If you do this in your text messages, you’re aging yourself, according to Gen Z

There’s a vast difference in texting etiquette amongst different generations. That Boomer thumbs-up reply is on the opposite end of the spectrum of Gen Z’s slang acronyms.

So 22-year-old Jason Saperstone took it upon himself to get everyone on the same texting page by creating a “Texting rules” PowerPoint presentation for his parents, which he posted about on Instagram.

“Mom and Dad, I love you, but you need to get better at texting,” he said, kicking off his how-to presentation. “So the thing we’re going to be working on today is how to use the emphasis.”

Saperstone was referring to the “exclamation point” reaction one could give to a message — but he claimed his parents were using it wrong.

He explained to his student parents that this reaction means you agree with what the texter is saying, you’re in the same situation as someone, or someone is ignoring you and you want their attention.

“Next time you are about to emphasize a text message and ask yourself: do I agree with what they are saying? Am I in the same situation as them? Are they ignoring me and do I want attention? If none apply, a simple thumbs up will work,” the Gen Zer explained.

Based on their confusion and questions, the 22-year-old’s parents seemed to be using this reaction the wrong way — along with many commenters on the video.

“I thought emphasize was the equivalent of saying ‘omg,’” one comment read.

“I kind of agree with Mom here! I use it like ‘omg, whaaat?’ Like in response to someone telling me something wild or exciting,” someone else said.

“Gen Alpha does not get to redefine punctuation,” quipped another commenter.

Saperstone admitted in an interview with TODAY.com that his generation has complicated the simple act of texting.

“They text with such good intentions,” he told the outlet, “but I don’t think they really get all the features. Gen Z has made it tricky for them. We’ve basically created our own language that only we fully understand.”

And Boomers shouldn’t feel too bad because Gen Z is also calling out millennials for overusing “lol” in their texts.

Millennial Anna Gaddis took to TikTok to defend her generation’s habit, saying that those who criticize people using “lol” at the end of sentences don’t realize that it simply signifies a quiet snicker or subtle chuckle.