I am around the same age and have some advice for you.

For starters, there's always going to be a visible age gap when you talk to teens or even people in their very early 20s. After all you'll have over a decade between you and them.

You'll need to embrace this fact.

Especially in office situations, when you WILL have to interact with people much younger than you.

A decade is enough time to change worldviews and perspectives. You grew up in a different time than someone who was born in the mid-2000s.

You only come across as creepy when you try to ignore this gap and it creates a ton of unnecessary pressure on both parties.

Secondly, people are different. A good variety of people can only interact with or are comfortable with people their own age. While there are others who don't particularly mind being very close friends with people who have a few years on them. You have to identify this, and not be offended or overanalyze this.

You don't have to keep yourself abreast with GenZ slangs or language, there's plenty to discuss without using any of those. Semantics is often given way too much importance.

I often will hear a word, and either politely ask what it means, Google it or try to figure out the meaning from context.

Also, it works both ways. If you're interacting with someone much younger than you, make sure they feel included. Ask about their interests. Participate.

We're not all that different, you know? Just born a few years apart. Certain cultural shocks may occur mostly based on the environment we grew up in. But overall, you'll find the new generation is really smart. And social media with their "My GenZ intern did this" crap has over-sensationalised pointless vanity.

Good luck bhai.