According to a study, parents who use their smartphones a lot are more likely to be poor fathers, according to the British tabloid Daily Mail.
Researchers from the University of Waterloo in Canada have shown that people who are coping with a stressful family frequently use social media to unwind, but this only makes them yell and complain more.
The study involved 549 parents who had at least two kids between the ages of 5 and 19 and who responded to a questionnaire regarding their use of digital media, mental health, and parenting techniques.
The study found that parenting practises deteriorated as men utilised social media more and more to replace spending time with their family.
The study discovered that when technology and family interactions collide, undesirable parenting practises like nagging or yelling are also more likely to rise.
Parents who were more stressed out were more inclined to use technology to unwind, which led to a vicious cycle. However, not all parents’ usage of social media was detrimental; in fact, studies have shown that it can help people feel less depressed and anxious by preserving friendships.
Positive parenting strategies like talking about their kids’ accomplishments and listening to what they have to say have also emerged as a result of smartphone use.
According to research main author Yasmin Zhang in a statement to Computers in Human Behavior, all family members are important when attempting to comprehend families in a technologically advanced culture. It’s not only that children utilise technology. Digital media use among parents can influence kids’ behaviour for a variety of reasons.
According to research co-author Dillon Brown, the family media environment is still expanding and taking centre stage. In the future, it will be crucial to take into account the subtleties of digital media because some activities are associated with wellbeing while others are associated with anguish and distress.
According to a survey conducted in 2018, 46% of parents are dependent on their smartphones. The research looked at parents and children aged 13 to 17 who were addicted to screen usage.
Parents and teenagers alike reported that they were each distracted by their phones at least once each day, with arguments over when to use smart gadgets ranking as the third most frequent source of conflict.
However, 97% of children used smartphones like their parents, while 86% of parents claimed that their kids’ usage of a mobile device did neither hinder or strengthen their relationship.
Be a good parent and put your phone away!
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