Parents’ Tech Overuse a Growing Concern
According to the Guardian, Britain’s education secretary, Damian Hinds, is working to discourage tech use in the home among parents in hopes of boosting students’ language abilities. Hines urged parents to prioritize “one-to-one time without gadgets”, as 28% of British children starting primary school don’t have the basic early communication or reading skills they need to progress.
The Atlantic warned that a parent’s attention distracted by tech can disrupt the backbone of human learning — responsive communication. A child-development expert stressed its utmost importance, saying that, “language is the single best predictor of school achievement, and the key to strong language skills are those back-and-forth fluent conversations between young children and adults.”
A CNET article covered children in their own words protesting tech distracted parents. Four Louisiana children in a second-grade class chose the smartphone for an essay assignment about an invention they wish had never been created. The article also cited a research finding that children act out for attention when parents are on their phones.
In Hamburg Germany, a seven-year-old inspired 150 people to participate in a demonstration against distracted parenting, using the slogan “Play with ME, not with your cell phones!”. In London, high school students drafted a pledge for parents asking them to reduce their smartphone time. And a family dining chain in the U.K. ran a study revealing that 72 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 16 want their parents off their phones while eating.
Parents can help manage their time with technology by considering a “digital diet”. A simple set of guidelines for all family members can help maintain face-to-face time and safeguard healthy communication.
