This document discusses how smartphones and social media have transformed parenting in the digital age. It notes that smartphones have become standard parenting equipment, with over half of mothers surveyed saying they bought a smartphone as a result of becoming a mom. It also notes that 92% of children in the US and 82% of children in Western countries have a digital footprint before age 2. The document seeks input from parents on how mobile technology has impacted their parenting journey and relationships with their children.

1. Breakthrough
Parenting
How Social Media & Mobile Changes It
All, for Better or Worse
Tania Mulry, CEO EdRover Inc. (www.edRover.com) @mrsmulry
Liz Jones, Co-Founder at Appency (www.appency.com) @LizJonesLA
David Shor, CTO of Ecomom (www.Ecomom.com) @dgshor

2. Smartphones are standard
parenting equipment
BabyCenter, polled 5,000+ American
mothers:
• Today’s moms are 18 percent more
likely to have a smartphone than
other people.
• Over half of the women polled said
they bought their smartphone as a
direct result of becoming a mom.
flickr/remcovandermeer

3. Necessity or Luxury?

4. How Parents Use Phones

5. 92% in the U.S. and 82% of
children in 10 Western
countries have a digital
footprint before the age of 2

6. BlogHer/Parenting Magazine
Survey
 The average in 2010 was age 15 for smart
phones and 9 for an iPod.
 However this year’s study showed a much
higher incidence of younger children, even
toddlers, interacting with their parent’s
laptops and iPhones on a regular basis.
 And younger moms (Gen Y) are much
more likely to encourage this behavior.

8. My Parenting Tech Journey
1992 – Love at first beep
Paged the future father of
my children to go on a date
to the Bronx Zoo.

9. My Parenting Tech Journey
1995 – I Married the Proud Owner of a Backpack Phone
We even had email!

10. My Parenting Tech Journey
2000 – First Son
Hubby called our parents from the
hospital on his cell phone.
2002 – Second Son
Hubby called our
parents, brothers, sisters and best friends
from the hospital on his cell phone. He
sent an email with pictures that night
from home.
2005 – Third Son
Hubby sent out emails with a camera
phone picture to everyone we knew from
the hospital.

11. My Parenting Tech Journey
2007 - Move to California
Explosion of social networking helped us stay in touch
with friends and family across the country.

12. My Parenting Tech Journey
Present
Mobile and social technology has transformed the way I
work, as a virtual employee and employer allowing me to
participate in my children’s lives.

13. What was your parent tech
journey?
Tweet using:
#MOSOParenting #SMWLA

14. What were your very first
and latest mobile/social
experiences?

15. How has mobile/social
changed the rules of
parenting?

16. What part of the
transformation to mo/so
parenting surprised you
the most?

17. Do mobile / social media
savvy parents have an edge
at home, work or in life
balance?

18. How does mobile/social
impact kids at home and in
school?

19. Thinking of ages and
stages, how has the
influence of mobile / social
media changed as your
family has grown?

20. As a parent, having a mobile phone has helped
life with my two teenage daughters. It actually
brings much more peace of mind when they are
out and about at various places or gone for the
day on outings with friends or school.
Being in high school, if they're ever in a
situation outside of school that is not safe or
good, they can always text right away and
either I or my husband can go get them right
away.
Diana M.

21. What are your most
memorable moments that
have been
preserved, shared or
amplified by mobile or
social media?

22. It has helped in two ways, one is
photographing the children, I am also able to
send it to their grandparents before I forget.
The other is to look up answers, I am always
asked, what star is that? What kind of flower
is this?
Now my 7 year old expects me to have the
answer or asks for my phone so she can look
it up.
Jim M.

23. What are the risks of
mobile/social media in the
realm of parenting?

24. It's allowed the twins to have a bit more
freedom. For instance they now can bike to the
store (only a block and a half away) to get
milk. I would have never felt comfortable with
this if it weren't for the mobile phone. They call
when they get there and they call on their way
home.
They love the fact they are helping me. I love
the fact I know where they are and that they
are OK.
Phillis S.

25. What would you say to
critics who worry about
the impact of mobile and
social media on the quality
of relationships?

26. It's been a positive. I'm more
connected and aware of scheduled
events. I'm also more connected
using my phone to call and text with
my 8 year old. I’m currently
"designing" an app with him. It will
never see the light of day but its
been fun.
Bryon M.

27. What limits do you place on
yourself, partner or
children?

28. The mobile phone is a double edged sword.
On the plus side I several apps with he can interact with to
keep him occupied during car journeys etc. I have access to
the Internet so I can quickly look up information such as
what to do if he gets stung by a wasp etc. as well as maps /
GPS to stop me getting lost.
On the negative site you are always on. Work can always
get in touch and downtime seems to be reduced.
If however you are strong willed and can keep a strict work/
life balance then the mobile phone is a great asset and a
security blanket.
Malcolm S.

29. How has this trend
impacted your professional
life?

30. I'm always accessible when I'm on the road
for work (in case of an emergency, etc.).
Also, if I'm attending a school function or
sporting event, I can still easily stay in
touch with clients who need me as well.
I couldn't imagine life without my iphone
and cell phone (yes, I carry both still! one
for biz and one is for personal use).
Christina R.

31. What career opportunities
have opened to parents that
didn’t exist before mo/so?

32. Can you provide an example
of a time when
mobile/social lead you to a
huge personal or
professional milestone?

33. Do you ever wish you could
return to a simpler
time, even just for a day or
a week?
How does your family
accomplish this?

34. What is your top tip that
our audience can
personalize and use right
away?

35.  I’m making an effort to introduce and educate my 3 kids
to take advantage of the mobile technology for other
purposes than play and entertainment.
 I have introduced them to financial and time
management apps in order to teach them financial
responsibility and help them in their college, school and
sport tasks and activities.
 I follow their school progress virtually using my smart
phone. I manage their allowances through the PayPal
student card and mobile app and they synchronize their
activities with me by sending eVites and calendar
invites.
 We still read paperbooks :-) -
Bengt H.

36. What are your favorite
tips?
Tweet using:
#MOSOParenting #SMWLA

37. Cozi apps and Cozi.com
Keep track of each family member’s schedule in one convenient
spot.
Schedule

38. Shutterfly.com - Private Sharing Sites for
Classrooms, Teams, Scouting and Families

40. Kindle
The Kindle app is optimized for most
smartphones, giving users the ability to read Kindle
books on a beautiful, easy-to-use interface. You’ll
have access to over 1 million books in the Kindle
Store. It automatically syncs your last page
read, bookmarks, notes, and highlights across
devices.
Dictionary.com - Dictionary & Thesaurus - Free
The last time I checked, an unabridged
dictionary tips the scale at some hernia-inducing
weight. Now behold Dictionary.com, which packs
an entire Random House Unabridged Dictionary
into your iPhone. And a thesaurus. And a
“recent” function to revisit, say, spelling
sticklers. And a “word of the day” function. As if
that weren’t enough, the Dictionary.com iPhone
app is smarter than you are.
Reading

41. Coach's Wire - $1.99
This app is genius. It allows me to upload
player info, uniform colors and practice time /
location and game time /location. Best of all I
can text or email all pertinent info to one
parent or entire team instantly. Mapping
feature for directions is awesome! This app is a
game changer and well worth $1.99 for
coaches of any level. Thumbs up!
GroupMe™ - Free
GroupMe is the easiest way to start
conversations and keep in touch with your real
life network. It's totally free, and it works on
every phone. With apps for
iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows
Phone 7, as well as full support via SMS*, you
can connect with anyone you know at any
time.
Sports & Activities

42. VivaKids’ ABC iOS $2.99
An imaginative and playful app that brings
an innovative style of alphabet learning to
the iPad.
Flashcards+ - iOS - Free
Turn your child’s study topics into flashcards on
your phone!
Moms with Apps
(iOS Free and momswithapps.com)
A treasure trove of educational apps created by
moms and dads are just waiting to be discovered
here. Highly recommended resource!
Education

43. Metronome: Tempo - $1.99
Bestselling and most accurate metronome on
the app store.
The Pianist $3.99
Transform your iPhone into an
88-key piano for your little
Mozart. Realistic graphics
feature 3D keys that depress
as you touch them. And when
the magnum opus is ready,
your kids can record it,
overdub it as many times as
they want, and play it back
for adoring fans.
Music

44. Baby Monitor – iOS - $0.99
Thinking of traveling, but not wanting to lug
your baby monitor along? Just place your
iPhone next to your sleeping baby, and when it
detects noise, the phone will automatically call
you at the phone number of your choice.
GENIUS.
DriveReply™ V2.1 for Android
Stop being distracted by phone calls and text messages while
you're driving! This app senses if you are going more than 10-15
miles per hour and sends callers and texters a reply message to
let them know you are on the road.
Safety

45. Trick or Tracker® V1.0 for
Android
Enables responsible parents to
know the exact whereabouts of
their trick-or-treating kids
without requiring them to follow
alongside in the family car.
Latchkey Kid for Android
Triggers a message, sent to
anothers device, notifying them
that the monitored user has
passed through an area that
that would signify an important
instance in that monitored users
travels.

46. Bank of Mom - $1.99
Set up bank accounts for each of your kids.
With these, your children can withdraw and
deposit while learning the importance of
financial responsibility.
Chore Bank
Allows you to create a virtual bank account
for each of your kids. You can set up a
chore list and assign a monetary value to
each chore. As your kids complete them
assign the money into their "bank
accounts."
Money

47. Breastfeeding Record - $1.99
The Breastfeeding Record application was
designed by a nursing mother for nursing
mothers. And it was coded by her wonderful
awesome loving husband.
Diabetes Log - Free
Are you a diabetic? Do you need to track
the glucose readings, food intake, and
medicine records of a diabetic? Then this is
the app for you.
Health

48. edRover (iOS, WP7, Web Free)
School fundraising has never been this fun or
easy. Earn funds while you shop, eat and play!
Simply use the edRover application to confirm
visits to participating businesses across the US.
Also, shop online through edRover.com at over
130 leading retailers to help your school!
School Fundraising

49. iCookbook – iOS, Android, WebOS - $4.99
More than just recipes, iCookbook is a complete
cooking solution for your kitchen! Cooks can proceed
through the preparation steps without touching the
screen. Just speak the simple commands to move to
the next step, manage timers, view notes, and more.
Ness – iOS Free
A new way to discover places you’ll love based on
your unique tastes. Ness learns what you like as
you and your friends rate restaurants and then
delivers more personalized recommendations.
Grocery IQ App - $1.99
With a search engine of over 130,000 items, you
can create the perfect grocery list by aisle without
scraps of paper crumpled in your purse.
Food

50. Helicopter Taxi - iOS $1.99
Using augmented reality, this app uses
the device’s camera to create an effect of
a helicopter flying across the room with
your children who, of course, are always
on-the-go. By moving the device
around, your little pilots steer the
helicopter to wherever they want it to
fly, and then land on different surfaces to
pick up more passengers.
Weird but True - $1.99
Did you know that girls have more taste buds than
boys do? Or that slugs have 3,000 teeth and 4
noses? And who knew that gorillas burp when
they’re happy? Get more than 300 Weird But True
kid-friendly facts with the new interactive app
from National Geographic Kids!
Fun

51. What are your favorites?
Tweet using:
#MOSOParenting #SMWLA

52. Breakthrough
Parenting
How Social Media & Mobile Changes It
All, for Better or Worse
Tania Mulry, CEO EdRover Inc. (www.edRover.com) @mrsmulry
Liz Jones, Co-Founder at Appency (www.appency.com) @LizJonesLA
David Shor, CTO of Ecomom (www.Ecomom.com) @dgshor