Groupon asked 1,000 U.S. parents how much time their families plan to spend on their electronic devices this summer, finding that the average American family will spend an average of 35 days of their summer, which is the equivalent of more than one-third, using their devices. (Photo: Business Wire)
Groupon (www.groupon.com) asked 1,000 U.S. parents how much time their families plan to spend on their electronic devices this summer–and the results were staggering. The average American family will spend an average of 35 days of their summer, which is the equivalent of more than one-third, using their electronic devices. The survey, which was conducted for Groupon’s Funtacular Fun Fest (gr.pn/funfest) running from May 18-20, found that the average child will watch an estimated 60 movies and play 150 hours of video games over the summer months.
When asked how too much screen time affected their children, 77 percent of parents said screen exposure influenced their child’s mood, 62 percent said they face regular battles to get their children to put down their device and almost half said too much screen time impacts their sleep. And their children weren’t the only ones impacted by too much screen time, parents said they feel like they personally waste one of out every four weekends per month and throw away 9 non-working days over the summer due to their own inactivity.
Parents were asked the top five ways that families can make sure they get the most out of their summer without being consumed by their electronics, and they identified the following:
- Hitting the beach
- Attending a BBQ
- Going on a road trip
- Visiting a zoo
- Going to a water park
But according to parents, ditching the technology and spending more time with the kids over the summer months won’t come cheap. The survey asked parents to imagine their perfect family weekend and found Moms and Dads estimating it would cost $2,328. Parents said they would spend $1,465 on travel, lodging, taxis and fuel––with an additional $510 spent on admissions and tickets to attractions and evening entertainment. Parents also estimate that they’ll spend $353 on meals during the perfect family weekend.
- Families will spend an average of 6 hours a day staring at smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs and other devices
- The average child will watch 60 movies and play 150 hours of video games over the summer months
- More than three quarters of parents feel their child’s screen exposure influences their mood and 62 percent of parents say they face regular battles to get their children to put down their devices
- Parents identified hitting the beach, attending a BBQ, going on a road trip, visiting a zoo and going to a water park as the top five essential ways to get the most out of their family’s summer
