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Gen Z kids appalled by lack of internet safety of Millennial teens

The late 90s and early 2000s were certainly interesting times to come of age in America, and elder Millennials were the guinea pigs. We are part of what is known as a micro-generation, often referring to ourselves as the Oregon Trail Generation or Xennials due to our very unique experience of coming of age during the Internet's infancy.

Because we were the first teenagers exposed to the Internet in school and out, there were very little restrictions on what we were allowed to do online. It was essentially the Wild West and we were pretty oblivious to the dangers as were our parents, so no one was checking to see what we were doing. During a chat with my Gen Z kids recently, they recalled all the restrictions placed on them around electronics with access to the Internet. One bravely dared to ask if my parents were as strict about Internet use in the 1900s.

 Gen Z; internet safety; AOL chatrooms; Millennial teens; Oregon Trail; Xennials; early internet; parenting oregon trail 80s GIF  Giphy  

They love to pull the 1900s card as if we were all churning butter on our front porches waiting for our pa to come back from town in a horse drawn carriage. I play along by talking in a drawn out old timey southern accent (I'm from Pennsylvania) to say something along the lines of, "Back in my day we had to walk up the Internet hills both ways while waiting for our dialup connection. Ma and Pa didn't even know how to turn the dang flabbin computer on I reckon so we talked to a lot of strangers in a far off land called an AOL chatroom and told them our ASL."

 Gen Z; internet safety; AOL chatrooms; Millennial teens; Oregon Trail; Xennials; early internet; parenting Surprised students with books and open mouths against orange background.Photo credit: Canva

After explaining that ASL stood for "Age, Sex, Location" and not American Sign Language they were genuinely concerned. My younger one asked if we gave out accurate information and their older brother confidently said something about the use of a VPN. The looks of absolute horror that came across their faces when I broke the news that there was no VPN and I wasn't sure they existed then were truly something to behold. Suddenly, I was being scolded by two teenagers telling me how dangerous it is to share you location with strangers on the Internet. One of them even threatened to tell my mother, though I'm not quite sure what they thought the result would be there

Their questions, shock, and seeming disappointment grew when I shared we would meet some of these strangers at the mall and some friends even had them pick them up from their houses. My youngest Gen Zer gasped at that revelation, asking, "How are y'all still alive? Didn't you watch Unsolved Mysteries with that creepy guy telling you all about kids disappearing?"

 Gen Z; internet safety; AOL chatrooms; Millennial teens; Oregon Trail; Xennials; early internet; parenting Surprised by what he sees on the tablet!Photo credit: Canva

Of course we watched Unsolved Mysteries and of course we didn't think those things could happen to us. The perk of being a teenager is truly believing that you're invincible while also never fully thinking through the consequences of impulsive decisions. Thankfully, myself and all of my high school and college friends made it to the other side without ending up another story for Robert Stack to tell.

Our late adolescence is also likely the reason many elder Millennials are so vigilant with our children's Internet access. We know what we were doing while unsupervised on the Internet and how quickly technology can develop, leaving parents in the dark and teenagers exposed to dangers. But having the conversation really opened the floor to deeper discussion about Internet safety and additional precautions I took while raising them in a world immersed in the quick paced advancements of the World Wide Web.

 Gen Z; internet safety; AOL chatrooms; Millennial teens; Oregon Trail; Xennials; early internet; parenting Internet Web Surfing GIF  Giphy  

I'm the first to admit that they have reached the age where they have completely surpassed my knowledge of all things Internet. My oldest son rolls his eyes as I call him "Tech Support" when I can't figure something out just as I rolled my eyes when my parents would call me after class to ask where they were supposed to type a web address. Technology is inherently for the young. Sure, old fogies like me and older can catch on and use it, but we're slower at jumping on the bandwagon. We don't particularly like a lot of change and we also don't want to be left behind, which usually keeps us in the same role with our parents that we put our children in with us–show me how you work this thing.

Daughter shows her deaf mom Rihanna's interpreter.

Sometimes you come across something so dang sweet and wholesome that you just have to pass it along. That's the case with this short video. TikTok user Bella, whose handle is @mylifeasbella, uploaded a video to the platform showing her mother and her watching a clip of Rihanna's interpreter, Justina Miles, signing the song the star was performing at the Super Bowl.

Bella is a child of deaf adults, otherwise known as CODA, and wanted to show her mother the video since her mom skipped the Super Bowl. But as it turns out, even if she had tuned into the game, the dynamic interpreter was not shown on the screen. Bella explained in a second video that if you wanted to see the interpreter you had to go to a separate link during the halftime show.

In the video, Bella's mom is just sort of standing there until she realizes what's happening. That's when you see a quick flash of surprise on her face before she starts smiling wider, and it doesn't take long for her to start signing along with the interpreter. By the end, Bella's mom is dancing to the beat. It certainly made people smile.


"Why am I tearing up. This made me so happy. Representation matters," one person wrote.

Another said, "Why did this make me cry seeing your mom react, so powerful."

"So beautiful watching mom's face light up," a different commenter wrote, while another person said, "this is the cutest video I have seen all day."

Clearly this video has people feeling all of the feels. It currently has over 7 million views and 817,000 likes. If you want to test your smile muscles, check out the video below:

@mylifeasbella

#duet with @rollingstone My mom didn’t watch the superbowl so this was her first time seeing this and SHE LOOOVED 🤩 #fyp #deafparents #ASL #rihanna #reaction #coda #xyzbca

Courtesy of Jeanette Tapley

Disney princess surprises deaf park goer

As if Disneyland wasn't magical enough, the parks have been working to be more inclusive of all of their guests and recently a girl named Zoe Tapley got to experience it herself. Zoe is deaf and when her family was visiting Disneyland recently she was doing her rounds meeting the characters, when the woman dressed as Ana from Frozen began using American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate. The special moment was caught on camera by Zoe's mom Jeanette Tapley who shared it to her TikTok page where it has racked up over two million views and over 450,000 likes.


This trip was Zoe's second trip to Disneyland but according to her mom, this was the first time she has had an interaction with a character that knew ASL. When asked what Zoe's reaction was to the encounter, Tapley told Upworthy, "Zoe was in shock. She was so excited to be chatting with a Princess without my husband or I having to jump in and assist her. She just kept saying, “Wow!!!” We all just cried because it was so special and surprising!" But this isn't Disney's first rodeo with including ASL for their characters. In 2016 a video went viral of Captain America using ASL to communicate with a guest.

@jeanettetapley

When Princess Anna can sign and have a full conversation with my deaf child. 🥹 Zoe has never been able to chat with a princess without Jesse or myself interpreting. This was magical. Thank you Princess Anna for making our trip so special! #deafchildren #asl #americansignlanguage #BigInkEnergy #fyp #feelgood #inclusionmatters @Disney Parks @Disneyland California

Disneyland has been working on becoming more inclusive of their deaf and hard of hearing guests since 2010 and it's pretty evident that they are starting to see the fruits of their labor. Tapley said, "Disneyland actually has some great services for hearing impaired and early in that trip we went and watched a show that had interpreters. It is based off a schedule that is found on Disney’s website," She continued, "you don’t realize how un deaf friendly theme parks are until you are wandering around with your deaf child. With Zoe we just try to make her aware of her surrounding and have check in spots."

Tapley explains that the more deaf friendly a place like Disney can be the better. When you aren't hard of hearing or deaf and aren't exposed to the population, you may not realize how difficult it can be to navigate places like an amusement park. It takes places listening to different communities and people of differing abilities to know what is helpful over harmful. Tapley told Upworthy, "When deaf friends can come in and feel safe and included wow! What a gift! I think it would make for a more popular travel destination and it would make Disney stand apart!"

Zoe and Princess Ana

Photo Courtesy of Jeanette Tapley

The entire interaction left the family feeling pretty good, including the little notes Zoe has been getting from fans of the video. "We are just so thankful. Zoe has loved reading notes from people, she feels seen and loved and it’s been really fun to know that she is not alone. We are SO incredible thankful to Princess Ana for loving our family like this. We are forever bonded and I believe that she will be Zoe’s favorite princess for all of time," Tapley said.

This sure is a moment to remember. Hopefully in the future more kids like Zoe get to meet their favorite character who can communicate with them as they do with other guests.