Virtual Babysitting is a Thing Now and Business is Booming

May. 10, 2020

As the Coronavirus-led lockdown has forced families to adopt the pandemic lifestyle, parents are having quite a hard time dealing with their little ones at home 24×7. We have seen companies likeSpotifyandApplecome up with new ways to keep the kids engaged, giving the parents a bit of time of their own. However, according to recent reports, parents are now hiring babysitters to keep their offsprings engaged virtually and it seems business is booming for the initial virtual babysitting companies.

Since the global lockdown has shut down schools and education institutions, parents have been trying to home-school their kids. However, juggling between working from home, house chores, taking care of the kids and helping them to keep learning, most parents cannot cope with the situation. So, nowthey are hiring nannies to talk, play and keep kids engaged through video-conferencing platforms likeFaceTimeandZoom. This is giving parents some time of their own to make work calls, mow the garden or just take a breather from the hectic indoor-life.

After the popularity of this newly discovered business-model,the virtual babysitting industry saw a whopping 700% rise in demandfrom the middle of March to mid-April. Following some of the initial virtual babysitting companies likeCare.com,Babysitting CompanyandMinutes 4 Moms, many other babysitter-providers have started to train their workforce in virtual engagement with kids.

Now, according to the report,these virtual babysitters can charge up to $36 (~Rs 2720) for a 45-minute session with the kids, So that amounts to almost $48 (~Rs 3630) an hour, which is quite steep.

Bringing the latest in technology, gaming, and entertainment is our superhero team of staff writers. They have a keen eye for latest stories, happenings, and even memes for tech enthusiasts.