Moms Love Social

The 2013 Social Mom Report (for BabyCenter.com by comScore) reports that 91% of mothers with younger kids report regularly using social media - up from only 20% in 2010.   The report shows that young mothers are particularly heavy social media users: 14% more likely that the general population to use social media regularly, and 14% more likely to report having used Facebook in the last six months.  In fact, the young mothers demo report higher use of all the major social media platforms. They also report spending an average of 24% more time on social media platforms (7.3 hrs/month vs 5.9 hrs/month for the general Internet user).

Moms are also early adopters of connective technologies.  Compared to the general population, they are 49% more likely to have a smartphone, 30% more likely to have a tablet, and 7% more likely to have a laptop.  Young mothers don't only have mobile technology, access to mobile has a significant interaction effect on time with social media - 89% of mobile moms report using their devices to check their favorite social media sites, and they're on longer - using social media platforms an average of 21.3 hr/month.  That's more than three times as much as the average for all Internet users (5.9 hrs/month).  They're also connecting more: they're 57% more likely to have 250+ Facebook friends, 21% more likely to have 50+ Pinterest connections, and 4% more likely to have 100+ Twitter followers.

Becoming a mother is a life-changing event - two-thirds report finding that they have less in common with their non-mom friends once they become pregnant.  For them, social media offers opportunities to keep connections with old friends and family, as well as connecting with an extended network of parenting communities.  And, increasingly, social sites are the place to go for information and answers. 

• 92% of young moms report sharing family milestones on Facebook, 
• 45% find themselves communicating more through social media, and less through email
• 84% say their new mom friends are very important to them
• 61% say that social media helps them get information quickly

And like other social and mobile users, they are differentiating among the social media platforms.  Facebook is overwhelmingly preferred for general socializing, sharing video or photos, and sharing key family events.  Twitter is used for following news, brands, and celebrities.  Pinterest is used for ideas and inspiration - as one young mother put it, "I am addicted to Pinterest!!! I've found so many cute DIY ideas for the baby's room."
   The combination of staying at home and the desire for kid-friendly entertainment also makes them more likely to adopt alternative video systems.  Moms with younger children are 65% more likely to have a subscription to a streaming TV service (49% do), 45% more likely to have an Internet TV device, 28% more likely to have a gaming console, and 12% more likely to have a DVR.

The report is based on three separate data sources - social media use diaries collected from new and expectant moms; a survey of around 1500 moms with kids 8 or younger; and Internet use metrics and social analytics for mothers in the 18-34 demographic.

Sources -  Nine Out of Ten Moms Use Social Media,  The Social Graf
2013 Social Moms Report,  study released by BabyCenter.com