Digital Native

A digital native is an individual who was born after the widespread adoption of digital technology. The term digital native doesn't refer to a particular generation. Instead, it is a catch-all category for children who have grown up using technology like the Internet, computers and mobile devices. This exposure to technology in the early years is believed to give digital natives a greater familiarity with and understanding of technology than people who were born before it was widespread.

Alternatively, this term can describe people born in the later 1980s or later, as the digital age began at that time; but in most cases, the term focuses on people who grew up with 21st-century modern technology.
For a couple of years, the idea of the digital native's theory was very popular and helped to put the impact of digital on the radar of many people and politics.


Not all children born today are digital natives by default. Interacting regularly with technology at a young age is the deciding factor. That said, children today are more likely to be familiar with the terminology of the digital world. This isn’t to say they will intuitively understand computer programming or how a network transmits data. They will, however, be better placed to understand these technologies as they will have seen them in action many times.