While parents may be concerned that the time they spend on their phones can adversely affect their relationship with their children, a new study has found that this is unlikely.
With International News News Post by: Alfea Jamal | Vancouver, Canada
UPDATE ON JUL 09, 2020 10:12 AM IST
Parents may be concerned that spending time on their smartphones is having a negative effect on their relationship with their children. However, a complete new study, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, found that this does not appear to be true.
In analyzing data from 3,659 parent-based studies, the authors tested 84 different abilities to assess whether smartphone use was linked to parenting, and found little evidence. Accordingly, they examined whether the impact of telephone use on parenting depended on whether he or she was moving time with family and whether it was related to family conflict.
At low levels of time spent with family, more smartphone use was associated with better (not worse) parenting. The authors noted that, especially considering diverse family environments, smartphones have a number of roles in family life, and when they do not significantly affect family time, they may they will have a positive role in parenting.
“The challenge with a lot of family-tech literature is that it has largely come from accepting risk and problems. As a result, small and uneven outcomes can be the focus of the media, policy makers and parents, ”lead author Kathryn L. Modecki, PhD, of the Menzies Institute of Queensland Health, Griffith University, said in Australia. “This is an issue because it can reduce our vision as we focus on ways to help parents and families strengthen positive outcomes.”
So Dr. Modecki and her colleagues used an explicit approach that mapped out a number of ways in which smartphones could connect to family well-being. “We have received very little evidence of problems and we hope that this data will help us move towards more helpful and positive discussions about the diverse experiences of families with technology, the real risks of co parenting, and where we can best support it, ”she said.
(This story was published from a wire group group with no text changes. Only the headline was changed.)
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