I have a theory that Elder Millennial parents (and younger Gen Xers) got the raw end of the deal when it came to the internet: we had to raise ourselves to be smart digital consumers, because our parents rarely knew more than we did, (not their fault!).
Now as parents we are trying to protect our kids from the dangers we had to navigate on our own as teens, while fully aware of a whole new set of dangers in this ever-changing digital world. And to make matters worse, we are often having to do that while our own older family members are at risk of ALSO becoming victims to those dangers.
So, how do we parent our kids, and maybe parent our own parents, without being condescending? Try modeling and sharing what you’re doing with your kids, and then invite older family members into the fold. We can mean it as a true invitation of community, and it can have the added benefit of keeping them safe.
No one likes to feel talked to or infantilized; just as a teenager isn’t going to listen to us lecture about the dangers of sharing photos online, an older relative isn’t going to listen to a lecture about AI chatbots and misinformation.
The most empowering thing we can do is educate, but we can do that by educating *ourselves* too, such as using a silly photo editor (AI based or not) as a way of talking about how convincing edited images can be.
And if these adults were looking out for us when we were young, we can show our appreciation and how we are applying the lessons they taught us to this new era of technology. It’s a great way of showing older adults (and our kids) that advice doesn’t become obsolete over time, but it can be applied in changing ways.
(As always, this reel is a starting point for inspiration. It’s not meant as a script. Take what you want, leave the rest, make it work for you!)
