Gen Zer shares his generation's quirky texting habit that baffled his mom: 'Broke the fourth wall'

We often witness generational clashes, from everyday habits to perplexing relationship issues. Gen Z youngsters, with their quirky lifestyle choices, often leave their Gen X or Millennial parents puzzled. A similar situation occurred with a young Gen Zer when his mom struggled to understand his complex digital behavior. Tyler Vitelli, a teenager with a significant online presence (@tylervitelli2 on TikTok), sparked a discussion on social media when he talked about what he claimed was a Gen Z-specific habit that older generations find difficult to understand.

In a widely circulating video, Tyler discussed the growing differences with his mom regarding his online activity across various social media platforms. According to the content creator, older generations struggle to understand Gen Z’s habit of interacting differently depending on the platform. “(They fail to get) how we can have two completely different conversations with each other at the same time on different apps,” the teenager explained to his 1.4 million followers.

Before expressing her frustration with Gen Z’s online communication habits, Tyler’s mother had a disheartening exchange with the teen. She was upset about his failing a test. Tyler recounted the incident, saying, “I was texting my mom on iMessage about how I just failed my math test, and she was like, ‘Tyler, I’m so disappointed in you.’” However, her disappointment quickly turned to confusion when Tyler sent her a completely unrelated message on a different app.

"But then on another app, I saw a funny video of a cat biting their owner’s leg," Tyler explained. "So, I sent it to my mom and I said, 'This is totally something our cat would do, hahaha.'" His mother, surprised by the sudden shift in tone, replied, “Are you sending me this video like you didn’t just text me saying you’re failing math?” The exchange left Tyler frustrated, as it highlighted his mom’s inability to grasp his usual approach to online communication.

Tyler further explained that his mother struggled to understand the separation between simultaneous conversations on different platforms. “What parents don’t understand is that when you’re having two different conversations on different apps, they’re not supposed to mix,” he said, emphasizing his distinct online personas across platforms. “When my mom brought our iMessage conversation into the DMs, it was like she broke the fourth wall. I didn’t even know you could do that,” Tyler remarked, noting this disconnect as a common experience among Gen Zers.

The 40-second clip of Tyler discussing his differing texting habits with his mom has amassed 5.2 million views and 582,200 likes. Among the many reactions, @walubenji commented, “Texting in different apps is like jumping to a different universe. The canon changes with each app.” “I can have two different conversations about two totally different topics in the same app with the same person,” @kxy_alexander wrote. Meanwhile, @.hbk shared, “Trust me, millennials invented that decades ago—I remember doing this in middle school with MSN and Facebook.”

You can follow Tyler Vitelli (@tylervitelli2) on TikTok for more lifestyle and wholesome content.