Parents spend a lot more time on Facebook mobile
Anyone who scrolls through their Facebook news feed is likely to see a lot of pictures of other people's kids. From baby photos to the first day of school to family vacations, Facebook serves as something of a digital scrapbook for a lot of parents who want to preserve and share their favorite memories of their children through social media.
Parents today are also constantly on the go. The result? According to a new study from Facebook's research arm, Facebook IQ, parents spend 1.3 times more time on Facebook mobile than non-parents do.
"Moms' and dads' mobile phones have become their lifeline to managing schedules, keeping tabs on teens and sharing their kids' key milestones," the report says.
The aim of the study was to analyze the modern-day "parental landscape" as seen through Facebook, according to a blog post from the social network. Facebook surveyed parents, ranging in age from 25 to 65, in eight countries -- Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Along with the qualitative and quantitative work conducted by Sound Research and Ipsos MediaCT, respectively, the study analyzed Facebook and Instagram data.
In all, Facebook said it gathered information from a total 8,300 parents and 5 parenting experts.
"With their attachment to mobile and to technology in general, parents today have greater access to more information and opinions on everything from breastfeeding to education, allowing them to validate, reinforce or question their perspectives and actions," the blog post said
The study examined different ways the social media site influenced the lives of parents and their children. For instance, the study found that millennial parents, who fall between 18 and 34 years old, were more likely than baby boomers, ages 50 to 65, to use mobile devices to make informed purchasing decisions.
Across the board, parents young and old felt that modern technologies keep them better informed. The study found that 83 percent of parents said they have access to more information than their parents, while 70 percent said they feel they are more informed than their parents were.
Of course, there are some negatives to the constant influx of information that parents face on a daily basis.
"Having such unprecedented access to information can be a double-edged sword," Facebook stated. "On one end, technology allows parents to gather support from friends, family and other sources, while on the other, parents are also at risk of feeling more confused than confident."