Mark Cuban says that if it weren't for his teens, he wouldn't know what 'skibidi' means
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for WIRED
- Mark Cuban learns about new technologies and trends through his teenage kids.
- Knowing about social media also allows the billionaire to connect with them.
- Cuban recently left "Shark Tank" to spend more time with his kids.
Social media may feel like unchartered territory to some parents — but Mark Cuban is leaning in.
In an interview with People posted on Thursday, the entrepreneur shared eight rules that he follows in life — including this one parenting tip.
"Number one, follow the scroll," Cuban, 66, said. "Oh my goodness, I learned so much from my kids. I learned what 'skibidi' is," he said, referring to the Gen Alpha lingo. "Skibidi Toilet" is an animated YouTube series about singing and dancing toiletlike creatures that want to take over the world.
Social media is an integral part of their lives, he added. "I keep on learning from them because they are exposed to all these new technologies."
Referring to himself as a "tech guy," Cuban said he tries to understand how social media algorithms influence his kids' lives.
Knowing about social media also helps him connect with them.
"They're in the car, and I'm driving my son. I can look over at a stoplight and see him scrolling through his Instagram or TikTok and know exactly what he's interested in," he said.
"Trying to be able to connect to him, which, like for any parent, could be almost impossible, but it's just informative," he added.
Cuban has three kids, who are 14, 17, and 21.
In May 2020, he posted a video on Instagram of him dancing with his daughters. "Teaching me to dance ????????????," he wrote in the caption.
Last November, Cuban announced that he would leave "Shark Tank" after Season 16, which premiered in October on ABC.
"I'm leaving just to spend more time with my kids — they're teenagers now," he told The Wrap in October. "We shoot in June and September, and just getting the opportunity now when they're getting out of school to be able to spend time directly with them, that's important. I'm tired of missing that."
Cuban is not alone in using social media as a tool of connection.
Nina McCollum recently wrote for Business Insider that she uses TikTok and Instagram to communicate with her teenage son. They watch social media content together and have discussions about them.
"Politics, religion, science, life choices, and risk-taking are just some of the discussions social content has sparked," she wrote. "None of this connection would be happening if we didn't communicate through these videos."
A few celebrity parents have resorted to other means of connection.
"Modern Family" actor, Julie Bowen, said she hangs out around the house so her three teen sons know where to find her if they need her.
"If you just kind of park it, make fake cookies in the kitchen no one's ever going to eat, they start coming in and out. You start having conversations with teenagers," Bowen said in an October episode of "The Three Questions with Andy Richter" podcast.
Molly Shannon, a "Saturday Night Live" alum, advised parents of teens to change their attitudes about parenting in an interview on "Today with Hoda and Jenn." She added that they should have empathy when interacting with their teens.
"Most of the time, they just want to be heard. I try to think of that," she said.
Cuban did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.