The generation gap is the biggest problem in modern times, with the emergence of new technology, people can interact on social media, but they don’t connect physically which is the most important form of social interaction. It’s more or less the same with the next generation of students, but it’s no one’s fault.

Students are not even physically interacting with their classmates, let alone their parents, they are just lost in their phones, most of the time, overall, they are becoming self-centered. This can soon become a big issue that can completely diminish real social interaction.

This article will try to teach schools, parents, teachers, and students, what they can do to close this gap.

Why does this gap even exist?

The generation gap is an issue that causes conflicts, arguments, and misunderstanding among family members of different generations, the root cause of the generation gap is, changes in society.

In earlier years, the development of society was not that rapid so the generation gap was not that much between individuals who were 1or 2 generations apart, but now due to rapid changes in technology, every generation has a different lifestyle.

Each generation now has a different ideology and vision on right and wrong and what’s even more surprising is none of them are incorrect. This conflict in ideologies between generations is the sole enemy of physical and emotional interaction.

What can parents and their children do?

Share the knowledge: - The parents of the previous generation are not outdated as the mentality of their children says. They just want their children to teach them and make them aware of the latest technology.

At the start students can just take 5 minutes to update their parents with the use of the latest gadgets, they can also teach them what they learned in online courses. In the beginning, this may seem frustrating but as this becomes a habit, the interaction will stretch to hours of fun. Likewise, parents can share their knowledge of the world and academics with their children, for example, an easier way to solve a problem that dates back to their generation.

Both the parents and their children will learn something new every day by sharing their knowledge and experience.

Play virtual games together: - This is a common misconception that parents think that playing video games is useless, but there are various other benefits other than the fact that they are fun.

1. Playing multiplayer games teaches teamwork due to them requiring two people to play together to win the level. Parents can motivate their children while playing; they may even celebrate with chocolate after winning.

2. Playing video games can boost the “never give up” attitude in students as they have some tough levels that seem impossible to complete, students make up their minds to complete that level to show who’s the boss. Parents can mold this attitude into a healthy and more positive one that can help them tackle any situation in life.

3. Believe it or not, video games are good for the brain; puzzle and strategy games can improve thinking power and creativity as they force the player to use more of their brain. Parents can help their children strategize, doing so will help them in their work-life as well and if they are retired, they can have some alone time enjoyment.

Overall, playing games is good for a healthy relationship between parents and children. Mobile games are the trend, so they should focus more on that, but playing console or PC games has more or less the same benefits.

What can schools and teachers do?

Arrange social interaction meetings: - Just like they arrange PTMs or parent-teacher meetings, they can also arrange social interaction meetings or SIMs at least once a week.

In these meetings students shouldn’t be allowed to bring their phones to school, the teacher can act as a guide in helping the parents interact with the children, they can do various things like helping them with their subjects, play in the garden in PT periods, have lunch together and talk, basically anything that can emotionally connect them.

Have an extra no phone time in school: - Just like students are not allowed to use phones during classes, there should be an extra half an hour in school where they are again not allowed to use phones.

The schools can make a rule that during the no phone hour the teachers must take away the students’ smartphones, this is a little harsh method and they won’t like it in the beginning, but eventually, they will get new ideas in their minds that they will implement with their friends.

The only drawback is that the students may revolt as generation z is the stubborn one, to overcome this the school can give this extra no phone hour to their favorite teacher, because no matter from what generation they are, students will always obey the teacher they like.

Generation z is still okay with emotional interaction but they need to learn more and more emotional interaction or it will be harmful to future generations. That’s why it is recommended to enroll students in RBSE Affiliated School in Pratap Nagar Jaipur as they encourage more and more face-to-face communication and are doing their best to close this generation gap.