Find your 'village'
Published
Mums in 2026 are left with fewer members in their physical support network compared with the previous generations, with an increased reliance on ‘virtual villages’ including turning to AI for advice on raising children, according to new research by MAM Baby.
Key findings include:
• New mums can go an average of 2.4 days without human conversation, with one in 10 saying they went a week or more without any in-person dialogue.
• One in 10 rely on AI for advice on raising their child.
• Nearly half believe the previous generation of mums had more support, thanks to having bigger villages.
• Nearly a quarter of new mums said feeling isolated or lonely were amongst the leading causes of stress.
• Nearly a third (29 per cent) of the mums surveyed admitted to turning to WhatsApp vs. midwives (26 per cent) when looking for guidance.
To mark MAM Baby’s 50th anniversary, a campaign, Be the Village, has been launched to encourage new parents to join forces and become each other’s support networks.
A WhatsApp channel, The MAM Village, is available to offer advice to parents through the MAM network of health care professionals.
