It's a common assumption that younger people are the driving force behind technology adoption, but according to a new study, parents are using tech and media as much as their kids.
A report from The Barna Group found that parents are more likely than their tween and teen offspring to regularly use cellphones and desktop computers and are just as likely to use laptops and tablets.
Parents watch just as much television and movies, use the Internet for as many minutes each day and spend more time on the telephone and emailing than do their tween and teenage kids, according to the report.
However, younger demographics are more likely to listen to music, text and play video games on tech devices. But even still, many parents are still active in those categories, the report said.
The gap was even smaller among families with parents who are still in their thirties or early forties. Not surprisingly, younger parents are even more tech- and media- dependent than older parents, the report found.
Although technology can be a distraction at the dinner table or in other instances, families overall are accepting tech with open arms. Nearly half of both parents and teens said they emailed, texted or talked on the phone while eating in the last week.
Families do experience conflict about technology with their kids, the report said, but only 25 percent said they had “strong disagreements about the limits on media and technology” on a weekly basis. The same percentage said technology use causes tension among the family.
However, only 10 percent of parents and 6 percent of teenagers say they try to take off one day a week from their digital usage.
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