Teens prop up parents with technology
When it comes to using technology, new research reveals that parents are struggling to keep up with the latest developments, and many are relying on help from their teenage children for their own technology needs in the home.
Quib.ly, an online community designed to support parents raising children in the digital age has released new research which shows that nearly three-quarters (71%) find it difficult to keep up with technology as a parent, and that 56% of parents of 11 – 16 year olds seek help from their children on everything from downloading music to installing a printer, and even tuning in the TV.
The survey of 1,000 parents also revealed that a similar number of grandparents get assistance with technology from their grandchildren, although around a third of children use technology to communication with grandparents, through Skype, email and Facebook.
Quib.ly, which launched its interactive community site earlier this year, aims to help parents who feel outpaced by technology and want to ensure their children are prepared for life in an increasingly connected world. Co-Founder of Quib.ly, Holly Seddon, said that the research had revealed some new insight in to parent’s concerns about technology and how it affects their children:
“Two-thirds of parents we surveyed admitted that they found it difficult to keep up with what their children were doing online, and yet only 56% are currently closely monitoring their children’s online activity. With a majority of children using technology for at least three hours every day, that’s quite a significant gap in parent’s knowledge and understanding of what their teenage children are getting up to and how they are using technology to connect and interact with the world.”
Quib.ly is driven by Q&A’s, and allows parents to exchange ideas, and get advice and support on all matters concerning the use of technology and digital communication and how it relates to their children. As well as helping parents ensure their kids are safe in the online world, the principle behind Quib.ly is borne out of the fact that the majority of today’s children will end up in jobs that have not been invented yet.
Seddon continues: “We understand that parents want to support their children’s interests and be involved in their education, and whilst many are aware about new technology and digital opportunities, we want to ensure that parents have complete knowledge and understanding to enable them to be more closely involved in this part of their children’s lives.
“Our community, which includes e-safety experts, educators, computer game developers and tech-savvy parents provides exclusive access and insight in to the digital world and offers parents the support they need to keep pace with their children and ensure they are using technology safely, and to the maximum advantage for their education and development.”