If the older ones among us are honest with themselves, they will acknowledge that there has always been a gap in values, attitudes, and expectations separating older people from younger ones — parents from their children.

Given the times we are living through, with the unprecedented surge in technological advances in recent decades, it’s hardly surprising that research is showing that long-running generational gap widening.

The inescapable truth is that technology has always dictated human behaviour. So that today many people — children and young adults especially — are far more inclined to focus on their cellphones and/or other digital devices than socialising with others or participating in outdoor activities, as was the case during leisure time of previous generations.

The material evidence is all around us. We should ask ourselves when last we saw children playing sport spontaneously — without adult supervision — on a community playfield, open lot, anywhere.

Disquiet and concern are undoubtedly heightened by news in Thursday’s edition of this newspaper that research shows more teenagers nowadays are suffering from stress and anxiety, to the extent of harbouring thoughts about self-harm and even suicide.

Unsurprisingly, researchers are identifying a digital link. We are told that the “high levels of screen time highlight the importance of digital balance and supportive rules” and “excessive screen time can [adversely] impact physical, social, and mental health”.

Also, excessive social media use can adversely affect relationships and in-person interactions, and “increases exposure to risky content and online pressures”.

Further, “If current trends persist, several digital-related challenges [will] emerge across multiple areas. First, there is reduced sleep, activity, and family engagement as screen time displaces healthy habits…”

Parental supervision is highly recommended, but we are told that “widening gaps in parental digital supervision appear between technologically confident families who maintain open conversations, privacy settings, and screen time limits and parents lacking knowledge or time who are unfamiliar with risks, unclear about settings, or have little time to monitor”.

So what’s to be done?

Inevitably, there will be those who insist on wholesale banning of cellphones for children below a prescribed age and even a ban on social media use by the very young. Are such remedies even workable given our freewheeling culture?

This newspaper has long argued that sustainable, long-term solutions for many of Jamaica’s problems must involve proactive community organisation and leadership training.

We have consistently said that cohesive, unified, well-led communities will — by dint of their very nature — be supportive of the anti-crime fight as well as the push to empower people in combating chronic poverty, illiteracy, ignorance, and so forth.

From our perspective, parental training, embracing not only ways to positively socialise our children in values and attitudes but also imparting other relevant knowledge such as is related to digitisation, should be part and parcel of such community initiatives.

Clearly, volunteerism involving school leaders, teachers, church leaders, community leaders including justices of the peace, police personnel, business operators, and others, is very important.

But also, it seems to us, the Social Development Commission should be equipped, resourced, and directed to properly fulfil its mandate to organise communities, which, we contend, must include parental training.

In an ideal world that would be possible immediately. Given current realities, it won’t. But let’s begin that essential process of properly empowering communities.