Parents passing on their phone ‘addiction’ to kids, study finds
Louisa Sherlock
Contributing EditorAnd experts are also warning parents about the danger of ‘phubbing’ – ignoring your child to look at your phone.
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From scrolling through social media to replying to WhatsApp messages, barely a moment goes by when we’re not checking our phones. And new research has now revealed this screen addiction is being passed on to our kids.
A team at China’s Lanzhou and Shenzhen Universities looked at the use of smartphones by nearly 10,000 youngsters. They found a direct link between the children’s phone usage and how much their parents used their devices.
Researcher Dr Yanni Wang said:
‘Adolescents had a higher tendency toward addiction when their parents excessively used smartphones.’
Writing in the Journal of Affective Disorders Dr Wang added:
‘Overuse has become a social issue for adolescents, affecting personal lives and academic achievements.
‘It can have debilitating effects on physical and mental health, causing fatigue, indigestion problems, sleep disturbance, depression, anxiety and impulsiveness.’
Meanwhile there are also warnings about the rise of phubbing – snubbing people in favour of your phone. Netmums’ resident psychologist Linda Blair says:
‘Phubbing is very real and sadly there is a lot of it. What we look for on our phone is to feel connected and acceptable. The problem is you get a hit of dopamine from your phone which simply makes you want more.
'But the truth is, you’ll feel at peace when you stop needing other adults’ approval to feel ok. It’s your child who can give you the most important approval, but you need to prioritise them.
‘When you use your phone in front of your child who’s wishing for your attention, they feel unimportant compared to the people you’re connecting with.’
Yet from picking up important emails from school to arranging meet-ups with friends, phones are a vital way to stay connected. So what can parents do to teach children healthy screen habits? And how can we make sure we aren’t reaching for our phones instead of interacting with our kids?
Here are Linda’s top tips for putting an end to phubbing …
1. Put your phone out of sight
Turning your notifications off or putting your phone face down isn’t enough … you’ll still be drawn to it.
‘Research shows if you can even see your phone, even if it’s turned off and in your pocket, it's going to mean you lose some of your powers of attention,' says Linda.
‘The only way to stop being distracted by your phone is to put it somewhere you can’t see or hear it. That’s asking a lot so you could practice putting your phone out of sight, just for a bit but often.
'Try doing it for 10 minutes a day and build it up to the point where you’re spending mealtimes with no phone for example.’
2. Change your priorities
A ping of an email or a WhatsApp notification is very hard to ignore … and there’s a reason for that, says Linda.
‘The noises on your phone have been carefully researched to hit dopamine centres which means you want to respond to them straight away.’
Seeing you instantly reach for your phone is a lesson you want to avoid teaching your children.
‘This addiction to phones can happen to children at any age’, adds Linda. ‘To help prevent this, try and make your phone look like it’s part of your work and that it’s not taking precedence over social interaction.
‘Prioritise your child: if your phone rings or a message pings while you’re interacting with your child, ignore it.’
3. Take control
Sometimes it can feel like our phones are glued to our hands. So it’s no surprise that parents are being warned about phubbing, says Linda. But there’s a lot you can do …
‘The less you are ruled by your phone and the more you rule your phone, the more in control you’ll feel of your life.
‘It’s not just for your child, it will make you feel better too.’
Are you worried about how much time your child spends on their devices? Chat to other parents in our forum, below, or check out our expert advice for limiting screen time.
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