New Delhi, Aug 9 : Children who use tablets and smartphones are causing heated arguments and conflict in many families and highlighting the need for guidelines to assist parents who are relying on it with their children’s mobile usage research has revealed. As many parents will acknowledge that children’s and teens’ mobile devices are a major source of family disputes.
A new study by Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia shed light on the subject to aid “millennial parents” who are literally making up in their head with regards to the use of digital media in the family home.
“What is interesting is that even though parents have reported high levels of disruptive behavior that included arguing with their children only a handful of information was sourced regarding screen time from trusted sources like teachers, general practitioners or counsellors.” the the lead researcher Stephanie Milford.
The results, which were published in the journal Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies emphasize the importance of informing parents about the role mobile media is playing in shaping their child’s behavior.
A poll of 281 Australian parents found that 75 percent of parents reported experiencing tension, conflict and family disputes regarding the use of mobile devices however, nearly 1 in three children had not looked up official guidelines for the use of digital media by children.
In addition, the lack of exercise, difficulties finishing tasks, gaming too much insomnia, as well as social withdrawal were frequent complaints made by at least one in five parents.
Parents were aware of the negative effects of the use of mobile devices on their children’s behavior and stated that their children were having difficulty to focus, follow instructions as well as exercise self-control and manage emotions.
“Our results show that parents are using informal networks, which could suggest the official guidelines on digital media use are difficult to comprehend or not suitable for the task,” Milford noted.
There was a lot of contradictory advice from both official and unofficial sources on the amount of time children should spend on digital media.
“We know that mothers as well as dads battle with the absence of any frame of reference, as these devices were not available when they were kids,” she said.
“Parents do their best with various of strategies they’ve heard of in order to reduce their children’s mobile device use.”
“It’s obvious that more is needed to be done in the education of parents on the ways their children’s digital media usage may be affecting their behavior and development” Ms Milford said.
The results highlight the necessity for digital media usage guidelines to be developed which are simple for parents to comprehend and apply.
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