NEW YORK: Digital media plays a significant role in the lives of millennial mothers, to the extent that nearly one third say they text their partners more than they speak, according to a new survey.

Meredith's Parents Network, a publisher of parenting magazines, surveyed 1,102 mothers between the ages of 19 and 36 with children aged 0 to 12 and found that 47% said texting and social media had replaced talking with friends, while 30% were more inclined to text a partner than dial them up.

The report, Millennial Moms & Media 3, said that digital media overall played a far bigger role in the lives of these mothers than their Gen X counterparts. Adweek highlighted some of the differences, including their use of video sharing sites (83% of Gen Y moms versus 70% of Gen X), mobile apps (78% versus 68%) and likelihood of reading magazines on their smartphones (65% versus 43%).
 
They were far more engaged with social media, with 67% of Gen Y moms indicating that Pinterest had inspired them to make a purchase, compared to just 42% of Gen X mothers. Overall, 38% were using Pinterest and 33% Instagram.

They were also more likely to use Facebook to share negative product experiences (64% versus 54%) and to take their friends' recommendations on social networks seriously (61% versus 48%).

Ad avoidance was widespread among younger mothers, the report noted, with half frequently ducking advertising spots during real-time TV viewing. This tendency lessened however, when watching recorded programs when only 40% went out of their way to avoid the ads. And the proportion dropped further, to 36%, when considering streaming on a mobile device.

But the context of ads appeared to be a mitigating factor. Parenthood magazines, for example, were read by Millennial moms more than any other genre (64%). Fully 86% said advertising in such magazines and websites influenced product purchases, while 85% were influenced by editorial content.

Carey Witmer, EVP/President, Meredith Parents Network described the typical Millennial mom as "the ultimate media mix modeller" who was "rewriting the rules of brand engagement".

Data sourced from AdWeek, PR Newswire; additional content by Warc staff