Let’s be honest: the internet raised us. Not just helped us grow. It raised us. Especially those of us who didn’t grow up in households where “How was your day?” was a thing. Where we couldn’t ask our parents about love, sex, heartbreak, trauma, mental health, or even how to cook rice without being judged. We just...figured it out online.
Some of us didn’t have those parents who became our best friends. No TikToks with mom. No deep talks with dad. Just “That’s your mother,” “That’s your father,” and you deal with life in silence.
So who did we turn to?
YouTube taught us how to do makeup, fix our Wi-Fi, and survive heartbreak.
Google answered the questions we were too scared to ask out loud.
TikTok gave us relatable strangers who felt like family.
Instagram showed us who we thought we should be (even if that messed us up a little).
Twitter/X gave us the realest takes on mental health, trauma, and healing.
And while some of it messed with our minds, some of it saved us. That’s the twisted beauty of it.
The Sad Part Is...
Some parents will only realize how far away they were from their children on the day their kids walk out the door for good. Or maybe even later—when it’s too late to fix anything. When they finally meet Jesus, or sit in a quiet house wondering why their child never called them “friend.”
They might never realize that silence raised a generation who found comfort in screens, not hugs.
Gen Z: The In-Betweeners
We’re stuck in the middle. We had outside playtime and dial-up internet. We got spanked, but also had Snapchat streaks. We understand our trauma, but we’re still unpacking it in therapy (if we can afford it). We grew up fast. We’re strong, but sometimes numb. The generations after us? They’re growing up even faster—with less guidance, and more digital noise.
It’s Not All Bad
Let’s be fair. The internet gave us:
Access to information
Platforms to express ourselves
Movements that brought justice and healing
People who made us feel seen, heard, and understood
We just need to remember: the internet was never supposed to be a parent. It filled a gap—but it can’t replace real human connection.
Final Thoughts
We can’t change how we were raised. But we can raise ourselves better. We can heal. We can be the parents, siblings, friends, or mentors we didn’t have. And maybe—just maybe—we can use the internet not just to survive, but to build something real.💯
