Shared Challenges, Shared Solutions: Bridging the Generational Divide

What happens when you sit down with teens and adults to talk about big topics like social media, technology, education, communication, mental health, and intergenerational relationships? 

You see that despite our differences—digital natives vs. digital citizens, Gen X and millennials vs. Gen Z and Gen Alpha—we have a surprising amount in common when it comes to our relationships with technology.

At In Tandem, we recently had the chance to chat with eight individuals across ages about their experiences with topics like social media, mental health, and generational dynamics. We spoke with:

• Four teens from the In Tandem Youth Voice Fellowship program.
• Four adults who work for Hopelab, a transformative social innovation lab and impact investor working to support the mental well-being of adolescents ages 10–25.

These weren’t formal interviews—just candid, wide-ranging conversations to better understand their views. What came through loud and clear was the shared sense of curiosity, concern, and hope across generations. Here’s what they had to say.

Technology provides connection—but requires caution

The adults and youth we spoke to can agree—technology is a powerful tool for connection. 

“Technology has made my world a lot broader in terms of what I’m able to bring into the workplace and what I do every day,” shared Amy Green, Head of Research at Hopelab. 

Similarly, a Youth Partner shared how technology helps her maintain long-distance relationships: “My family lives in India and Pakistan and my best friends are there. And in the morning when I wake up, like even on the way to school, I will check in with them… I think it's just a great way to keep up with everyone's lives and see how people are doing.” 

However, both generations expressed concerns about technology’s downsides. 

While Amy sees the benefits of connection, she also shared concerns: “Something that worries me about [technology] is how do we do both? How do we let people get the good parts of technology and connection, but also maintain the really rich–especially from a developmental perspective—parts that come from in-person connections?”

For teens, technology often means artificial intelligence. One Youth Partner was aware of its limitations: “ChatGPT, if you're asking it for help for English or history homework, it can give you some basic-level ideas.”

Another Youth Partner worried about what would happen when students go beyond using AI in basic studies: “Let's say like 75 percent of people in school today that were going to go down a history/politics path used AI to write a majority of their essays. That means that over half of the people we have running our country in the future are not getting their ideas from their own head.”

Lionel Ramazzini, Creative Lead at Hopelab, praised the ease of AI in daily life but worried about the skills he was no longer using: “Is [AI] deteriorating a skill that I took years to do—learning how to write a fast and efficient professional email? What skills are we losing when we gain others?”

The consensus seems to be that while technology enhances our lives, it’s important to strike a balance between convenience and meaningful interaction.

Want more intergenerational insights on technology? Check out some of the answers we heard in a recent survey of teens and adults. 

Social media is a double-edged sword

Social media came up throughout our conversations, appearing across answers about technology, communication, and intergenerational connection. 

Like technology, respondents saw social media as both good and bad. 

“I think social media is a gift and a blessing to so many people, especially marginalized people, who
find their communities and find their identity development and belonging online, who can’t find that in their real-life communities,” said Samira Pingali, Principal, Translational Science at Hopelab. 

That’s what one Youth Partner has in mind when she posts on social media: “I want to use my platform in a way that educates other people on what's going on in the world. Not everybody has that person that's going to go post those types of things to keep them mindful about what's going on in the world.”

Still, the challenges of life with social media are undeniable. Both groups noted the harmful effects of comparison and the pressures of a curated online presence. 

“Social media makes life look so perfect,” a Youth Partner explained, “and it makes people forget that you do go through certain things and you have to go through certain things as a human… You have to kind of like, step back a little bit.”

Samira summarized many of the sentiments of the Youth Partners, adding, “Young people do see that there is potential for harm in social media. And they do want safer online places, but their voices and their opinions are not asked when people ultimately make these decisions and carry out these protocols.”

“Engage young people in the process when it's for them. Don't ban it. Don't block it. Make it better.”

Amy Green, Head of Research at Hopelab

How can social media companies do better for their youth audience? Amy’s recommendation: “Engage young people in the process when it's for them. Don't ban it. Don't block it. Make it better.” 

Mental health is a shared priority

Concerns about mental health also resonated across generations. Youth participants highlighted the stress they experienced in schools but didn’t feel comfortable going to the resources made available. 

One Youth Partner shared, “Let's say you speak to a guidance counselor or a teacher, it always feels like their primary concern is that their school doesn't get a bad rep or like you're not a liability to them.”

Another Youth Partner offered, “I know that they do offer therapists, but no one usually goes to them,” which she credited possibly to the stigma of seeing a therapist. 

“When you talk about mental health in school, I feel like a lot of people shy away from it because they feel like if this school knows about this, then my education is going to be compromised,” explained a Youth Partner. 

The adults we spoke to were familiar with this feedback. Lionel shared from his experience working with youth: “I used to run after-school programs in a previous career, and I oftentimes found that cutting a young person a little bit of slack, ten minutes later they would come and be like, ‘You know, here's actually why I was mad.’ And then I'd be like, ‘Oh, that's okay. That's super normal. That's so human, right?’”

"I oftentimes found that cutting a young person a little bit of slack, ten minutes later they would come and be like, ‘You know, here's actually why I was mad.’ And then I'd be like, ‘Oh, that's okay. That's super normal. That's so human, right?"

Lionel Ramazzini, Creative Lead at Hopelab

But students aren’t the only ones feeling overwhelmed. “When life gets stressed, that's the time you have to turn up the volume of self-care. Not down, even if it's at the expense of falling further behind. I found that I will be more productive if I take an hour and go for a bike and clear my head and then go back and work for three than if I just worked for four hours,” said Nathaan Demers, Principal Investor/Staff at Hopelab.

Bridging the generational divide

Unfortunately, harmful stereotypes about generations can make it hard for everyone to co-create the future. Speaking about the pressure older generations have about traditional 9-to-5 jobs, a Youth Partner said: 

“Like that's the system that you grew, you went through to climb the ladder back then, 30 years ago. But now going into a 9-to-5 is kind of just, it's a different thing. You're not going to climb a ladder. Realistically, the best thing that you can do is break that cycle. And that might be seen as lazy from the perspective of the older generation. But from the perspective of our generation, it's changing the system.”

“That might be seen as lazy from the perspective of the older generation. But from the perspective of our generation, it's changing the system.”

Youth Partner

While both groups acknowledged the generation gap, they expressed a desire to learn from one another. Adults noted that generational divides often disappear during collaboration.

Amy spoke from her firsthand experience at Hopelab: “I do think that when you put folks from an intergenerational divide together they learn from each other very quickly and that it changes perspectives.”

Amy’s colleague Lionel agreed: “I think young people really enjoy and value the wisdom older folks have when it's a gift that is wanted and received. And I think that older generations, we get to see what's new, innovative, fresh. That's the beautiful symbiosis that happens when you have an environment in which you can acknowledge we might not understand each other fully.”

Spending more time together and sharing experiences can foster understanding. Another Youth Partner described introducing his mentor to his favorite music: “Music is a big thing for me. I slowly showed her some songs I listened to and at first, you know, she didn't really understand it, but now she kind of likes it.”

Both groups emphasized the importance of context when navigating generational differences. “Let's say someone from a younger generation tells you about a situation that happened to them, don't put it in the context of your life or how you grew up,” cautions another Youth Partner. And the same thing with younger people. You can't put their struggles in the context of where you grew up. Like you have to realize that you both live in very, very different worlds.”

Nathaan offered this reminder: “Aristotle thought that the written word was going to be the demise of the human brain because you wouldn't have to remember anything anymore because you could write it down. So I think we also have to put in perspective that every generation has their ‘thing.’”

“I think every generation thought whatever technology or whatever change it is, whether it was rock music or whatever, is the demise of a generation.” 

Nathaan Demers, Principal Investor/Staff at Hopelab

Shared challenges, shared solutions

Although adults and youth approach life from different perspectives, these conversations revealed shared concerns about technology, social media, and mental health. Both groups value connection, care about creating supportive environments, and hope to build bridges across generational divides.

“Being able to think about intergenerational partnerships as benefits for everyone involved is also helpful,” advises Samira. “I think there is this general understanding that if you’re working with a young person, you are supporting them and you are mentoring them, coaching them, advising them. But I think that what’s a mindset shift is that they can help you as much or if not more. Be open to that and want that change and help.”

A Youth Partner added this reminder, “When you spend more time with someone, you inherently trust them more.” They added, “I feel like the closer you become with the person you're working with, the easier work you'll be doing.”

In these reflections, we see that despite the differences, people from all generations are actively invested in making the world a better place. Whether through technology, community, or simple conversations, the potential to create shared solutions is as exciting as it is hopeful.

Want to integrate Youth Partner perspectives to your organization?

Learn more about how we support organizations. 

Are you a teen who wants to share your insights and receive a financial scholarship?

Learn more about our Youth Voice Fellowship.