Digital Natives vs Digital Immigrants

Here at CPYU, our online Digital Kids Initiative continues to grow in an effort to help parents guide their kids into safe and wise use of God’s good gift of technology. Two of the terms I’ve been using as I talk about technology are digital immigrants and digital natives. These helpful titles were first coined by Marc Prensky back in 2001. Those of us who are adults are digital immigrants. We weren’t born into a world filled with social media, smartphones, and technology. We somehow arrived here and have had to learn how to navigate this new landscape. Our kids, on the other hand, are digital natives. Social media, smartphones, and technology are familiar to them because they’ve always been part of the world of the younger generations. One of the dangers of being a digital native is that you might not be aware of the dangers that lurk in the world of technology. Parents, don’t be ignorant. Your job, difficult as it may be, is to learn what you can in order to help your kids engage wisely with technology.