How today’s digital-first parents are redefining brand expectations

Understanding today’s parents is as crucial as knowing what their children want. Rising cost-of-living pressures, evolving media habits and shifting developmental priorities are reshaping how families play, spend and connect, and that shapes the product choices they make at home.

Shifting priorities in a changing economic climate

In 2021, just 15% of parents with toddlers cited issues related to money and finance as their top concern. Today that has nearly doubled to 30%, reflecting a financial anxiety that goes beyond income to the broader economic environment families are navigating.

Yet instead of pulling back, parents are spending more intentionally, seeking brands and products that deliver emotional and developmental value rather than entertainment alone.

What parents want from play

Creative skills have overtaken social skills as the top developmental priority for parents of under-twos. Creativity rose from 17% in 2021 to 25% in 2025, while social skills dropped from 24% in 2023 to 16% in 2025. Cognitive development, physical activity and independence remain flat or have declined. This signals a growing emphasis on imagination, expression and open-ended thinking over traditional academic milestones.

It aligns with a heightened concern for emotional wellbeing. 76% of parents of toddlers say it is important to teach mental health and wellbeing, a notably high figure for such young children and a clear shift in parenting culture towards emotional literacy.

Play is no longer a break from learning but a tool to aid it. 75% believe role-play supports learning, 66% value unstructured play, and 55% see video games as educational, which indicates growing acceptance of digital play where it is perceived as meaningful. Educational value increasingly drives purchases, with 71% of parents actively seeking out toys and products that feel enriching, even during leisure time.

Screens are helpful, but heavily debated

Smartphones anchor family life, used by 82% of parents with under-twos. They are more than communication tools, they are entertainment hubs and parenting lifelines, with 56% using them for social media and 45% for video calls and playing games. TVs remain the preferred screen for films at 50% and TV shows at 48%, reflecting lean-back family viewing at home.

Smartwatches are on the rise, up 29% since 2021, meeting demand for quick, on-the-go access to schedules and health notifications. Smart speaker use dropped 8%, likely replaced by screen-based devices with voice functionality.

Video and visual-first platforms lead consumption. YouTube tops the list at 87%, confirming its dominance across all age groups, not just for kids but for parents too, likely for entertainment, parenting content and co-viewing. Instagram at 81% and TikTok at 72% follow closely, showing that visually driven, scrollable content is a key part of the parent media mix.

Facebook holds strong at 85%, with Facebook Messenger at 77%, likely driven by community groups, marketplace and staying connected with family. Platforms such as X, LinkedIn and Pinterest serve identity moments beyond parenting, covering work, hobbies and creativity, while Reddit, Discord and Twitch remain niche or skew towards gaming-focused parents.

With six platforms above 60% weekly use, parents are clearly not loyal to one platform. They are juggling several that serve different purposes: information, entertainment and connection. The move away from traditional TV continues as parents embrace diverse formats and embed social media deeply in everyday life, for both practical needs and emotional escape.

Where families spend time together

Millennial and Gen Z parents are reimagining quality time as a family. Shared TV watching rose from 21% in 2021 to 28% in 2025 and is now the top co-activity. Eating out is also increasing, reflecting greater comfort taking young children into social settings, potentially still a post-pandemic rebound.

Being active outdoors declined from 30% to 23%, and co-playing with toys dropped from 30% in 2022 to 2023 down to 18% in 2025. These changes may stem from time pressures, indoor lifestyles or children’s shifting preference for digital experiences. Reading, music and creativity remain stable but low, while video games rose from 8% in 2023 to 14% in 2025, signalling growing comfort with shared digital play.

Discovery, trust and influence in the digital age

Social media plays a direct role in commercial behaviour. Between 2023 and 2025 there has been a rise in parents using social platforms to discover new products, up 52%, follow brands they like, up 51%, seek parenting advice, up 21%, and research products, up 18%.

Parents now actively seek reassurance, credibility and connection from brands on social media, and trust increasingly depends on real voices and lived experience. Peer and expert validation have grown in importance, with reviews on social channels up from 15% to 27% since 2021, and specialist child product reviews up 33%, from 21% to 28%.

Traditional media still holds the most trust among parents of one to two year olds when it comes to product and brand recommendations, with 38% finding TV ads more trustworthy than social platform ads, which stand at 26%.

The new shape of retail

Amazon and supermarkets still lead but are losing ground, with spending down 7% and 5% respectively since 2021. Meanwhile specialist and purpose-driven outlets are growing: bookstores up 50%, specialist baby stores up 47% and arts and crafts up 26%.

Parents are seeking emotionally and practically valuable products, validated by peers and increasingly found online, especially via mobile devices.

What it means for brands

Today’s parents are digital-first decision-makers. Social media, YouTube and online reviews now shape much of their discovery and purchase journey, with research often starting long before they buy.

Their choices are driven by a mix of emotional and practical needs. While cautious about screen time, they are not opposed to it, especially where it supports creativity, social connection or mental wellbeing.

Having a well-known brand or an award-winning product is no longer enough. Parents want to know what other parents think, so they turn to forums, reviews and real testimonials. Emotional reassurance, the feeling that a product will help them do the right thing, often drives the final purchase decision. Brands must become parenting allies, providing content, advice, community and convenience.

Four actions to stay relevant: position products as tools for emotional connection and development, because it is not just what the product does but how it makes parents and children feel. Design for mental-load relief, differentiating through simplicity, reassurance and helping parents feel in control. Champion unstructured play and flexibility, avoiding rigid claims about milestones. And embrace wellbeing credentials, as eco-friendliness, safety, low-toxicity and comfort features are becoming more influential in purchase decisions.

Data from Parents Insights, comparing 2025 with 2021, 2022 and 2023 where stated.

These insights were presented by Adam Woodgate, VP Research Solutions, at the Baby Products Industry Association General Meeting.