The quirky questions parents have asked the internet about their kids include ‘how common is it for children to get stuck in a washing machine?’ and ‘why do kids like sitting in a box?’.
Search engine analysis has revealed some of the bizarre queries parents have had as they look to better understand how their kids see the world – including the likes of ‘why do kids draw dogs all the same?’. ‘Do kids naturally hate vegetables?’ was also typed into a search bar 38 times over an average month, while ‘Why do kids say ‘are we nearly there yet’’ was typed in 32 times.
It comes after Specsavers’ research of 1,000 parents of children aged 5-7 found 88% use traditional search engines to try to understand their kids better. Four in 10 parents ask questions about their child’s habits or routines, such as sleep or repetitive behaviours, a similar amount question whether certain behaviours are common.
Common questions related to their kids’ interests. The majority of parents (90%) were often left questioning why their kids were drawn to ‘mundane’ items such as rocks, cardboard boxes, puddles, and leaves.
Another common theme was regarding their kids’ physical health. They would also look up rashes or skin conditions (49%), high temperatures (44%), or developmental milestones (38%). But only 17% have ever sought advice about their vision or eye health.
Child psychologist, Dr Elizabeth Kilbey, who is working with Specsavers, said: “It’s not surprising parents are turning to search engines to help navigate the many questions that come with raising children.
“Children are curious and imaginative, and this plays a vital role in how they learn, explore and build confidence. Because so much of that discovery is visual, clear vision is crucial to their development.
“Being able to see and focus underpins learning – when vision is affected, it can influence a child’s attention, engagement and behaviour. That’s why parents should prioritise eye health as an important part of their child’s overall wellbeing.”
The study found a higher percentage of parents prefer to use online tools to ask such queries (35%) versus turning to someone in their lives (17%).
This preference is put down to getting immediate answers (47%), having a range of information to compare (41%), and the fact it’s often much quicker (33%).
But 18% also do this out of a worry they would be judged for wondering these things about their child, while 21% think they can get a more objective answer from strangers.
But eye health doesn’t seem to be one of the topics parents ask either other people or the Internet about – of those who haven’t ever searched anything to do with this topic, 10% think their child is too young for it to be a worry and 11% assumed their school would flag any concerns.
It also emerged 13% are unaware of any common eyesight issues which can affect children, such as short-sightedness or lazy eye (amblyopia).
Worryingly, 15% of those polled have never taken their child for an eye test, while 11% haven’t done so within the last two years, according to the OnePoll.com data.
The main reason for this was simply because their child hasn’t complained about their vision (21%), with 12% saying they would make an appointment if there appeared to be an issue.
Dr Nigel Best, optometrist from Specsavers, added: “This research proves how easy it is to overlook a child’s eye health unless obvious symptoms appear.
“But that’s why being proactive is so important. Regular eye tests can identify issues early – often before a child realises anything is wrong.
“What many parents may not realise is that many sight conditions, such as myopia in kids, can be managed or corrected if they’re detected before the age of eight, while vision is still developing.”