Grandparents, grandkids and the research on staying close
Close relationships across generations are linked with good things for kids and grandparents alike. Digital contact helps most when it adds to visits.
Teens who talk with a grandparent about school and life tend to have fewer emotional and behavioral problems, especially in single-parent and stepfamilies. Grandparents who stay in touch both digitally and in person report higher life satisfaction. Digital contact adds to visits; it doesn't replace them.
What the research found
- Teens and grandparents. In a study of 1,515 teens aged 11 to 16 in England and Wales (Attar-Schwartz et al., 2009), more grandparent involvement, like talking about school and giving advice, was associated with fewer emotional problems, less hyperactivity and fewer peer problems. The links were strongest in single-parent and stepfamilies.
- Grandparents' wellbeing. A 2023 US study of 438 grandparents (Fu, Hwang & Silverstein) found "fully connected" grandparents, in touch digitally and in person, had higher life satisfaction than those with little contact. Grandparents connected only digitally looked similar to those with little contact.
- Designing for conversation. A 2025 meta-analysis of 15 experiments (Mathers et al.) found that how digital media is designed shapes the quality of adult-child interaction, and conversation prompts work especially well.
Where experts disagree
These studies are correlational: close families may both talk more and do better for other reasons. And the 2023 study is a reminder that apps don't replace time together in person.
How this shaped OurDot
OurDot makes everyday contact easy across ages: voice notes with words on screen, video calls, a shared family feed, and games built to play together, like trivia about each other. Bigger, simpler screens help grandparents who want them.
What we don't claim
- That video calls reduce loneliness. The 2023 study measured life satisfaction.
- That OurDot replaces visits.