When Your Kids Are More Tech Savvy Than You

Written by Van Le, LPC 

for the Hope & Harmony Therapy, LLC Blog

What does it mean for adults and children nowadays as they navigate through the complexity of technology that has bloomed over the last two decades? Confusion? Frustration? Curiosity? Confliction? Excitement? Acceptance? Immersion? These are some of the thoughts or emotions that many people have, and it could range from one to many within days, weeks, months, or years. However, for adults who are not comfortable with technology, it may mean stretching beyond the comfort zone of the past and work on being exposed to the future. Technology is like a second skin to the children of the new millennium. However, it does not mean that the millennials are aware of all the good and bad. Thus, it may require adults' insight and young ones' discovery nature to collaborate to ensure that technology is used with the best intentions and is beneficial to both the adults and the children. Here are some tips as to how adults and children can team up to face the complexity of technology:

   1. Understanding: Be understanding of the other person’s perspective and experience and take that into consideration

   2. Communication: Be respectful of what the other person is expressing and maintain the channel of communication

   3. Curious: Have an open mind since there is always something new to learn

   4. Humor: Enjoy the moment and have fun with it. It does not need to be serious, and it is alright to make a mistake. Be HUMAN!

To ensure that adults are not entirely reliant on children, some interventive actions can be adults getting educated in setting parental controls, such as having passwords to their children's social media accounts and checking the history of the web browser to see if there are any inappropriate activities. There are many free cyber awareness and technological education courses for parents and adults provided at local libraries, schools, churches, and or public facilities that parents can attend to be more aware of different proactive measures. By being aware, adults can grow with the children as technology continues to change and develop.