Media agency heads on how they are nurturing their children's media habits

What is the best media for watching with your children?

RS: The idiot box is high on the list. However, contrary to its descriptor, TV for kids has some very educational content such as Play House Disney, which is fabulous. Interestingly, as an infant, my son grew up watching his mother laughing away while watching Friends on Star World - no wonder he giggles like her.

AA: I would say movies in theatres and sports and documentaries on TV, as well as clips of common interest on Youtube.

What are some of the best websites for both parents and children?

RS: Babycenter.com is my all time favourite as a parent. It gives weekly updates on your kids’ milestones and it’s a very good helpdesk for a wannabe perfectionist father. For my children, starfalls.com is a very interactive and fun site, allowing the child to explore and engage with the content.

AA: Google is the all time favourite for researching on all parenting issues but I hardly use it as something always tells me that I am a fantastic parent already. The default website for my 12-year-old son for researching schoolwork is also Google. Outside of these sites, his default option is YouTube as his most recent craze is music .

Which social media sites are you on? Do you use any to keep in touch with your kids?

RS: In the digital world, Skype comes in very handy to stay in touch with your kids. While I am on Facebook, I don’t think I’ll be using that to connect with my kids. A recent study revealed that the biggest worry of a teenager on Facebook is that his/her mum or dad will request friendship.

AA: Facebook. I’m one of the rare parents who has my son as a friend because he sent me a request. However, I have not reached that level of modern parenting where I connect on Facebook. I still use pretty much the old tactics of keeping in touch through face to face chats in the morning and evening as well as on weekends.

Which brands are doing a great job in advertising and educating you and your children?

RS: Not many. Mead Johnson recently came up with a widget, which would give updates, tips and advice on the upbringing of children. I think this is a pretty cool digital solution to stay connected to the consumer. Unfortunately, not many brands are doing a great job at advertising and educating children.

AA: My son is most impacted by word-of-mouth in his peer group. Hence the decision on which brands to buy is done only on the back of word-of-mouth. And these pretty much sum up the categories that he cares for. The rest for him are ‘don’t know, don’t care’.

Would you buy a smartphone for your child? What do you think they will use it for?

RS: My son uses my smartphone (which he thinks belongs to him) to play games including racing cars and attempting a flight simulator. He deletes the Ferrari game from my iTouch every time he misses the first position though… sigh.

AA: Yes sure - I will buy a smartphone for him as soon as he stops losing his phones. And I hope he uses the smartphone for all the things that I’m unable to grasp and exploit. He pointed out features that I was not using even on my un-smart phone two years back.

Would you want your children to follow you into advertising?

RS: My son and daughter, who are five years old and three years old respectively, have already been offered jobs in media, when they are of an employable age, by Jasmin Sohrabji, MD of OMD India.

AA: Why not? I have found it to be one of the most fascinating and enjoyable career options despite all the pressures and burn-outs. Of course he has to want to get into it too. His last choice of profession was oscillating between a fighter pilot and guitarist.

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This article was originally published in the 6 May 2010 issue of Media.