The report notes that of the 91 percent of parents (defined in this study as those with children under the age of 18) who use the Internet, a whopping 75 percent of them are active on some form of social media, with Facebook being the most popular option (whether you have a child or not). Applying their maternal and paternal instincts online just as they would offline, parents are said to “try to respond to the good news others post, answer others’ questions or receive support via online networks. This is true for all kinds of personal matters they encounter — not just parenting posts,” making them one of the more engaged demographics on the platform.
So just how engaged are they? Stunningly, the study found that 94 percent of respondent parents have shared, posted, or commented on Facebook at some point during their lives. Mothers, however, are reported to be more likely to use
Still, as a whole, parents are now incredibly active on Facebook, with a larger proportion of parents than non-parents logging on and interacting with content on a daily basis. As per Pew’s findings, 75 percent are daily users of
While one might assume that parents and older Facebook users as a whole use the platform to keep up with old friends (in addition to checking up on their children), Pew reports that parents are actually more likely to be friends with their own parents and their neighbors (i.e., people who they’re probably already in pretty close contact with), than average. But then again, they are also slightly more likely to be
In any case, one thing is clear: If you’re on Facebook, chances are your mom and dad are too. So proceed with caution,
