Here are extracts from our recent study on how parents are managing their children’s screen time. There is a broad range of issues they raise from addiction to impact on retention.
Fear of smartphone addiction
“I have noticed how anti-social she has become I can’t get her to interact or leave the house without her phone she takes it everywhere. I would even say now my concern is that shes actually addicted to her phone and literally has a meltdown when she [doesn’t] have it.”
[Parent responder]
“I am have already starting to put rules as she is spending every waking Minute on her phone, its ridiculous today I had to take her phone off her.”
[Parent responder]
Social media impact wellbeing
“It can make them obsessed with how they look, or what they do, social media would suggest that everyone has a perfect life, always on holiday, eating out etc. I know this isn’t the reality but it is hard to get that across to my kids.”
[Parent responder]
“I feel we are becoming more and more reliant on social media and there is so many ways and forms of bullying appearing on these sites and I feel that young adults, teenagers, and children don’t know how to react and seek the help and guidance they need.”
[Parent responder]
Creates short attention span
“…I suppose you can so easily get distracted and start searching for something and then a pop up appears and a link and then you end up looking at something different! Does seem to create a short attention span!”
[Parent responder]
Inappropriate contact and content
“[My son] watches YouTube a lot and with that, you have the worry of which videos he’s watching along with the comments sections on those videos.”
[Parent responder]
