Smartphones are evil! They hijack parents, push kids to misbehave

The widespread use of smartphones today has triggered various discussions. The most popular of them is whether children should be allowed to use smart mobile gadgets at all and at what age. However, very few are those who take the time to think about the other side of the rope – parents. A recent study has found that parents’ smartphone addiction has a directed negative effect on their kids.

The report was published in the Pediatrics journal. According to the researchers behind it, smartphones can disturb the relationship between a parent and a child. The study discovered that parents have the habit to spend too much time on their smart devices, tend to scold their kids in a harsher way.

Scholars reached to this conclusion after they examined the interaction and communication between children and parents during meal times. What they found was that more than 33% of the adults were almost glued to their smartphones. In addition, over 70% of them used their innovative handset at least once during meal.

However, that is not the real problem. The issue comes when the kid interrupts or tries to attract the attention of their mum or dad. In most of the cases, parents responded to that in a very negative, harsh or a less engaged manner. For instance, one mum completely ignored her kid’s attempt to catch her attention, while another even kicked her child.

Researchers also state that this could have a direct effect not only on the parent-child bond, but also on the child. The majority of kids who participated in the study tried to demand their smartphone-obsessed parents’ attention by misbehaving.

Scientists believe that this could affect kids’ development in the future. This is due to the fact that face-to-face interactions are of high importance for people. That is even more true when it comes to children.

• Read more: Younger Parents Don’t Stress Over Kids’ Excessive Media Use

However, parents are not the only victims of the smartphone addiction. We are all under the influence of mobile entertainment. The majority of smartphone users find it hard to stay away from their devices even for just one day. In addition, another study recently revealed that most people check their phone every 10 minutes.