- Excessive use of parental phone calls weakens the emotional bond with children.
- Children feel neglected, insecure attachments may develop.
- Research on the weakening of relationships with digital devices continues to grow.
- Parents are physically present, but attention remains on the phone.
Smartphone Addiction: Whenever there is talk of smartphone addiction or screen time, most of the times this discussion is about children. But now a study has shown that along with children, the habits of their parents also matter a lot. Parents who remain on the phone the whole day, their emotional bond with their children becomes weak. This affects the development and brain of children. Most of the 12-17 year old teenagers included in the study said that when their parents are on the phone, they feel as if they are being ignored or sidelined.
What is the effect on children of parents using phones?
The researchers of this study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology have found that when parents or caregivers use the phone for too long, it can lead to insecure attachment. Insecure attachment is a pattern that makes children restless and they may not be very confident while forming relationships later in life. If timely attention is not given to it, these things can affect the child till adulthood.
Are digital devices weakening relationships?
This study has come out at a time when research on “technoreference” is continuously increasing. If we understand technoreference in simple language, it means that digital devices are weakening real relationships. Earlier studies had considered the impact of digital devices on romantic relationships, but recent research is showing that it is also impacting the relationships between children and parents. It is also strange that till now the debate was only about the screen time of children, but the new study has changed the whole story.
Physically present, but mind somewhere else
The researcher says that parents are physically present with the digital device, but their attention and mind are somewhere else. This was confirmed in a survey conducted in America in 2024. Most of the children included in the survey said that their parents pay more attention to the phone while talking to them, whereas only a few parents accepted this.
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