America's moms may be obsessed with Facebook, but there's a reason why they are so active on social media, a study has revealed.
Researchers from the Pew Research Center have discovered that social media use by mothers is increasing because it's where they go to get parenting advice and support from other parents in their network.
Generally, both moms and dads have increasingly become active on social media, but at least 81 percent of mothers use Facebook more than fathers (66 percent). They post parenting questions or reply to other parents' questions. They also just don't share baby photos, but post bad news and other updates about family members.
Eight out of 10 moms said that the social site is helpful for gathering tips on child-rearing, while four out of 10 moms said they get support from other parents in their network, according to PBS.
Many of those who were surveyed also said that they have posted parenting questions on their accounts within the last month and only 12 percent admitted that they felt uncomfortable doing so.
"We found that social media is just one tool in the parenting toolkit," said Maeve Duggan, one of the researchers, via PBS. "Three-quarters of parents who use social media agree that they get useful information from social media in general but not exclusively."
Aside from Facebook, mothers are also active on Pinterest and Instagram, while fathers are more active on Twitter and Linked In.
"Women have historically been more likely to use social media, but that gap is beginning to close. Social media is becoming more ubiquitous," explained Duggan.
Duggan's team partnered with the University Of Michigan School Of Information and asked 2,000 respondents with an average Facebook friend count of 150 for the survey. Half of the respondents are friends with their kids and their own parents on the social media site, according to KMOV.
