Scrolling in the Deep: Are you a good boy?
A 2025 Gen Zalpha slang has middle-school teachers pinpricking with frustration––teen boys calling each other “good boy.” The slang has become so commonplace in classrooms that some teachers––and annoyed parents––have instituted bans on using it. But is it really inappropriate? And do the wielders even know what it means?
Who’s a ‘good boy’
Originating from some TikTok videos in which boys approach police officers and ask for their badge numbers, ‘good boy’ is now used to address anyone who adheres to your command. For instance, if someone tells you to pick up a pencil and you do, they’ll call you a “good boy.” If they tell you to look at them and you oblige, expect a “good boy” to be hurled your way.
However, tone has everything to do with it. ‘Good boy’ or ‘good girl’ may have some more explicit connotations in pop culture, but for TikTok teens, it’s meant to be condescending to the receiver. They see it as comparing it to an obedient dog or pet, hence the intonation of dragging the slang out: “good boyyyy.” In other words, they see you as being submissive or less-than.
However, while Gen Alpha may find it harmless, it can quickly feel dehumanizing and downright disrespectful.
Not everyone’s on board
In one viral TikTok, a teacher was taken aback after one of his own students used the “good boy” slang on him.
“Kids don’t normally know what they’re saying and they’re just doing it for the trend,” TikToker Mr. Vuong said in his clip.
“They said, ‘Mr. Vuong look down.’ And I really shouldn’t have, but I did, and they said, ‘Good boy,’” Vuong recalled. “I was honestly too stunned to speak.”
The teacher argues that kids don’t understand the context or how inappropriate the slang they are using is. This can be especially true with slang or phrases that often derive from sexual connotations (see: rawdogging, glazing, etc). “Good boy” is just another term now teens––mostly boys––are quick to use in order to demean someone.
While ‘good boy’ could appear innocent if you’re addressing your poodle, it may be worth having a chat about respect if the teen in your life can’t stop saying it to authority figures.
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