I sometimes wonder if my phone knows my age better than I do.

I started using a mobile phone when I was quite young. Then, as smartphones began becoming popular in India, I moved to an Android phone. That was roughly 15–20 years ago. I was much younger then, and the digital world I carried in my pocket was very different from the one I carry today.

Back then, the things that appeared on my phone were mostly about movies, actors, music, travel, restaurants, new places, holidays, destinations, gadgets and people. My feed seemed to constantly encourage me to explore the world.

It was almost as if my phone was saying, “Where do you want to go next?”

Today, something has changed.

Over the last few years, I have noticed that my feed has gradually become much more about health and ageing.

Blood sugar. Cholesterol. Blood pressure. Walking. Exercise. Sleep. Vitamins. Joint health. Memory. Longevity. What to eat and what not to eat as you get older.

At some point, without my permission, my phone seems to have promoted me from “Which country should I visit next?” to “How many steps did you walk today?”

And it made me wonder: Does this happen to everyone as they get older?

Perhaps it does.

Of course, the phone doesn't actually know my age in the way a person does. What it knows is my behaviour. It learns from what I search for, what I watch, what I pause on, what I click, what I share and what I return to repeatedly.

Twenty years ago, I might have spent ten minutes watching a video about a holiday destination.

Today, I might spend ten minutes watching a video about lowering cholesterol.

The algorithm simply learns from that difference.

But I have noticed another fascinating trend, especially with my parents and some other older people.

Their feeds seem to be full of AI.

AI-generated photographs. AI videos. AI voices. AI tools that can write, create pictures, transform photographs and do things that would have seemed like magic a few years ago.

And the reaction is wonderful.

They get excited about it like small children discovering a new toy.

“Look what AI can do!”

“Can it make this?”

“Can it create a picture of me?”

There is something quite lovely about that excitement. Age doesn't necessarily reduce our curiosity. Sometimes, a completely new technology can make us feel young again.

So, is the phone changing as we age?

Not exactly.

We are changing, and the phone is learning the change.

Our phones have become strange little mirrors. They reflect our interests, our habits, our curiosity—and sometimes even our worries.

When I was younger, my phone seemed to know that I wanted to see the world.

Today, it seems to know that I want to stay healthy enough to keep seeing it.

And perhaps that is the most interesting thing about growing older in the digital age.

The phone isn't getting older with us. It is simply getting better at understanding who we have become.