How to connect with generation z - technology and gen z

I was struggling with my iPhone when a 6-year-old relative took it from my hand, went to settings, changed something and — voila! — it worked! That's Gen Z — kids born after 1996,

ranging in age from babies to teens. Gen Z is our children's children and the kids of Gen Xers and even younger boomers who had babies later in their lives. Many of us "nanny"

the grandkids to help our working adult children, so we have close encounters of all kinds with Gen Z. What do we need to know about these tech-savvy tots and teens? Intrigued by the

differences she saw between millennials and Gen Z, Los Angeles family therapist Wendy O'Conner wrote a Kindle booklet. A key point, she says, is that unlike millennials who adapted to

technology as they grew up, Gen Z was born into a wired world. "They multitask on a whole different level, and that sometimes can look to parents like they are distracted and have very

short attention spans. But they can actually pay attention and text at the same time." However, technology needs to be limited. And it's difficult to be a role model for the kids

when millennials and boomers check their phones constantly, O'Conner says. "The kids are getting mixed messages on what's appropriate. We need to set boundaries

ourselves" as well as for our kids, she says. An unexpected trait of Gen Z kids is that they sometimes become bored with technology — it infiltrates every part of their lives,

especially at school. O'Conner suggests that parents and grandparents seize the opportunity to pull out a board game (remember those?) or head to the playground with them. While

you're in the park, encourage the kids to climb to the top of the monkey bars and jungle gym. It might be a little risky, but that's exactly what parents and grandparents should be

doing, says Atlanta education expert Tim Elmore, author of _Generation iY: Secrets to Connecting With Today's Teens & Young Adults in the Digital Age_. "By insulating kids

from risk, we are failing miserably at preparing them for a world that will not be risk-free."