Child psychologist on parents searching “is my child normal?”

From wondering why children are obsessed with saying 6 7 to questioning whether it’s normal for them to sit in cardboard boxes, search engine analysis has revealed the bizarre – and often surprising – questions parents are asking the internet about their kids.

New data shows parents are frequently turning to online search to decode their child’s behaviour, with unusual queries including why kids are fascinated by vacuum cleaners, why they draw dogs in the same way, and whether it’s normal for them to constantly ask “are we nearly there yet?”.

It comes alongside research, commissioned by Specsavers, of 1,000 parents of children aged five to seven, which reveals just how widespread this curiosity is. Nearly nine in 10 (88%) parents say they use search engines to better understand their child – doing so an average of five times a week.

When it comes to health, 39% of parents have searched online about their child’s physical wellbeing, most commonly around rashes or skin conditions, high temperatures and developmental milestones. However, eyesight is one area that appears to be overlooked.

Aston spoke to child psychologist Dr Eilzabeth Kilbey.