"In type that scrolls up the screen like the preface for Star Wars, a YouTube video reads, "For years, parents could not text message. They could not figure out how to record a voice mail. They could not even connect to the Internet without using AOL."

Warning that parents are adapting to technological gadgets, it flips to a short clip of a man learning to use the video capabilities on his cell phone. "Watch with caution," it closes, "and pray that your own parents do not gain these powers."

Techno-tweens and teens relax.

According to a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, there's a long way to go before adults embrace interactive online media to the degree that teens have.

"The nature of conversation and communication is changing in a world in which young people are becoming very comfortable with expressing themselves through video and audio and mixing it together," said Mary Madden, a Pew senior research specialist and one of the report's authors. "That's a very different kind of expression. It's not as controlled. It's more chaotic. And that's difficult for adults to understand, how teens can navigate these spaces."


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