Parents' Phone Addiction Affects Bond With Kids, New Study Finds (bloomberg.com) 44
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: Parents' attachment to screens and smartphones 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 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 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 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.
This type of behavior has become normalized: 2024 Pew data 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 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.
They said the same thing about TV (Score:4, Insightful)
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.
This right here is what's wrong with America (Score:4, Insightful)
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.
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This is modded insightful?
Cod.
PS I'm not American thanks
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Turns out people are the same all over. Who knew?
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"The Simpsons" are a children's television cartoon series. Hardly worth quoting......
"The Simpsons", much like "The Flintstones", was originally played later in the evening and targeted to adult viewers. Heck even Looney Tunes was originally targeted to adult viewers (in movie theaters).
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Bold Claims And Generalizations (Score:3)
I'm gonna need a little more supporting evidence than a Simpsons episode.
My own anecdotal observations indicate massive addiction and escapism with people who have no financial nor life stress.
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Those are not mutually exclusive.
So *NOT* vaccines. (Score:2)
How does a society treat its citizens, specifically parents and children?
Autism -- is human psychology being maladaptive because of this situation. Parents aren't there for their children to imprint-upon. The psychological distress is real. Depersonalization is a result.
This depersonalization happening during acute childhood development phases, exacerbates the problem of social disengagement.
People should be treated as people, not chattel.
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And they were right about TV addiction, and now they're right about phone addiction. Same bad effects on people, and their children.
Re: The latest moral panic (Score:2)
Welcome to the 90s I guess?
What about reading? (Score:1, Insightful)
Bad for adults and kids (Score:4)
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 when I had it I never went to the live feed. I'd always go to my page first and then individual pages. The way people use social media by default has disconnected us for individuals.
My current phone doesn't run Google services of even microG:
https://battlepenguin.com/tech... [battlepenguin.com]
There's almost no reason for me to ever get my phone out, unless I want to show a photo to someone. Sometimes I'll reach for it and realize it is still in my car. I use it for photos, podcasts, music and texts and that's about it. Over five days of battery life most weeks!
I absolutely cannot stand people who invite me out, and we're in a bar or restaurant or at an event, and they are constantly on their phones. It's like, "Dude, we're here. Live. This live right here!" Those angry tweets will still be there later.
Facebook was funded by Peter Theil, has ties to US intelligence agencies and just happened to launch the day DARPA shut down Digital LifeLog (just a coincidence I'm sure). These tools are not your friends. Stay off them, and instill those values in your children if you want any hope of them escaping the coming surveillance state and the current trend to narcissistic broadcast culture and society.
Re: Bad for adults and kids (Score:3)
I have a friend who sends me all the dank memes from social media so I am in still in touch with the culture but not exposed to or supporting their general shittiness.
Re: Know what's bad for families? Gay propaganda. (Score:3)
Probably not great. They all seem to be very angry about something.
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At what point does this become a problem? (Score:3)
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How can one be unaware of baby goats in one's house?
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If you bring your kids to a playground and you spend your time staring at your phone instead of interacting with them, you're missing out on an opportunity for strengthening your bond. If that happens often enough, I can see this as causing problems in the long term.
This just seems like yet another "refrigerator mother" theory which--while long discredited for explaining schizophrenia and autism--may yet have a grain of truth to it...
Re:At what point does this become a problem? (Score:4, Interesting)
I see this dynamic playing out between my 12yo son and his mother. I read Reddit a lot on my phone, but always put it down for him. His mother, on the other hand, gets so absorbed by the streams she is watching and tunes him out. He's learning to not go to her to share his excitement and achievements. He's also picking up some of those habits with his phone, though his streaming and browsing is extremely limited.
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YMMV but in my view the phone situation is out of control. It is like being absorbed on a computer for hours on end, but worse since the computer is on your person basically 24/7. I'm no role model, I have to consciously put my phone away for dinner time, and even still I find myself wanting to reach for it as my mind reminds me I should look this up, or respond to this message, or whatever.
And as others have said if you are at any place with kids, playground, yard, the kids sporting events, even a play,
Well, Duh! (Score:3)
Thank God... (Score:4, Funny)
No mention of a handle of bourbon every night so I guess that's just fine as long as you're not camped out on your phone. :P
Re: Thank God... (Score:2)
If you drink the bourbon and then play with your kids, that's probably the healthier way to go for your child's development.
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Parenting is hard (Score:3)
Screen time is easier.
Boomerism Affects Bond With Kids, I Find (Score:1)
"Cruisin' for a bruisin'", and other casual threats of violence my Boomer parents used to tell me as a child.
When they realized it wasn't socially acceptable to physically hit me, they used verbal abuse to correct me. And when that stopped working they quit interacting with me as much and I spent most of my teenage years organizing my own things, working out my own way to pay tuition, renting my own moving van, setting up my own apartment, etc.
If you're looking for the root cause to bad parenting, it's not
You mean like... (Score:2)
The guy, the other month, on hte DC Metro, who was sitting with his..three? four? year old, and got the kid onto a play phone, and he got on his, ignoring the kid?
Wait until you find out about celebrity addiction (Score:5, Interesting)
Your brain can only handle so many relationships and after that you start forgetting people.
If you fill those slots by learning a bunch of shit about people you'll never meet or know then they're just wasted.
Interpersonal relationships started going downhill when celebrity became, ironically, common.
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Not exactly the same, but I remember seeing a study saying that humans only select from about 50 foods.If you give them access to 1000 or more foods, such as in a supermarket, they'll develop about 50 foods that they think of as available resources, and the rest they just ignore, the same way you'd ignore a rock when you're foraging.
It becomes a problem for people without enough food, because they might have free food available but if it isn't one of those 50 foods they'll look at just like they're looking
Addiction leads to bad parenting (Score:3)
Addiction leads to bad parenting?!? No way!
Crazy things you learn...
Smartphones (Score:3)
Smartphones and tablets are essentially digital babysitters in this day and age.
Go to any restaurant and look around ( assuming you aren't a part of the problem by being addicted to your own phone ).
Make a note of how many families are there with every member of said family doing nothing but playing with their phones.
Go to the park, make a note of how many people are walking, jogging, riding their bikes, walking the dog, etc. all while staring at their phone.
Blasting down the freeway at 80mph and, yep, many of them are staring at their phone.
It's rather sad.
Hands down the most addictive invention within the last several decades imo.
But the Governments will do nothing about it because the devices are loaded with surveillance / data harvesting tech they love.
The smartphone is to humanity in modern socieity what a pacifier or security blanket is to a toddler.
They're fine as long as they have their favorite little toy in hand.
Deny them said toy, however, and they will absolutely lose their mind.
They needed a study (Score:2)