Many of us in "Generation X" grew up with the Internet, to some extent. And many of us are raising our children with Internet access, too. There are plenty of "Parental Controls" available -- from iOS to Android to Nintendo -- to let us control how our kids learn, grow and use the network. It's all around them, and they depend on it more than they realize.
But there is another aspect as well. Our parents also depend on the network. Despite not being raised with it, most every older person has an email address or SMS, Internet-accessible banking, some kind of mobile phone, tablet or computer.
The tricky thing is, we (as a society) haven't put as much thought into how older adults may need more help using technology as they age. We have put effort into accessibility features in apps and operating systems.
But we haven't put as much effort into creating the "scaffolding" that older adults need just like younger kids do. Both of those populations may need help using technology, making good judgments, and learning (or changing) how they do things using the Internet.
That's what this project is about. How can we use "parental controls" not so much as the "parent of a child," but as the child of our parents? How can we help them stay safe, connected and get the most from this connection medium that didn't exist at all when they were growing up?