Limiting screen time and home-schooling on parenting trends list

A survey by Childcare.co.uk has shown the top parenting trends for 2020, along with the biggest worries for UK parents going into the new year.

The survey found that limiting children’s social media use and screen time is the biggest trend for 2020, followed by dismantling gender norms, and plant-based diets. The anti-vaccination movement has been revealed as the biggest worry among parents.
 
The top five parenting trends, are limiting social media use / screen time (64%); Dismantling gender norms (57%); Plant-based diets (43%); Family volunteering (33%); and Homeschooling (27%).
 
The five biggest worries among parents are the anti-vaccination movement (82%); Climate crisis (73%); Bullying (48%); Gaming addiction (41%); and Screen time (39%).
 
When asked why they had selected the specific trends, 83% of parents said they found the gender neutral movement ‘confusing’ but wanted to shield their children from gender stereotypes. Two thirds (66%) of parents also said they feel ‘uneasy’ about their child’s social media use and the time they spend online.
 
When asked why they were considering a plant-based diet for their children, 57% of parents and guardians said they felt ‘pressured’ by the media.
 
The survey also asked parents whether they were hopeful for the future of the world their children would be living in, to which more than two thirds (68%) of respondents answered ‘no’. When asked why they selected this option, more than half (51%) said it was because of the ‘climate crisis’, while nearly a third (31%) selected ‘current Government/Brexit’.

The survey sourced the views of more than 5,000 parents and guardians of 0 to 16 year-olds.
 
Richard Conway, founder of Childcare.co.uk, said: “Every year it’s interesting to see how things change in terms of trends and worries within the parenting sphere, however after a turbulent year it’s clear that the happenings of the outside world have had an influence on parents’ views on what is to come going into 2020.
 
“Parents will always worry, it comes with the territory! However, social media has opened up new parents to things they may not have been naturally concerned about pre-internet, and that’s been shown in these results. As we all know, the last twelve months have been a strange one full of ups and downs for parents, however hopefully next year is slightly more stable! I’m excited to see what the next year brings.”