Photo: Salma Hayek / Instagram
A study published in the Journal of Communication interviewed 14 parent-child pairs in Chile and surveyed 242. Between 30% and 40% of parents were taught how to use computers and the internet by their children, according to the research. In the US, a New America survey of lower-income families found that in households with 10- to 13-year-olds, children help parents with technology as often as parents help them. The share of parents relying on their kids has also risen since 2015. That study also found that parents who were helped this way were more likely to be 35 or older.
Because i didn’t know how to do it”, she said, explaining, she was protecting me.
For many parents, saying “just show me how” to a teenager has become a daily habit and actress Salma Hayek is happy to admit she’s one of them. She says that her teacher was her daughter, Valentina Pinault. Hayek asked why certain accounts kept showing up for her, and Valentina told her they should block them: “Why am I getting this? And she said, “Oh, no, no, no. Hayek also said Valentina knew exactly what to get rid of and how to protect herself, and that Instagram’s Teen Accounts gave her peace of mind. Twenty-one percent of each said they “often” do. Lead author Correa says children from lower-income families often pick up digital skills at school and from friends, then pass them on at home.
Mom, let’s block this, this, this, and that. They limit who can contact teens and what content they see. Valentina still keeps a private account. Surprisingly, Hayek isn’t the only parent turning to a child for tech help; many other parents across the world are trying to keep up with the digital pace. Let’s see what research has to reveal on this. Hayek’s story is an example of a bigger pattern that researchers call “digital brokering. In another paper, she and her co-authors note that younger generations are more familiar with digital media and carry more authority regarding it. That lets tech knowledge flow “upward. A parent who came to Instagram late in the study, like Hayek, fits the picture. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test Get the latest Lifestyle News and more. Download the TOI app.
5 Oct 2026 | 12:06 In a new episode of Instagram’s Carversations, a series that sits parents and teens down for a chat, she revealed that she came to the digital world late.
“I had her quite late, and I wasn’t tech-savvy even before,” she explained, adding that Instagram felt like a brand-new universe that she learned to enjoy.