How much do parents and children really talk, and what gets in the way? Original survey data from Tell Me Cards families, alongside the latest research on family time, screens and conversation.
What families want from conversation
From our 2026 survey of more than 300 families using Tell Me Cards.
1 in 3
parents say a daily connection ritual is what they want most
4%
say cutting screen time is their main goal
1 in 7
are grandparents looking to connect with a grandchild
What parents most want from talking with their kids
Share of parents naming each as their top goal
Families start looking for conversation help early
Age of the child, share of families
How much time parents spend talking with their kids
Talking as the main activity takes up about 3 minutes of an average day.
Minutes per day US parents spend on childcare as a main activity
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey, 2025
Parents, phones and screens
Most parents worry about screens, including their own.
7 in 10
parents of kids under 12 worry their child spends too much time on screens
2 in 3
parents are sometimes distracted by their phone while with their kids
56%
of parents say they spend too much time on their own phone
Source: Pew Research Center, Parenting Children in the Age of Screens, 2020
Daily screen time by age
Hours per day outside school, US children
40%
of children have their own tablet by age 2
1 in 4
have their own phone by age 8
43%
of 8 to 12 year olds have their own smartphone
Source: Common Sense Media, Media Use by Kids Zero to Eight, 2025 and Media Use by Tweens and Teens, 2021
Family meals
Daily family meals get rarer as children grow up.
How often the whole family eats together
Days in the past week, US children by age
Ages 0 to 5
Every day 57% · 4 to 6 days 25% · 1 to 3 days 15% · None 2%
Ages 6 to 11
Every day 48% · 4 to 6 days 29% · 1 to 3 days 20% · None 2%
Ages 12 to 17
Every day 35% · 4 to 6 days 31% · 1 to 3 days 29% · None 4%
Why back-and-forth conversation matters
Conversation is linked to language development in the brain. Children aged 4 to 6 who had more back-and-forth conversation at home showed more activity in the brain's main language area.
The link lasts a decade. The amount of early back-and-forth conversation still predicted children's IQ and vocabulary scores 10 years later.
How parents feel about parenting
Share of US parents who say...
Source: Pew Research Center, Parenting in America Today, 2023
Three minutes a day is not enough
107 questions that turn five minutes at dinner or bedtime into a real conversation. Built for ages 5 to 9.
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Updated September 2026. About our survey: Tell Me Cards surveyed 314 customers after purchase between July and September 2026, mostly in the United States. Percentages are based on those who answered each question.