Parents' Phone Addiction Affects Bond With Kids, New Study Finds (bloomberg.com)
- Reference: 0184372042
- News link: https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/26/07/09/0445259/parents-phone-addiction-affects-bond-with-kids-new-study-finds
- Source link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-08/parents-phone-addiction-affects-bond-with-kids-new-study-finds
> Parents' attachment to screens and smartphones [1]can have negative, long-lasting developmental and psychological effects on their children , according to new research. Caregivers who mismanage their devices can both exacerbate "insecure attachment" and make healthy relationships more anxious and avoidant for children, according to the findings, which were [2]published last month in Frontiers in Psychology , a peer-reviewed journal. The study, which surveyed 600 minors in the US from 12 to 17 years old, found that kids reported feeling marginalized or neglected by parents glued to their screens.
"A child with insecure attachment may lack confidence or display a lower sense of self; demonstrate difficulty with interpersonal relationships and intimacy; and possess an unwillingness to take risks necessary to achieve success," reports Bloomberg, citing one of the study's researchers.
This type of behavior has become normalized: 2024 Pew data [3]found that nearly half of U.S. teens say their parents are at least sometimes distracted by phones during interactions. "When parents were asked about their own behavior, far fewer said this was an issue," the report adds. "Still, earlier [4]Pew data from 2020 found most parents feel their phones can interfere with quality family time, with 68% reporting being 'at least sometimes' distracted by them.
[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-08/parents-phone-addiction-affects-bond-with-kids-new-study-finds
[2] https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1766665/full
[3] https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/03/11/how-teens-and-parents-approach-screen-time/
[4] https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/07/28/parenting-children-in-the-age-of-screens/
What about reading? (Score:1)
Parents of yesteryear before TV and radio used to constantly read periodicals, newspapers, or books. There have always been ways for parents to pay attention to something other than their children.
Bad for adults and kids (Score:2)
This is what's so dumb about all this "social media is bad for children" bullshit. It's bad for adults! I deleted all my major social media in 2021:
[1]https://battlepenguin.com/phil... [battlepenguin.com]
I've know people who have said, "You've probably seen this on social media," pulling out their phone. I'm like, "How? How would I see your video on social media?!" They just automatically assume we're friends on Facebook, even though they've never seen me online or never seen a post, because I'm literally not on there. Even
[1] https://battlepenguin.com/philosophy/youll-find-me-i-promise/
At what point does this become a problem? (Score:2)
I have seen parents who become utterly absorbed in their activities on a computer for hours on end, barely aware they have kids in the house. I have no doubt that this could damage a child's emotional well-being. But having seen this obsessive behavior I'm skeptical that the same damage is done when a parent scrolls through Facebook and is briefly distracted. It may be no different than someone watching a football game and ignoring their kids chattering at them. My guess is that what matters ultimately is t
Re: (Score:2)
How can one be unaware of baby goats in one's house?
They said the same thing about TV (Score:2, Interesting)
The Simpsons made jokes about it all the time.
50+ hour work weeks and constant Financial stress is what's affecting the bond. 90 minute one-way commutes affect the bond.
You don't waste time on your phone because it's fun you do it because you're exhausted from life. It's not addiction you're numbing the pain from modern Life. What the cool kids called alienation.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
"The Simpsons" are a children's television cartoon series. Hardly worth quoting......
This right here is what's wrong with America (Score:3, Insightful)
The Simpsons is biting social and political satire... Or it used to be I mean it's been on the air too long and with that Elon Musk episode they were clearly paid to say shit.
But the fact that you don't understand that is what's wrong with america. Somebody tried to teach you when you were growing up what satire was and how to interpret it and I'm sorry but that person failed you.
Re: (Score:2)
Right. Because what children watch, listen to, or think about are not important. /s
Re: (Score:1)
Thanks for the insightful relation to TV. To build on your relation, I grew up with my parents watching TV every night, we even ate dinner in front of the TV, and that's how I saw most episodes of Star Trek Next Generation. However, while not a statistical comparison mind you, anecdotally, I noticed that my friends who grew up in families that set aside time to eat dinner at the table, and limited TV time, both for us, and themselves, and spent more time going out of the house and doing activities with thei