To the busy family, stressed by work schedules, commuting
and multiple after-school activities, the mobile phone seems like the perfect
tool to knit the family together during the day. The majority of families claim
they communicate more using such technology, know each other better and find
that it makes practicalities and logistics much easier during the week.
Some families use more recent services such as WhatsApp and
Kik to communicate. Figures show that parents with these services communicate
five times more with each other, and eight times more with their children.
However, children are also adept at using communication platforms such as
Instagram and SnapChat specifically for communicating with friends.
Not surprisingly, new communication services have created
new worries for parents. The report shows that parents now set more rules and
practice more active device management for their children. Of the families
interviewed, 72 percent said that use of mobile phones was restricted as a
punishment.
However, even if communication technology has an overall
positive impact on families, there are still some drawbacks. Kornblad, says:
“The study shows that we should be aware that our obsession with our phones and
our tablets is eating into our valuable family time. Children want more
face-to-face communication with their parents during the week, and
communication technology will not solve this.
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