New Study Reveals Indiscriminate Smartphone Use by Parents Killing Family Life

By Amando Flavio

A new study in the UK has revealed that indiscriminate use of smartphones by parents is destroying their relationship wit their families, particularly with their children.

Technology is changing our lives. If those who died a century ago were to resurrect today, they would indeed be marveled by the giant progress we have made. This is simply because they didn’t see the technology we are using today. To them, the very thought of a flat touch screen was fiction.

However, we should make sure that the changes brought by technology better our lives rather than destroy them. It is true, that every change has its negatives and positives, but we should strive to have mainly the positives.

A new study in the U.K. has revealed that rampant use of smartphones by parents is destroying their relationships with their families, especially their children.

The study was carried out by Digital Awareness UK (DAUK), an online safety organization, and the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC).

In order to get a clear picture of the problem being investigated, the researchers used secondary school pupils as respondents. 2, 000 pupils aged between 11 and 18 responded to the study.

According to the study, more than a third of the respondents said they had asked their parents to stop checking their devices. 14% said their parents were online during meal times.

Among the respondents, 82% felt meal times should be device-free. 22% said the use of smartphones stopped their families enjoying each other’s company. 36% had asked their parents to put down their phones.

Of pupils who had asked their parents to put down their phones, 46% said their parents took no notice while 44% felt upset and ignored. These pupils expressed frustration about the actions of their parents.

This is not the first time DAUK and HMC have teamed up to look at the effects of smartphone use on parents and pupils. In 2016, a study by the two bodies showed almost half of secondary pupils were checking their mobile phones after they had gone to bed. They warned that this was causing students to arrive late at school, and unable to concentrate during lessons.

In this new study, almost three-quarters of pupils (72%) admitted they were online between three and 10 hours a day. 11% said this could rise to 15 hours at weekends and holidays, while 3% said it could reach 20 hours.

The study revealed that the pupils’ greatest worry about their own online use was lack of sleep, with 47% highlighting it as a major concern.

Chairperson of the HMC, Mike Buchanan, said it was time for parents, teachers and pupils “to rewrite the rulebook” on the use of mobile devices, which have become an integral part of life at school, work and play.

The study revealed that the pupils’ greatest worry about their own online use was lack of sleep, with 47% highlighting it as a major concern.

Again, The Washington Post reported in January 2016 that about half of at least 27 selfie deaths in 2015 had occurred in India. No official data on the number of people who died taking selfies in India exists, but reports show from 2014 up to August 2016, there have been at least 54 deaths in India while taking selfies.

In July 2016, a study by a team of researchers from Ajou University in South Korea revealed that more women are increasingly becoming addicted to smartphones, and that this is also impacting on their mental health.

Via: anonhq.com