YouTube: More Millennial Dads Watch Parenting Videos Than Millennial Moms

During a panel at the South By Southwest multimedia conference in Austin this week, YouTube shared that more millennial dads watch parenting-related videos on its platform than millennial moms. And in a study conducted alongside research outfits Flamingo and Ipsos Connect, the video giant shared several other findings about millennial parents.

Forty percent of millennials are parents today, for instance, and they tend to have more open relationships with their children than past generations, CNBC reports — with 80% of survey respondents saying that their child is one of their best friends, and 75% saying that their child is involved in household decisions.

Additionally, millennial parents seek parenting advice from a variety of sources, including branded content on YouTube. “So many people are turning to Google and YouTube for advice on when they should introduce a smartphone to their kids or unlock their phones,” said panelist David Chriswick

, SVP and creative strategy lead at digital agency DigitasLBi, which works with clients like Sprint. “That was really important because it unlocked a new audience for us.”

Finally, given an increasingly tough job market, panelists said that many millennial moms and dads are choosing to focus on family ahead of building a career. Men and women are also sharing parenting responsibilities more equally. “Millennials are in less classical roles,” said panelist Akash Pathek, director of brand marketing and digital strategy at McDonald’s. “Frankly, in my Facebook groups there’s a lot of dads who stay at home.”

Additional findings from the study are set to be published on the Think With Google blog in coming days.