Moms Spend 24 Hours a Week Online

Oct. 27, 2010— -- The typical mom doesn't just start her day with a cup of coffee, but with a visit to her computer. According to Disney Online's M.O.M. – Mom on a Mission research study – mothers across the country are relying on technology to make their lives easier.

The study from Disney (which is ABC News' parent company) found that moms spend 24 hours a week on the Internet, connecting with family, searching for information and managing their lives and their families' lives. They spend the most time online between the hours of 5 a.m. and noon, the study found.

"We are committed to be experts on the marketplaces we serve, and to share our knowledge with clients and the industry at large," said Paul Yanover, EVP of Disney Online.

"Moms inspire us in how they can juggle so many roles, from being the caregiver and household CEO, to coordinating all the family's activities," added Yanover. "Our study results showed that technology and the Internet are helping to make moms' lives more manageable, so they can spend more quality time with their families."

Disney Study: Moms Use Technology to Connect With Family, Friends

The study, which was conducted in June and released today, included two phases: consumer immersion blogs and online quantitative study. The goal of the research was to explore how moms incorporate technology and the Internet into their lives.

In the first phase, nine moms interacted in a secure, online blog for one week, uploading video, images and text. The second phase was an online study of 3,300 females, ages 21-54, who were either pregnant or had one child between the ages of 0 and 14 years.

The top findings were revealed today by Yanover and Brad Davis, SVP of Disney Online ad sales, at M2Mom® -- The Marketing to Moms Conference in the Chicago Cultural Center.

According to the study, moms said they use technology to accomplish more, manage their lives and stay in touch with family and friends. Most moms said they used the computer (89 percent), Internet (87 percent) and a mobile device (84 percent). But the television, digital camera, CD/DVD player and social networks were also high on the list of technology and devices moms use.

Moms Are Goal-Oriented When They Go Online, Study Says

They indicated that they use games, such as the Nintendo Wii, and DVD and Blu-ray players for family bonding time.

The study found that moms are generally task-oriented when they go online, with three out of four moms indicating that they go to the Internet intending to complete a specific activity or goal.

Of the 24 hours a week moms spend online, the researchers found that an average of 6.9 hours a week is spent connecting with family and friends – 84 percent of moms like to connect through e-mail; 69 percent use social networks.

The research also found that the Internet is a mom's main source of information, except for matters related to their child's health.

The top subjects moms research online are deals and discounts (71 percent) and recipes (71 percent), but other topics include family activities, entertainment and travel (62 percent), personal health (59 percent), arts/crafts projects (56 percent) and holiday planning and activities (54 percent).