The superfast evolution of technology can create a digital divide between parents and their teens. Gen X and millennials may have had their childhoods transformed by tech, but they're now parenting generations Z, Alpha and Beta who are traversing entirely different online landscapes, particularly in the world of online gaming. At the same time, cyber-attacks are increasingly in the news, with major players in an array of industries falling victim.
According to a study published in 2024, one of the strongest predictors of a child's screen time is a parent's screen time. "If you don't want your teens to be looking at their phones at the dinner table, you should not be taking out your phone at the dinner table either," says psychologist Jean Twenge, author of the book 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World, published in September.