How did we ever cope without smartphones? Survey finds that more than 60% of parents

With the help of their phones, parents nowadays can engage in lively debates on Mumsnet, listen to a flood of podcasts or find a sea of tips on everything from sleep schedules to weaning. 

All of this has left them wondering how on earth children were raised before smartphones were invented. 

A survey has found that 43 per cent of parents do not know how the mothers and fathers before them coped without mobiles. 

Sixty-one per cent of the 1,000 parents polled believe their smartphone to be one of the most helpful tools for bringing up their little one. 

A generation ago, mothers and fathers may have turned to a well-thumbed manual, but the survey shows they now do 78 internet searches a week on average for advice and answers on childcare. 

A survey has found that 43 per cent of parents do not know how the mothers and fathers before them coped without mobiles. [Stock Photo]

Some of those polled admitted searching the internet for help more than 50 times a day. Parents also said they used their phones to take an average of 23 photos of their child a week. 

The survey of parents of children aged up to six was carried out by OnePoll and commissioned by mobile phone network Three UK. 

It follows a study of 270 mothers with children aged up to six last year in which many said they felt supported by parenting content on Instagram. But others told University of Copenhagen researchers that using the site could make them feel guilty, judged, or worried their child had not met key developmental milestones. 

The latest survey found some parents are members of ten or more WhatsApp, Facebook or chat groups containing other parents. 

In the search for moral support, some messaged a fellow parent, such as a friend, relative or colleague, 11 times a week on average, the poll found. 

Two-thirds of parents said they found mobile phones useful for taking photos and videos of their child in cute moments, while more than half said they were useful for buying baby-related items or researching childhood illnesses. 

Some 34 per cent said their phone helped them to play white noise, a sleep aid. Almost three-quarters of those polled said their device had helped them through really difficult parenting moments. 

But the research also revealed that 39 per cent had gone over the data allowance on their phone contract. 

Some parents polled admitted searching the internet for help more than 50 times a day. [Stock Photo] 

A study of 270 mothers with children aged up to six last year said they felt supported by parenting content on Instagram. [Stock Photo]

Only 19 per cent of non-parents were found to have used too much data in a separate survey of 2,000 people. 

Three recently doubled its data donation to the National Databank, an initiative run by the Good Things Foundation which provides free data to those in need. 

Three has now pledged two million gigabytes to the charity. Professor Ellie Lee, director of the Centre for Parenting Culture Studies at the University of Kent, who was not involved in the survey, said: ‘All of the evidence confirms that parents and parents-to-be use apps and online advice more and more – and indeed are encouraged to, including by the health service. 

‘When it comes to well-worn childhood problems where there is a consensus on what to do, or to have discussions with other parents, this can be a reassuring, accessible resource. 

‘The problem is not phones themselves but a culture that tells parents all the time that everything that happens from conception onwards will have a lifelong impact if they don’t get it right. 

‘The continual search for advice tells us that overall parenting is a lot more paranoid than it needs to be and that’s a problem.’