What Analyzing 100 Top Parenting Posts On Reddit Tells Us About Tech

I love Reddit. I’m in subreddits for things like 100-year-old homes, espresso, the NBA, architecture, HVAC, plumbing, UX design—you name it. Naturally, I’m also in multiple parenting subreddits.

Recently, I found myself wondering: What are 420,000 Redditors in r/toddlers asking about toddlers? And what about the 7 million in r/parenting? And, more importantly for all of us here at Parent Tech, what are they all saying about technology?

So, I went digging. I read the top 50 posts from r/toddlers over the past year, curious to see how many touched on the intersection of parenting and tech. The result? Only eight of the top 50 were about technology—but they were as relatable (and occasionally controversial) as you’d expect.

What Redditors Think About Tech And Toddler Parenting

Among those eight posts about tech and toddlers, a few stood out for their sheer relatability:

• “Please tell me I’m not a horrible mom for doing this” (using Ms Rachel to entertain while sick)

• “I feel lied to about screen time” (a parent didn’t get the time they wanted when their kid ignored the screen)

• “I don’t understand how no screen time parents get anything done”

The last post is a 700-comment debate discussing how parents who avoid showing screens to their kids manage to get anything done. If you’ve ever felt torn between wanting to limit screen time and just needing twenty minutes to make dinner, you can imagine the heat in that discussion.

One other clever post stood out: teach your toddler your phone number by making it the lock passcode on the iPad. Genius, and maybe a little telling about the gravitational pull of an iPad.

A few posts focused on content creators. Miss Rachel, a beloved YouTube educator, was celebrated after saying hi in an airport. And the other creator? Let’s just say they were less beloved (and we’ll leave it at that).

The Changing Screen Time Dilemma

The final posts offer an interesting comparison. One features many childhood TV memories and how kids watch screens now - with the conclusion that TV is probably fine.

The last post is about behavioral issues triggered by watching screens and a parent’s success removing the screens from the routine. The post is filled with tips and anecdotes, but also reminds us how personal and unique all of this is for our families and kids. What works for one kid and one home dynamic seems to be a huge issue for another. And, the device, watch time, and framing for screen time seem to all make a difference. Whether it’s watching screens at home only or amount of time spent watching, it all seems to affect kids differently.

Analyzing Broader Parenting Discussions

I didn’t stop at the toddler subreddit. I also looked at the main parenting subreddit with its massive 7 million members. There, tech had just 3 of the top 50 posts. One about inappropriate tracking by a school and two about a lack of communication while in different locations.

Instead, parents were focused on timeless challenges like health and family dynamics. Topics included bullying, sibling rivalry and parents navigating their own relationship issues.

That said, tech still lingered in the background. Posts about routines, behavior, and family connection often referenced the role of screens, phones, and apps in modern parenting. But it’s likely all different for different ages, leading to less tech specific discussion in the top posts.

A Reminder of What Really Matters

This analysis is a reminder of what’s truly important. Sure, screens and tech are a big part of parenting and toddlers today, but they’re just tools in the bigger picture. At the heart of it, we’re all trying to figure out the same things: how to raise happy, healthy kids while keeping ourselves and our relationships intact.

So, whether you’re turning to Reddit for screen time hacks or toddler tantrum advice, it’s comforting to know that some parenting challenges are universal—and a clever tip like the iPad passcode trick might be just what you need to get through the day.