Parents are trying to rewind digital childhood. Here’s why Pinterest might come out on top.

As conversations and actions roll on, attempts by parents and experts continue to try and rewind what have become monumental new digital norms in childhood. There are many varying responses to the urgent concern of how technology is harming kids social development, from shrugging it off as just part of the world they live in, to making pacts with other parents about abstaining from device ownership, to schools declaring they are phone free spaces. Whilst there are a lot of extreme reactions for those who are pro and anti tech, most families find themselves somewhere in the middle. They want to reap the benefits from technology and not exclude their child from contemporary communication methods, whilst also clinging to ideal of a childhood with enough play and real world connection. It’s in this group that I am observing a reshuffle in how parents evaluate what is age appropriate and explore increased nuances in where they see the benefits and risks.

Where parents are united is on what is enemy number one: smartphones. Or more specifically, social media accessed on smartphones by kids too immature to manage their time, attention and filter what they're seeing. Social media on smartphones is perceived to be the biggest cause of the biggest fear; an image of a child who has been raised with a joyful soul, who is into life and well on their way to the next stage when, bam, they get hold of a device and disappear in front of their parent’s eyes, retreating into a scroll hole of anxiety and low self-worth.?This is universal of parents, where smartphone becomes real life dementor sucking away children's lust for life.

For those parents who don’t want their kids to suffer with a brick phone or exclude them entirely from mobile communication (with no landlines how are they expected to manage their social life as they grow up?), or those with kids deemed old enough to wander into phone ownership, a middle ground is desperately being sought after, and it’s not easy to find it. But these parents are not techno-noobs, they’re millennials, even Gen Z, and have their own history and current life experience with these devices to draw from. Sure, it's not the same, but it is relevant and helps them make decisions. They know that there is good stuff to be gleaned from living in the digital world and the key to getting at it lies in quality of content and intentional device useage. Not an easy goal, but a sensible one. They’re looking for a smartish device that their kids can use as a tool for life, to enhance their interests and friendships, not lock them out of either. ?

It's in this nuanced middle space that the great content-value reshuffle is taking place. With their generational experience and close relationships with their kids in the mix it's changing how they view different digital genres. Gaming for example, in comparison to smartphone usage, if being used without addiction issues, is receiving a halo effect. With parents able to recognise the level of imagination that takes place in Minecraft and the high levels of bonding they get at with Mario Kart, they themselves are spending more time hanging out in Animal Crossing and completing Zelda as they seek to find the fun and connection in video games. Games are not the problem. And neither are online trends. In fact, there’s something fun about being part of cultural moments. Shared online humour can be a prized gem between parent and child or sibling to sibling and millennial mums especially love the playfulness of sharing trends and interests with their kids. But with tiktok increasingly held up as the cause of major attention span problems and snapchat being a kids only space (and possibly increasingly banned), that leaves a space for something that fills that middle ground space. A place to explore trends, develop personal taste and become a creative individual that doesn’t stray into rabbit holes of darkness. Yep, enter ipinterest!

Scrapbooking and moodboarding are a popular play pattern for Alpha kids who I describe as ‘aesthetic artists’. They love visuals and through their experience in worlds like Minecraft, LEGO and Animal Crossing, are skilled world builders who love to curate spaces and tailor worlds to their taste and imagination. Games like Dress to Impress have equipped them with agile, even competitive skills in design, and they have tonnes of aesthetic artistry to express. Pinterest is being used by Alpha (and their older Gen Z peers) to create moodboards on literally anything they want. It’s dreaming in digital form. They design their ideal bedroom interior, fashion look, party or even pet fashion and it's fast becoming a place where they discover brands.?

I know this from professional observations in research, but also because I am one of these middle ground parents who is trying to carefully navigate digital childhood. I have an 11 year daughter who is not allowed social media on her phone, but is trend hungry. This is because Alpha is a ‘joining in’ generation. Less FOMO more JOJI (joy of joining in - yes I made that up, lets roll with it). Yes, of course, they want to fit in and be cool and all those age old things, but more accurately, they want to be in the loop. They want to have an opinion and to join in on social movements, they want to know what's going on and be able to participate. And a big part of this is explored via aesthetics and online experiences. So whilst there’s a hardline from me on all social media right now, when she me recently if she could add pinterest to her limited app portfolio, it ticked a lot of boxes. She showed me how she uses it to curate her taste and develop her style and I couldn’t find a reason to say no. In fact, I’ve joined in and am an avid moodboarder myself and I have to say, it’s a really fun way to play, especially if you love designing and dreaming.