Parents and technology: ‘I’m terrified my parents will be left behind as technology advances – my dad still has an ancient flip phone’

OPINION — There’s a new kind of anxiety that comes with being an adult in the 21st century – the fear of your parents getting left behind.

Technological advancements are relentless. Every day there’s a new app update, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is astounding and scammers are becoming so sophisticated it’s difficult to tell the difference between real and fake.

Many of us have adapted easily to technology’s constant changes because we grew up with it. But what about our parents and grandparents who didn’t?

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My own mum and dad (bless their hearts) are an example of the latter.

They’re as old-school as it gets. At 71, my dad still has an ancient flip phone and he can’t work the space bar so every text message is written as one never-ending word.

He happily still uses a TV with an in-built VCR. He won’t subscribe to any streaming servic, and finds movies by looking in the TV guide in the newspaper.

My mum, who is 69, is slightly better.

I trained her with basic iPhone knowledge so she can use Facebook and “check in” on the app to show off her location to pals.

She’s a little more open to change, but not by much.

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They both refuse to use online banking – which is fine, of course.

But when the two biggest banks in their small town announced they’d be closing their branches, they made a stand.

Instead of even pondering going digital, they decided to leave the bank they’d been with for decades and moved to one that still had a place where you can “talk to a human”.

That’s just the start of it.

Booking a holiday? They go a travel agent. Getting a train ticket? They go to the ticket office. Self-service at the checkout? Forget about it.

They’re more than happy to do everything in-person, and I love that they want to stick to the ways they know best.

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But my fear is that there are so many changes being made with technology, sooner or later they might get left behind.

Everything is going digital these days – from boarding passes on flights, to filling in forms and even ordering food.

There was only a story today about Hungry Jack’s using an AI assistant on their drive-throughs, which I know would leave them horrified.

My parents are smart, but every day they feel more uncertain about the world around them and have to ring their daughters for advice.

I love my parents more than the world, and would do anything for them so it’s never an issue… but what about those who have no one to ask?

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For many, technology is freedom – but for others, it can feel like a minefield.

All I can do is offer endless explanations, try and keep them safe from scammers and make the changes feel a little less overwhelming.

I keep this in mind every time I feel a slight tinge of frustration when they ask me for the millionth time how to do a simple task which involves technology.

At the rate the world is going, I’ll probably be doing the very same thing in years to come.

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