Here’s a thought for you: The technology that we use is growing together with our kids. It has impacted their lives more than we anticipated.
Let me preface this with a fact. My daughter is now 10 years old. It’s been 10 years since she came into our lives, and she’s growing up to be an independent young girl with moderate exposure to technology. She has also become aware of the life I lead as an online media and digital content creator.
The funny thing about our kids growing up is that I suddenly realized they are growing, and so is the technology we utilize for our daily lives.
There has been significant growth in technology in our lives over the past decade. This is especially true for our kids.
For us grown-ups, there are some things we didn’t use in 2016 that we have now fully embraced in 2026.
EVs or Electric Vehicles have become staples on our roads in that span of time. We’ve seen big EV brands gaining momentum and popping up all over the streets and even on social media.
A certain blue superhero even had an EV company sponsor their appearance in the Philippines last year. That’s how big electric vehicles have become.
In 2016, this was very rare. The country knows of EVs, but there are hardly any electric cars, and now look at us. We even have eco-friendly taxis joining the traffic on our roads.
But for me, the most prevalent technology that has grown tremendously is Artificial Intelligence or AI.
AI started as a Terminator-related joke in 2016 and has become both a bane and a boon. There are tons of practical uses for AI in our daily lives, and we’ve seen the technology prosper in our mobile phones and editing software.
In 2016, there weren’t “AI-powered cameras” or “AI-editing software” on our smartphones. But in today’s market, buying just about any phone, you’ll see that there’s a hint of AI.
AI has also become a huge help and problem in the education system globally and locally. Students have become so used to getting the answers they need for schoolwork from AI.
Parents are also getting help in understanding their kids’ lessons through AI.
I could cover the entire page with talks of A.I. and the good and bad, but the main point is still that it continues to grow. And I appreciate how kids are leaning hard into technology. My daughter joins me in covering events from time to time. She’s become a capable assistant at taking photos and videos when I cover events. She can easily edit videos and crop photos, too.
Her classmates and peers are on the same level when it comes to using devices. These kids know their memes and have their own slang, just like we did years ago. They are smart enough to operate complex games and apps and communicate proficiently through smartphones and tablets. They know how to operate Smart TVs and Smartwatches. They know their anime and are familiar with concepts of comic conventions and cosplay, even at an early age. They also know A.I. They are more attuned to how to use it and how to get results. Its a crazy idea to think that by the time these kids reach adulthood, artificial intelligence might just have grown up with them.
Growing together with technology has its ups and downs. It’s like the never-ending battle between good and evil.
But for every dark, there’s the light, and that light is the promise that the future generation will have capable leaders and personnel who can steer technology and mankind’s usage in the right direction.
