Parents and the Mobile Web

According to the Pew Internet report, “Cell Phone Activities 2012,” American adults use their devices for much more than phone calls. In addition to snapping photos and sending texts, more than half of cell phone owners (56 percent) access the Internet through their phones. In the college parent age groups, 69 percent of 30 – 49 year olds and 40 percent of 50 – 64 year olds are mobile web users.

Parents use technology to stay connected

Many parents stay involved in their college-aged children’s lives, using various technologies to connect and communicate. In fact, the cellphone has been called “the world’s longest umbilical cord.” Despite negative perceptions of helicopter parents, these parent-child interactions provide an effective way to reinforce communications to students.

Prioritizing content for parents
The university presents an overwhelming amount of information, scattered across multiple websites with obscure acronyms (HDC, SBS, CDD, etc.). Make finding important information simpler by prioritizing content on your website. Parents are an important audience and consider what they may want or need to know.

Audit your website to make sure crucial questions are answered and fill in any gaps. For example, 2013 Inside Higher Ed and Gallup survey asked parents to identify the most important reason for their child to go to college. The top answer by far (at 38 percent) was “to get a good job.” Consider addressing these types of concerns on your department website.

The more parents understand about their child’s college experience, the less they worry and the better they can help their students to succeed and thrive.