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Parents & children: how smartphones change their relationship
Original source: The Guardian
The Guardian newspaper asked parents how phones changed their children. This is what they said.
‘It’s exasperating and annoying’
There is less talking now, and I have to go to greater lengths to have a normal conversation and eye contact. Even then, the attention span is short and the eyes go back to the phone. Anonymous, UK
‘We now communicate through text messages’
We stopped talking two weeks after my daughter got her phone. We now communicate through text messages and the odd Instagram post – even when we sit opposite each other at breakfast. John Sproule, UK
Some parents find that their children no longer seem to be part of the family. They are always on their phones.
Source: David Pereiras/ Shutterstock
‘My daughter’s priorities have shifted’
My daughter’s priorities have shifted from family to pretty much everything not family since getting a phone. But then again, she’s 14 and that is what’s supposed to happen at that age. Pascal, US
‘It has made things better’
Giving my child a phone has made things better – we text and email one another all day and we remain close. For us, the written word is an easier way to communicate than verbally. Laura Euler, US
‘She has lost the ability to be present with us’
My relationship with my daughter has all but disappeared over the course of the last year. She is 13 and, like her friends, almost every contact, dialogue, and interaction is through the smartphone. She has lost the ability to be present with us. John P, US
‘Text gives you another way to communicate’
My children having phones is helpful. It is a tool that helps us communicate more often. For example, my teens can text me photos of their homework when it’s done. They text me funny videos, quotes they like, photos. And I can do the same. Text gives you another way to communicate. Cynthia, US
Texting on phones can give families another way to communicate. But they still need to remember to talk with one another!
Source: Estrada Anton/Shutterstock
‘Her phone has brought us closer’
I feel very lucky. We talk frequently when she is away from home and stay in regular touch through text. In fact, and in spite of my concerns that it would be otherwise, her phone has brought us closer together and given her a chance to make her own decisions about how she wants to apportion her time and attention. Elizabeth West, US
‘Ultimately, it’s for the better’
I’m sure there used to be rows about phones at the dinner table when my kids were younger. Now that one of them works in San Francisco and the other periodically works or studies abroad, smartphones keep the daily conversation going – queries, comments, links, photos, recipes, music recommendations. There’s also the occasional challenge, like my second son sending me six seconds of him singing a line and demanding I identify the song! So it’s for the better, ultimately. Karen, UK