In a poll of UK grandparents, over half (53%) revealed that they feel distant from what’s going on in their grandchildren’s lives. Sadly, this translates into feelings of loneliness, with nearly two fifths (39%) of grandparents confirming they feel lonely due to a lack of connection with family or grandchildren.
The study was carried out by The Pulse Business and directed by BackThen, the private family app for childhood memories.
As one grandparent put it:
Another said:
How silver surfers are combating loneliness
Despite this, nearly nine out of ten grandparents are becoming more tech savvy so they can have more time with their families and to fight the pangs of loneliness.
87% of grandparents point to photo and connection apps as having a clear impact on how connected they feel to their family. And 57% point to apps as being key to reducing loneliness.
92% even point to the bond between them and their grandchildren intensifying when they look at a photo, video or story timeline of their lives so far.
The study revealed that grandparents are the main providers of comments on their grandchildren’s photos and videos within the BackThen app, with 42% of grandparents having added 10 or more comments - compared to 33% of parents.
“We like to remember things together,” said one grandparent. “Plus I really like the ability to be able to add photos myself, as do the other grandparents. The older boys stay with us during school holidays, several days at a time, so it enables us to share photos of what they're getting up to, picnics, visits, lunch out etc for their mummy and daddy to see too.”
Grandparents want to celebrate children’s joy and mischief
Clearly, digital platforms now perform a key role in helping silver surfers to carry out their role as grandparents – and we can see that those roles are changing too.
Where once grandparents might have seen their role as sharing family heritage and as a stabilising influence, these days most grandparents state that the main thing that they want to do is simply bring joy (31%) or even celebrate moments of mischief and rule-breaking (18%).
As one grandparent said: “He is very small so all of his rule breaking at the moment is funny… this may not be the case in a few years!”
Other grandparents pointed to their role as sharing the family heritage (11%), and others see it as contributing to their emotional development (17%), with one pointing out that they want to help their grandchildren know their real value so that they can go out and play a “constructive and assured place in society”.
Ed Botterill, Founder & CEO, BackThen, commented on the findings:
“It’s a strange thing, how the world keeps getting smaller, and yet it gets harder for different generations to see each other. Grandparents deserve to see children grow up – and it’s those authentic moments of love that form the milestones of a child’s journey. Not to mention the joy and mischief that they can celebrate together."
“It’s sad that grandparents are feeling increasingly cut off from their families. But while there’s no replacement for real interaction, it’s interesting to see how they are embracing tech to help them to keep in touch, and that it seems to be staving off their feelings of loneliness. And sharing photos online is a great way to give families something to talk about on that next all-family video call.”
Methodology
The Pulse Business surveyed a sample size of c11,000 grandparents across the UK, in April 2024.
About BackThen
BackThen is the private place for parents to keep their child’s memories safe and shared with loved ones. Trusted by millions worldwide to provide an organised home for every photo, video and story from bump to baby and beyond, it has the following benefits:
- Easy to use: every moment is auto-organised, placing an entire childhood of memories at everyone’s fingertips in a smart chronological timeline on any device.
- Keeps family connected: parents choose who matters most and what permissions they have, so moments can be instantly shared with invited family and friends.
- Privacy matters: safety and privacy is always the top priority. Memories are kept private, in original quality, with no ads and no data-sharing.
Available at www.backthen.com and on the iOS & Android app stores.
