From mortifying public overshares to treating every suspicious health article like gospel truth, the digital divide between boomers and their kids has never been more hilariously painful—or universally relatable.
Ever catch yourself physically cringing when you see your mom's latest Facebook post? You're not alone.
Last weekend, I was having coffee with my mother when she proudly showed me her phone.
"Look! I shared this important health warning with all my friends!" It was a completely fake article about bananas causing arthritis, complete with terrible grammar and a sketchy website link. When I gently suggested she might want to fact-check before sharing, she looked at me like I'd suggested she learn quantum physics.
This got me thinking about all the ways our parents use Facebook that make us, their children, want to hide under a rock.
After years of observing my own parents and hearing stories from friends, I've compiled the most common Facebook behaviors that boomers consider perfectly normal but leave their kids reaching for the aspirin.
1. Sharing every single unverified news article and health warning
Remember when your parents taught you not to believe everything you read? Apparently, that rule doesn't apply to Facebook.
My mother has shared articles claiming everything from "drinking water cures cancer" to "the government is controlling the weather." When I ask if she's checked whether these are true, she says, "Well, it was on Facebook, so someone must have verified it."
The painful part? Watching your intelligent, educated parent fall for obvious clickbait and misinformation. And knowing that all their friends are seeing it too. I've tried sending links to fact-checking websites, but apparently, Snopes is "biased" and "run by the government."
2. Writing personal messages on public walls
"Hi sweetie, remember you have a doctor's appointment tomorrow for that rash you mentioned. Love, Mom."
Sound familiar? For some reason, boomers haven't grasped the concept of private messaging. Everything from medical updates to family drama gets posted right there on your wall for all 500 of your friends to see.
I once had to explain to my dad why posting "Call me, we need to talk about your sister's drinking problem" on my timeline wasn't appropriate. His response? "But I wanted to make sure you saw it." The existence of private messages, texts, and actual phone calls apparently didn't occur to him.
3. Using ellipses after everything...
"Happy birthday... hope you have a good day... love you..."
Why does every boomer write like they're composing the world's most ominous message? Those ellipses make everything sound passive-aggressive or deeply troubled. A simple "Great photo!" becomes "Great photo..." and suddenly you're wondering what you did wrong.
I asked my mom about this once. She said she thought it made her messages look "thoughtful and proper." Meanwhile, her kids are over here thinking she's disappointed in our life choices. Again.
4. Commenting on every single post
Your childhood friend posts a photo of their lunch. Within minutes, your mom has commented, "Looks delicious! Remember when you used to eat at our house? You loved my lasagna! How is your mother doing? Tell her I said hi!"
Boomers treat Facebook like it's one big conversation where they need to acknowledge everything. They don't understand the unspoken rule that you can scroll past things without engaging. Every post deserves a comment, preferably one that includes at least three unrelated topics and multiple exclamation points.
5. The all-caps emotional outbursts
"I AM SO PROUD OF MY DAUGHTER!!!! SHE IS THE BEST WRITER IN THE WORLD!!!! EVERYONE SHOULD READ HER ARTICLES!!!!"
While the sentiment is sweet, the execution makes you want to deactivate your account. Boomers haven't learned that all caps equals yelling in the digital world. They think it shows enthusiasm. We think it shows they've lost control of their emotions and their keyboard.
My mother still introduces me as "my daughter who worked in finance" to strangers, but on Facebook? Suddenly I'm "THE MOST AMAZING DAUGHTER WHO LEFT HER BORING JOB TO FOLLOW HER DREAMS!!!" The whiplash is real.
6. Tagging you in unflattering photos from 2003
Nothing says "I love you" quite like your parent uploading 47 photos from your awkward teenage years and tagging you in every single one. Braces, acne, questionable fashion choices, all there for your professional network to enjoy.
"But you looked so cute!" they say, while you frantically untag yourself from a photo where you're mid-bite into a burger, eyes half-closed, wearing a shirt that says "Princess" in glitter.
The concept of curating your online presence is completely foreign to them. They think sharing these photos shows they're proud of you. You think it shows they're trying to sabotage your dating life.
7. Falling for every Facebook scam and challenge
"I do not give Facebook permission to use my photos! Copy and paste this to your wall!"
Every few months, my dad shares some variation of this meaningless legal disclaimer. When I explain it does nothing, he says, "Better safe than sorry!" Then he'll turn around and click on a quiz titled "Which vegetable are you?" that requires access to his entire contact list.
Don't even get me started on the challenges. "Share this if you love Jesus, ignore if you love Satan!" My parents' generation seems physically unable to scroll past these without engaging.
8. The overly detailed life updates
"Going to the grocery store now. Need milk, bread, and bananas. Then stopping at the pharmacy for Dad's prescription. After that, heading home to make dinner. Thinking about chicken tonight, or maybe fish if it's on sale."
Who asked? Nobody. But boomers treat Facebook like a minute-by-minute diary of their activities. They haven't grasped that not every moment needs documentation.
During one of my digital detox weekends, I came back to find my mom had posted twelve updates about her garden, complete with individual photos of each tomato plant. The running commentary included weather updates, pest control strategies, and philosophical musings about the meaning of growth.
9. Creating new accounts when they forget their password
"This is my new account! I couldn't remember my password for the old one!"
Instead of using the password reset function that literally every website has, boomers just create entirely new profiles. Then they send friend requests to everyone again, leading to confusion about which account is real.
My dad currently has four Facebook accounts. Four. He uses whichever one he happens to remember the password for that day. Trying to explain password managers to him was like trying to teach my cat calculus.
Final thoughts
Look, I love my parents. Having honest conversations with them about everything from mental health to technology has brought us closer in many ways. But their Facebook behavior? That's a work in progress.
The generational divide in social media use is real, and while these behaviors drive us crazy, they come from a place of trying to connect and engage with the world. Our parents didn't grow up with these unwritten rules of online etiquette. They're doing their best with a technology that emerged when they were already set in their ways.
So the next time your mom comments "LOL" on a post about someone's death (thinking it means "Lots of Love"), take a deep breath. Maybe send her a gentle private message explaining the confusion. Or better yet, call her. She'd probably prefer that anyway.
Just don't be surprised when she posts about your phone call on Facebook five minutes later.
