Author, mum Rebecca Sparrow’s online post sparks debate about the ‘exhausting’ demands of parenting in the digital age
From school apps and social media to cyber safety and AI, Australian parents are exhausted by the increasing digital demands of raising kids in 2025.
Mum Gia Hogarth has to be across multiple apps for her sons’ school and early learning centre, digital reminders for sports practice and incoming texts about birthday parties.
Then there’s the online food shopping and social media management for the podcast she co-hosts.
“It’s just a constant list that's never-ending. My phone is always buzzing,” the 39-year-old said.
“Before you know it, it’s 10.30pm and you’re exhausted. Then I feel like I even dream about what I have to do the next day.”
Mrs Hogarth, who co-hosts the Mum Mind Unpacked podcast, is not alone – the demands of the digital age are wearing more and more of us down.
Parents under pressure
The most recent Parenting Today in Victoria survey of 2600 mums and dads found nearly half felt they used their mobile devices too much.
And two-thirds believed their child’s use of electronic devices or computer games was “a problem” too.
Amid all this, nearly half of parents felt they did not “have enough time to get everything done” each day.
And, while they might be getting enough sleep at night, the digital drain is leaving two in every five too tired to be “the kind of parent they want to be”.
A separate national survey of more than 8000 parents found the majority who allowed their kids to use social media ended up fighting with them about it.
Two in five families surveyed by the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program fought about their child’s use of apps like Instagram and Snapchat at least once a week.
Around 80 per cent of parents were very concerned about protecting their children from potential online dangers, and the same proportion worried about the impact of social media on their children’s mental health.
Trying to be a tech expert
This digital juggling act sparked a recent online post by author and mum of three Rebecca Sparrow that struck a chord.
“I am EXHAUSTED by all this,” Sparrow declared to her combined 136,000-plus followers on Facebook and Instagram.
“I’m exhausted trying to be a tech expert … to keep eyes on them. But also not helicopter … (to) encourage them to take risks. But also keep eyes on them.”
Sydney-based Sparrow, who co-hosts ABC’s Parental as Anything podcast, wrote that “things have never felt harder” for her and her partner as they raise their 12, 13 and 16-year-olds.
“I feel like I’m trying to plug the leaks from a dam wall with bandaids,” she wrote.
Her post resonated for fellow Sydney mum Gen Muir, who founded Connected Parenting.
“I’ve got four kids and navigating just the amount of tech that’s coming at you … is just exhausting,” she said.
“Even if you set all the restrictions on their phones, they’re so tech savvy and they can get around so much of it.
“It’s sort of this extra job … this completely new addition to parenting, that has this massive workload, that we didn’t grow up with.”
So what’s the solution?
Triple P – Positive Parenting Program founder Professor Matt Sanders said self-care, self-compassion and sleep “are crucial skills that help parents to feel calmer, and to confidently navigate the ups and downs of raising kids”.
Author and podcaster Sparrow encouraged parents to “prioritise connection” with their children and partners.
“Keep talking to each other and checking in,” she wrote, adding that she was “leaning in” to family rituals like movie nights.
And in Adelaide, Mrs Hogarth is focusing on trying to “slow down”.
“We’re tired for a reason. We weren’t built to be like this,” she said.
“We have too much on our plates and we need to slow down and catch our breath.”
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Originally published as Author, mum Rebecca Sparrow’s online post sparks debate about the ‘exhausting’ demands of parenting in the digital age
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