Kids & Teens Study: Happy Childhood

01.07.2024

As part of the latest Kids & Teens study, we explored how Russians of different ages perceive childhood—both their own and that of other generations.

• Respondents across all age groups believe that their generation had the happiest childhood.
• Half of teenagers aged 12–17, when reflecting on their parents’ childhood, find reasons to feel envious. This sentiment is more common among girls and teens from low-income families.
• Teenagers often envy the physical freedom (23%), face-to-face communication (15%), and express a sense of nostalgia for the simpler, more stable world their parents describe from their childhood (19%).
• More than half of adults, comparing their childhood experiences with those of today’s children, also admit to some envy.
• Adults acknowledge that the younger generation enjoys many advantages, particularly in terms of financial stability, creative opportunities, media access, and education. However, the most envied aspect, according to 29% of adults, is the technological advancements—mobile phones, the Internet, and smartphones—that define modern childhood.
• Parenting today is considered easier: modern parents are free from many of the household burdens and limitations their own parents faced. Mothers, in particular, appreciate progress in areas such as shopping, laundry, cleaning, and cooking more than fathers do.
• Beyond technology, there has been a shift in the family dynamic. Child-centric parenting, a move away from physical punishment, viewing the child as an equal, fathers becoming more involved in parenting, and seeking advice from psychologists are all hallmarks of this new approach to conscious parenting.

The full report is available in Russian via the link.