The “TechSynched” Generation are they forcing a complete change in parenting norms.
There are now over 17 million Millennial moms in the U.S. Though a good portion of these moms and dads were digital natives, their children will be born into a completely changed digital world, where the internet, mobile phones, and social media are not only a part of their lives but intimately tied to their day-to-day life: the average child gets their first mobile phone at 10 years of age, 64% have access to the internet, and 40% get their own social media accounts at around 11 years old. These numbers will surely explode with our next generations of kids.
But there is a disconnect: some tech giants are now struggling with how their tools affect consumers psychologically, and it’s been widely reported that even some Silicon Valley executives strictly limit their kids from using social media, guiding them to instead go outside or read.
We’re at a digital crossroads, with parents who may not have grown up with the net at this stage of their lives struggling with how to add guardrails and structure to their children’s lives in a social media world – because these children will likely live in this world for the rest of their lives. Many parents fear what they can’t control – and what they may not know much about.
So how do Millennial parents deal with their completely plugged kids – or “Gen TechSynched”?
We surveyed almost 600 parents (all non users) to find out, for our 2018 State of Digital Parenting Survey. Data was collected from a paid SurveyMonkey audience, using selective ad targeting of parents with kids between the age range of 5 and 13.
We wanted to look at how Millennial parents connect with their kids about daily household management – especially things like chores. How does this generation feel about social media and their kids? Are they more permissive like parents from the bohemian boomers who grew up in the psychedelic 60’s and became “free range” parents in the 1980s? Or will they have the strict discipline norms of the 50’s Silent Generation?
Here is what we found:
1SOCIAL MEDIA IS A PARENT’S ENEMY NUMBER TWO.
Surveyed parents were most acutely worried about having enough time for their children, followed by concern about where their kids are spending their time on social media, and lastly, who is influencing their kids – either online or from other children.
2MANY PARENTS ARE “CHORE AVERSE” – BUT GIVE THEM A HIGH PAYOUT
40% of parents said they did not give their kids any chores, but from the parents who did, 30% gave their kids money a lucrative 4 times per month. Interestingly, 41% of mothers did not give allowances, compared to 31% of dads. American parents gave kids more chores than international parents.
380% OF PARENTS SAID THEY HAD TO “CHORE NAG” THEIR KIDS ALMOST EVERY DAY
The vast majority (80%) said their kids needed constant reminders of doing or finishing their chores. What’s more, 60% of fathers but almost 70% of mothers said were forced to do daily chore reminders.
4THE GENDER DIVIDE AROUND BELLYACHING
11% of dads surveyed said they purposely do not talk about parenting problems with their friends or family members, whereas only 5% of moms said they stay “mum” on parenting issues with others.
Where do you fall on this list? Are you one of the chore averse parents? Do you consider digital tools to be your number 1 enemy? Are you a Rich Uncle Pennybags when it comes to chore rewards?
No matter where you are on this list, every parent could use some help organizing their chaotic family lives: scheduling their kid’s lives, creating a rewards system for chores, and asking for help from other parents.
S’moresUp is a solution to the problems of managing family’s day to day life. It’s a true virtual assistant-meets-Nextdoor: It’s a calendaring system that lets you beam pick up times, it allows you to manage and monitor routines and chores, and lets you communicate with your other family members safely and privately. It also lets you connect with parents with the same parenting questions, concerns and challenges as you. Join the 20,000 parents to see what’s up!
