For all you tech-savvy moms, who have spent hundreds of hours retrieving lost computer files, installing programs to protect your children from online predators and creating spreadsheets to organize your kid’s lives, your hard work is finally being validated.
A new study shows that good ol’mom is the most computer literate member in the family.
Go MOM!
Call it a gender thing, because the study also found that more than 94 percent of girls are computers proficient, compared to 88 percent of boys.
The research conducted by Britain’s University of Hertfordshire included 4,600 children ages six to 14 and aimed to assess how parents support their children when it comes to learning new technologies. In the end researchers found that when children needed assistance with tech tools, 50 percent said they called on mom for help. Compare that with just 22 percent of kids who said that dad was the person they would turn to for tech advice.
Researchers say the results of the study clearly illustrate that moms take the lead when it comes to helping their children understand computer technology.
According to British scientists:
“Overall, mothers are more likely to engage with their children using new technologies especially when it comes to formal learning or research. The mothers were also the most experienced and capable computer and Internet users.”
Another key finding of the study was that 40 percent of children surveyed actually wanted their parents to be more involved in their tech experiences.
GASP! More involved?
It’s hard to believe, especially considering the tweens and teens I know are constantly coming up with ways to avoid having their parents hover while they update their Facebook page.
So, how tech-savvy are you? Do your kids turn to you for computer help? If you are a tech-tard, does the study’s findings make you want to take an online course to sharpen your computer skills?
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