I don't find this even slightly surprising. I did a further degree (not tech) just a few years back at my local uni which put me more in touch with regular, no

I don't find this even slightly surprising. I did a further degree (not tech) just a few years back at my local uni which put me more in touch with regular, non-techy young folk than I'd had for years. I was assured by everyone (despite their knowing that I'm a programmer) that the digital natives would run rings around me with their mad internet & computing skills. I've also done a fair bit of "Code Club" style volunteer teaching at a local library. What I find is cohorts of young people most of whom have desktops covered in files not because they're intrinsically messy people, but because they have no idea how to manage files elsewhere (and would lose them if they tried). And whose internet-based research skills are no different from my 83 year old mother's. They're more confident, and hence more willing to try things, but no more knowledgeable. What intuitions growing up with computers has equipped them with mostly relates to a few narrow & specialised corporate interfaces (Facebook, Instagram et al). Our educational institutions (here in Aus anyway) do a lousy job of teaching people to use computers. And our computing industry's approach to human factors is an unmitigated shitshow.