The study from leading video and ecommerce retailer, QVC, found that parents spend 43 minutes assembling fiddly gadgets on Christmas morning with 53% of parents even asking their children for help setting up their own tech toys.
A quarter of parents (25%) admit their children are better with technology than they are, whilst one in seven (13%) have no idea how to set up the gadgets they buy for their offspring.
A fifth (20%) of parents ask other family members to assist with the install, whilst one in eight (12%) have to search the Internet for instructions on setting up the latest technology presents.
Laptops and games consoles spark the biggest Christmas morning panic amongst parents (25%), followed by smartphones (20%) and setting up a tablet (19%).
Despite parents getting the festive fear, the research found that parents will fork out over £2 billion on the latest technology and gaming gifts this Christmas, that's £221 per child. With people in Edinburgh splurging over double (£484 per child) on gaming gifts for under the tree.
To combat the festive fear, QVC has enlisted some adorable miniature presenters to create parent-proof guides to the year's most sought after tech presents.
Twins Kara and Kane Dedwo, aged 7, from Surrey, gave the Smartrax Indoor & Outdoor Electric Self Balancing Drift Scooter (£299.98) a whizz and got snap happy with the Panasonic Lumix Compact Camera (£242.00).
Rafi Lanham, aged 7, from Warwickshire, played DJ giving the GPO Memphis Vinyl Turntable (£122.00) a spin, whilst Imogen Leeson, aged 8, from London and Rosie May Watson, aged 7, from Essex, sent the Parrot Airbourne Cargo Flying Quadcopter (£99.98) soaring around the studio.
QVC also pitted kids against their parents with a quiz to test their technology IQ. Social media questions caused the biggest grief for parents with only a third (33%) correctly identifying that the character limit on a tweet is 140 and three quarters (75%) left puzzled over Periscope.
Less than a quarter (23%) of kids correctly identified that Apple's watch is called an Apple Watch, as opposed to an iWatch, and only 22% knew that a Vine was six seconds long.
Harry Wallop, Dad of 4 columnist, commented "With their smartphones, social media profiles and streaming devices, kids of today are far more digitally savvy than many of us fogeys. They've grown up in a much more technologically advanced world, so it is hardly surprising that many of them will be teaching grown-ups how to work the latest gadget gifts this Christmas."
Stephen Davidson, Director of Home Innovation Buying at QVC, commented "We're seeing a bit of a role reversal this Christmas as parents look to their tech-savvy kids to help set up the toys under this year's tree."
"Hopefully QVC's tutorials from our clued-up kids will save any festive fear as parents get to grips with the latest gadgets under the tree this Christmas."
Children are better at technology than their parents
Tagged in Christmas children Technology