Parents addicted to phones, children easily spoiled
Parents who can't keep their hands off their phones can be the cause of their children's bad behavior.
Scientists have discovered a link between parents’ excessive use of technology and behavioral problems in their children. About 200 families participated in a study that involved technology interventions with face-to-face interactions.
A study published in the journal Pediatric Research found that children’s bad behavior is closely related to their mothers’ level of phone use. Accordingly, this intervention during meals will make children frustrated, irritable, whining or throwing tantrums.
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| Children's personalities will be affected by their parents' use of technology. Photo:Daily Mail |
Recent studies show that parents spend an average of nine hours a day on TV, computers, tablets and phones. Of that time, one-third is spent on phones, often during family activities like meals, playtime and bedtime.
Experts at the University of Michigan and Illinois State University say these are important times that contribute to the development of children's emotional and social skills.
“Children often act out when faced with technological disruption, rather than processing it internally,” said Dr Jenny Radesky, who led the study.
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| Parent-child interaction is important for children to develop social behavior. Photo:Smallville |
According to Dr. Brandon McDaniel, parents of children who are prone to outbursts will feel more stressed. This leads them to seek more comfort from technology, which in turn worsens the child's condition.
Half of the families surveyed said technology interfered with face-to-face parent-child interactions at least three times a day. Only one in 10 denied that it was happening in their household, including not being able to stop checking messages or thinking about incoming calls and texts.
The research comes as Manchester, the UK, launches a campaign to tackle the communication problems caused by technology between parents and children. It is the first city in the UK to implement the scheme, which will see parents receive text messages telling them when to put their phones down.
