinking the same about the ones born in the 2000's and 2010's. The technology I had during my childhood looks very primitive in comparison to the stuff that exists today ;)

What is your birth year anyway?

To fully understand the implications of 9/11, you would have had to be born in at least 1989 or 1990. However, those born in 1991 might qualify based solely on their own personal maturity.

If I had to pick a sole year. It would be 1990.

I remember how much it impacted my middle school. In contrast, the elementary kids were fairly carefree that day home on the bus compared to those in middle school and upward.

To fully understand the implications of 9/11, you would have had to be born in at least 1989 or 1990. However, those born in 1991 might qualify based solely on their own personal maturity.

If I had to pick a sole year. It would be 1990.

I remember how much it impacted my middle school. In contrast, the elementary kids were fairly carefree that day home on the bus compared to those in middle school and upward.


I was in 4th grade at the time and understood the implications pretty well, as did most of my grade. A lot of kids stayed home that day and the next.

I'd say 1992 is the very latest, but more likely 1990 or 91.

I was born in 1990 and I remember the attacks fairly well, but kids who are a few years younger than me probably remember it much less.

Well, you see, that is very hard to speculate. Even a child born in 1998 or 1999 could tell something is going on. Maybe they can't tell what is going on, but their life shifts because their parent's do. As far as an actual shift because of personal effect, I'd say if they were about 8, they could understand the damage and shift accordingly.

I'm a '91er and i was 10 when it happened. Believe it or not i remember 9/11 like it was yesterday. I understood and i talked to parents about it. I was still a child in my mind (obviously), but i was grasping things. I think around age 10 or 11 is when you start to become more aware. However it depends on the individual.

Yeah, I agree you had to be at least 10...maybe 9 if you grew up faster than others. 

I remember 9/11 like it was yesterday.  I was 16 years old at the time and was still in HS.  I didn't went to school the next day because of my background, and the media was all over the news on it.  What was sad the most was that Muslims in America were harassed a lot after the attacks, some to the point of being killed.  I believe 9/11 was the defining point of my generation.

I was 10 at the time about to turn 11 in October. I remember it vividly and it had quite a profound effect on me. I remember the solemness of the whole day and afterwards the loss of the blissfully ignorant sense of security I once had. It was the one event that made me aware that the world is not a safe, peaceful place.