Silicon Valley’s children spend far less time on screens than the average American kid, according to the Information’s first-ever Kids and Technology Survey. However, many get access to tablets and log onto social media younger than their peers across the nation.
Surprising? Yes and no.
Between privacy concerns, health risks to teenagers, and pandemic-driven learning loss, the tech issues afflicting kids are no great mystery to parents who work in the industry. Yet tech leaders, too, are grappling with how and when to integrate technology into their children’s lives. And sometimes their decisions can be contradictory.
To better understand Silicon Valley’s complicated attitudes toward tech and parenting, The Information surveyed 1,053 subscribers (with 1,846 kids) about how they handle tech decisions with their own children. We asked about social media use, smartphone ownership, videogames and streaming content preferences, and even what apps children are using behind their parents’ backs. (See more kid-content recommendations here.)
Their answers provide a fascinating look into changing attitudes within Silicon Valley about the technology that so often begins right here.
