Parents’ attachment to phone screens can lead to anxiety in children – study
By Global Science JournalA study titled, “Mommy, do you love your phone more than me?”, published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Psychology in June, found that parents and caregivers’ attachment to screens can exacerbate anxiety and insecurity in children and teens.
The researchers queried 600 young people in the US, ages 12 to 17, and detailed accounts “with adolescents reporting that parental attention to screens during bids for connection left them feeling devalued, dismissed, or unimportant”.
Smartphones have only been widely available for two decades; Apple debuted the first iPhone in 2007. But since then, the devices have exploded in popularity, with 98% of US adults now owning one, according to the research group Pew. While the field of research into people’s use of smartphones is relatively new, there’s a growing consensus within the scientific community that points to negative effects, especially on children.read more
