Dr. Kristy Goodwin Nick Jr. Modern Mums Interview

Dr. Kristy Goodwin Nick Jr. Modern Mums Interview

Nick Jr. Parents, Multi Channel Network (MCN) and BabyCenter have released new research in a presentation about how technology and content has impacted modern mums in today's society.

With over 1,500 respondents across Australia, the research 'Paranoid or Prepared?" combines three separate studies: Nick Jr. Parents' Targeting the Millennial Mum 2014; MCN's Mobile Mums Research 2014, undertaken by the University of South Australia; and BabyCenter's Australian study, 21st Century Mum 2014.

The research compared the use of technology between Gen X Mums (born between 1961 – 1981) and Millennial Mums (born between 1982 – 1998), looking at whether technology has made mums more prepared or more paranoid.

The results provide deep insights into the activity and behaviours of the modern mum. The key findings show:
Talk to all of me (not all of us) – in the past mums have been defined broadly by the media and by society, but now with the proliferation of technology and content, mums now define themselves, often based on the age and dependency of their kids.
My smartphone is my backup brain – smartphone penetration was at 97% for Millennial Mums compared to 89% for Gen X Mums.
More than a third of Millennial Mums said that they feel addicted to their phone (34%) and nearly half said they couldn't live without it (44%).
Mums rely on their smartphones more and more to organise their busy family-work-life schedules, with 88% of Millennial Mums reporting that they use smartphone apps.
Trust goes a long way – with technology making much more information available, one of the biggest challenges Modern Mums face is an overload of information, which can be overwhelming.

What they search for is a trusted source to offer them advice, and assurance that they are making the right choices for their kids. The findings showed that 59% of Millennial Mums were likely to be a part of a social media group and 42% said they take advice from people in the group seriously.

Research Director for Viacom International Media Networks, Australia and New Zealand, Kirsty Bloore, said: 'With technology shaping how we interact with both each other and brands, the 'Paranoid or Prepared?" research project sheds light on how modern mothers view the world, providing essential information and insights into their changing lifestyle habits. It's important for brands to keep up to date with what their audiences are thinking and feeling, particularly in relation to how they engage and experience with both media content and their social peer groups."

MCN National Strategy and Insights Manager, Gareth Jones, said: 'It's been great working with Nick Jr. Parents and BabyCenter on this project. This kind of research is at the heart of what we do at MCN, so we can truly understand our audiences. It means we can develop culturally and commercially relevant solutions that speak directly to our clients' audiences. We have learnt a lot about the Modern Mums of Australia and are looking forward to applying our insights to future campaigns."

Interview with Dr. Kristy Goodwin, Resident Expert of the Nick Jr. Parents blog.

Question: What surprised you about the Paranoid or Prepared? research?

Dr. Kristy Goodwin: I was surprised by how differently Millennial and Gen X mums approached technology. I knew that there would be differences, but I didn't expect the differences to be so stark. For example, I was surprised to learn how much emphasis Millennials placed on accessing online, parenting information instantly, whereas Gen X mums took a rather more 'traditional" approach and sought advice from trusted sources including GPs and friends and almost dismissed online support platforms such as Facebook.

I was also surprised to learn that mums felt under pressure to prepare their child for the competitive world in which they're growing up. It was interesting to note that modern mums are very well-versed and aware of the developmental needs of their child. This is fantastic as it means that mums are aware of the positive and powerful impact that they have on their child's learning and development (and this realisation is both exciting and scary at the same time for mums). It was interesting to note that because of this increased awareness and knowledge, mums are now looking for reliable sources of information (preferably from an expert or a trustworthy brand).

Question: How do you think technology and content has impacted modern mums in today's society?

Dr. Kristy Goodwin: Technology has given mums unprecedented access to information, which can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it gives worried mums instant access to parenting information. But on the other hand, this instant access to information also means that mums are often over-relying on this information and not tuning into their intuition to try and solve a problem. Instant access to this online information increases mums' confusion and overwhelms them – because they're bombarded with information – some of which is misinformation and hype, which continues to exacerbate mums' feelings of confusion.


Question: Do you think it's concerning that nearly half of Millennial Mums said they couldn't live without their phone?

Dr. Kristy Goodwin: We actually have a condition for it – 'nomophobia" and it's a legitimate fear of being without our mobile phones. So much of our lives are stored on these devices – our contacts, calendars, emails and photos of special moments. There's just so much valuable information contained within these handheld devices. As a mum myself, I know first-hand how valuable my phone is. So no, I'm not really 'concerned" (nor surprised by this finding). What I do worry about, as both a researcher and as a mum, is our reliance on this device. I worry that we may be placing too much emphasis on our phones sometimes and in doing so, missing important events. Raising my hand here to say that I haven't got this perfect, but I know it's just so important to ensure that I use my phone in mindful and intentional ways, especially when my children are around. They're watching and absorbing all of our media habits.


Question: How is Nick Jr. Parents using this research?

Dr. Kristy Goodwin: Nick Jr. Parents are committed to conducting, sharing and implementing research about how media shapes young children's development. Their programs are informed by a significant corpus of research that identifies how young children learn and develop and the ways in which they learn with technology. Nick Jr. are constantly evaluating and modifying their programs based on the latest, cutting edge research. This means that parents can be assured that their child only has access to quality programs. And for parents, this is very reassuring!


Question: How can a parent know if their children are addicted to technology?

Dr. Kristy Goodwin: I often say to parents who ask me this question, 'Trust your judgement." You know your child best. If you feel concerned about their technology behaviours, perhaps you have reason to be concerned. However, you also need to remember that technology can be very mesmerising (that's why so many adults have difficulty putting down their phones!) and we need to be careful that we're not confusing children by being 'engrossed' and 'engaged" with our screens. I'm very reluctant to use the term 'addiction" when it comes to children and technology. Instead, I often propose that children have formed poor media habits. The good news here is that we can easily change children's media habits (in most instances).

When I speak to parents, I also ask them to think whether it's just that it's 'different" and it's a 'screen" they're worrying about. For example, when children were obsessed with book series or trading cards, did we automatically worry the way we do when children become engrossed with a screen? So here are a couple of 'red-flags" that parents need to consider that may signal that their child has a possible addiction to technology.

1. Your child spends vast amounts of time engaged with technology.
2. Your child is constantly preoccupied by technology. 3. Does your child withdraw from social situations, in preference for using digital devices?
4. Is your child tired and irritable because of inadequate sleep, due to overuse of technology?
5. Your child announces that they are -bored' when they are not using digital devices.
6. Your child withdraws from activities that they previously enjoyed, to pursue activities only on digital devices.
7. Your child's school performance is compromised because they are focused on technology.


Question: How much is too much TV?

Dr. Kristy Goodwin: Whilst we do have screen-time guidelines in Australia, I actually suggest to parents that they consider more than simply 'how much" TV their child is watching. You see there's no 'safe", quantifiable amount of time that we can specify as being 'healthy". This isn't an exact science. So instead, I suggest that parents certainly need to monitor their child's screen time and ensure it's not being used excessively (and if they're not enjoying other off-screen experiences like playing with friends, playing outdoors, playing off-screen then this may be a sign that they're watching too much TV). I suggest to parents that they also think about what, when, where and with whom children are watching TV and not just focus on 'how much". This enables parents to think carefully about their child's TV usage. You see, 30 minutes watching a quality TV program (such as Dora the Explorer for a 3-year old) is a worthwhile experience for children. However, that same 30 minutes could have been used to watch a TV program that's not age-appropriate and therefore those 30 minutes have been spent inappropriately. It's so much more than simply asking 'how much".


Question: What's new for Nick Jr.?

Dr. Kristy Goodwin: I'm thrilled to be the Nick Jr. Parents' (www.nickjrparents.com.au). Resident expert. Nick Jr. Parents is a blog where parents can go and discover what it's like to be a kid today backed by research and insights from regular parenting contributors on various topics. As a mum, I know first-hand how confusing and overwhelming parenting can be, particularly when we add technology to the mix and then it becomes even more confusing. It's tricky to navigate young children's digital world as parents, because we didn't grow up like this and have no frame of reference. So we're literally figuring a lot of this out as we go. My role is to translate the research and science about how children learn and develop in a digital age, into digestible and practical information for parents.


Interview by Brooke Hunter