Parenting in the Digital Age

We live in an age where communication is on tap. Facebook, email and the web – accessed anytime, anywhere, from the palm of our hand.



On the face of it smartphones have made parenting easier – I can write a quick email at the school gates, entertain a bored child with a video or capture a proud moment on my camera. But is there a darker side to my phone use? Well, research still lags behind our widespread adoption of smartphones but recent studies suggest caregivers are more likely to respond harshly to children when highly absorbed in their smartphone and the mere presence of a phone on the table makes people sitting around feel more disconnected. Smartphones have even been linked to a 10% increase in unintentional childhood injuries with children engaging in more risk-taking behaviour when their caregivers are distracted.

The over-use of our smartphones is a subject many parents consider but often conveniently dismiss in favour of the positives. But however hard I try I can’t help thinking there must be a deeper impact I’m not seeing – are my children having to compete for my attention against my phone?

It was at my local park that the thought first came to mind. As I admired the kids and parents in the park, I realised that every parent was silently supervising their children with their faces glued to a screen. The kids played alone whilst the parents responded to their shout for attention with ‘hang on, just a minute, I’m just doing something…’ – without even looking up to meet their child’s gaze. And I get it, I really do – I was doing the same.

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Your phone is the perfect pick-me-up and parenthood is hard enough without another judgement or sacrifice right? Well, yes – and I’m not proposing we all shun technology and search out those ancient Nokia’s but maybe we ought to control ourselves a bit more.



Leave our phones at the door with the keys, leave them off the dinner table and have designated device-free family time. Take the photos but don’t post them instantly and wait for the replies – set time aside when the kids aren’t around. There are even apps you can download to monitor or block your access to social media and email if you need help.

I’m not pretending I have the answers though – I’m still battling with the questions myself. I do personally feel that my phone usage has a darker side and it’s one I’m trying not to ignore. And however hard I try, I can’t help thinking that each time I check my phone, I’m checking-out of parenthood.

Source: medium.com