Parents Fear Losing Their Kids to ‘Digital Addiction’
There was a time when getting kids to come inside after playing all day was the ultimate dilemma for parents. Now, it’s taking a tablet or smartphone out of their…
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 17: In this photo illustration, a teenage child looks at the screen of a mobile phone on January 17, 2023 in London, England. The ‘Online Safety’ Bill aims to introduce new rules for companies which host user-generated content, and for search engines, which will have tailored duties focussed on minimising the presentation of harmful search results to vulnerable users. Content that platforms will need to remove includes child sexual abuse material, revenge pornography, selling illegal drugs or weapons, and terrorism. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
There was a time when getting kids to come inside after playing all day was the ultimate dilemma for parents. Now, it’s taking a tablet or smartphone out of their tiny, surprisingly strong hands. Welcome to parenting in the digital age, where the battle isn’t over bedtime, but screen time.
More and more parents are expressing deep concerns over what’s being labeled as “digital addiction,” a term used to describe excessive use of devices like smartphones, tablets, computers, and gaming consoles. And it’s not just teenagers doom-scrolling through TikTok. Even preschoolers now know how to swipe before they are even potty trained.
The Truth About Digital Addiction
In a new study published by the New York Post, researcher for AngelQ, a kid-friendly internet browser, said, “Parents spend approximately 96 hours fighting with their kids over screen time every year.” Families also have 500 tech-related fights, more than one per day every year. No wonder, digital detox retreats are on the rise!
The analysts also gave a grim figure: “Two-thirds (67%) of parents fear they’re losing precious moments with their children due to screen addiction.”
The study also found that:
- 61% of parents respondents are worried that their child is missing childhood development such as building strong social skills and empathy, because of too much screen time.
- Respondents also reported the consequences of excessive screen time, including irritability (27%), mood swings (24%), and tantrums (22%).
- Other screen time-related issues that parents worry about include decreased attention spans for offline activities (19%), anxiety (14%), and trouble sleeping (14%).
- Still, 60% or six out of ten parents still let their kids surf the internet without supervision.
Losing Precious Time
Tim Estes, CEO and co-founder of AngelQ, said in a statement, “Technology is currently aligned against families instead of allied with them. Our kids are losing years of their childhood – precious time they’ll never get back – to exploitative products that addict them. Technology should educate and empower, not distract and divide families. That starts with giving parents easier tools to manage screen time without the daily struggle.”
65% of the respondents admitted to giving in to their children when they refuse to put down their device. As for those parents who are adamant, 39% of them claimed their children still managed to sneak off and access these devices behind their backs.
Estes added, “These findings highlight the delicate balancing act parents face, wanting to protect childhood while also preparing kids for a digital world. We recognize that screen time isn’t inherently bad, but today most of the options are.”
