Just a few weeks ago, an NPR report revealed the findings of several recent studies on parental smartphone dependence and the effect it has upon their children. The results are not surprising, filled with things we already know and, therefore, need to hear again and again.
In research for her book, Steiner-Adair interviewed 1,000 children between the ages of 4 and 18, asking them about their parents’ use of mobile devices. The language that came up over and over and over again, she says, was “sad, mad, angry and lonely.” One 4-year-old called his dad’s smartphone a “stupid phone.” Others recalled joyfully throwing their parent’s phone into the toilet, putting it in the oven or hiding it. There was one girl who said, “I feel like I’m just boring. I’m boring my dad because he will take any text, any call, anytime — even on the ski lift!”
The rest of the story by Patti Neighmond, entitled “For the Children’s Sake, Put Down That Smartphone”, can be found HERE.
