Three uncovers Britain’s ‘Midnight Mums’
Half of all UK mums (48 per cent) admit to going online in the depths of the night just to get everything done, according to research by Three. With many resorting to catching up online at night, a third of mums (33 per cent) now get less than six hours of sleep.
The survey of 3,000 mums across the UK found that they are avid internet users, with a third (28 per cent) going online for at least an hour a day. As well as looking for parenting advice and activities for their children, the top online activities are email, online banking, staying in-touch with friends on Facebook, looking for money saving tips and vouchers, as well as reading the news.
Research confirms that mums are always on the go, with most mums (82 per cent) now having less than an hour of ‘me time’ a day, leaving the majority of mums (78 per cent) stressed on a daily basis.
Three is working with celebrity mum Denise Van Outen and reaching out through NCT members, to help show mums the benefits of smartphones and having internet on the go – as the research indicated that mums can save 135 hours a year by having the internet while out and about.
Mobile internet on smartphones helps mums keep connected and gives them the freedom to be online for both work and play, wherever they are, and at a time most convenient to them. And thanks to Three’s All-You-Can-Eat data they can now do this without worrying about the cost.
Speaking about how mobile internet can help the modern mum, Sally Horrox from NCT said: “NCT wants people to have a parenting experience that enriches their lives and gives them confidence. Sharing information with a network of parents is a great support and benefit in parenthood, and this is what NCT is all about. The many ways that mobile internet is helping parents make connections is a great additional support for parents.
“We’ve noticed more of our members accessing our site and newsletter on their phones, which is one of the reasons we’ve launched our NCT Babychange app, helping parents save time when looking for quality baby changing facilities.”
Celebrity mum of one Denise Van Outen added: “My daughter has just turned one and keeps me constantly busy, so I can certainly empathise with busy mums.
“I love the internet and often tweet or go online late at night when I get some down time. Becoming smartphone savvy has been a great eye opener and I’ve enjoyed making dead time, such as standing in shopping queues and waiting for friends, more productive. With the help of some amazing apps I now have instant access to my email, bank accounts, news and travel updates at my fingertips.”
Sylvia Chind from Three explained: “Our research shows that Mums are particularly stretched for time and are really optimistic about how mobile internet could help them claim some of this back. We want to share hints, tips and tricks on what mums can do with mobile internet to help their lives run more smoothly.
“We want to reach out to as many mums as we can. Our aim is to give mums confidence and peace of mind when it comes to using mobile internet and smartphones, which is why we offer truly unlimited data on both pay as you go and contract plans.”
Three is also launching a nationwide competition to find the UK’s Busiest Mum. There is the chance to win an all-expenses-paid family holiday to the Caribbean for one deserving mum and her family. There are also BlackBerry smartphones available to win. To enter visit Three’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ThreeUK.
Three is also working with Race Online, GreatOrmondStreetHospital, Lowri Turner and Laura Tenison to help show mums how to make the most of mobile internet.
Three offers all-you-can-eat data on both The One Plan and Pay As You Go packages, allowing customers to download the latest apps and music, use maps, view videos, update Facebook and Twitter, shop around for the best bargains and loads more without worrying about the cost of internet use.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
*Research was carried out by OnePoll in March 2011 for Three. The research was carried out amongst 3,000 mums with children under 16 years old in the UK.
About NCT
NCT is here to support all parents. We give them accurate, impartial information so that they can decide what’s best for their family, and we introduce them to a network of local parents to gain practical and emotional support and make friends. We are the UK’s leading parenting charity, and campaign as the voice for parents on the issues they care about.
About Three UK
Three is a communications company focused on bringing the benefits of the internet to mobile communications. We offer attractive pricing and give our customers the widest choice of ways to stay connected. To do this we’ve built the UK’s biggest high-speed mobile broadband network. Three UK is a member of the HWL group of companies, which include 3G operations in Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Macau and Sweden.
Three facts about Three
- Three launched the UK’s first 3G high-speed mobile network offering national coverage for calls and texts, and has more than 97.5% population coverage for mobile internet services.
- Three has more than 7.2 million customers in the UK and the 3 Group has over 29.7 million worldwide.
- Three is the UK market leader for mobile broadband, and came first in the four most recent YouGov DongleTrack surveys of Mobile Broadband customers (July 2010, October 2010, January 2011, April 2011). Three is also the No. 1 network for smartphones – rated best for overall quality, speed, value, customer satisfaction and reliability in the YouGov Smartphone Mobile Internet Experience Report (SMIX). For more info visit www.three.co.uk/awards
Contact information.
| Name | Three Consumer PR Team |
| Phone | 020 7234 9150 |
| three@cowpr.com |
