A study of more than 2,000 British people by the team at www.sellmymobile.com has revealed the worst phone traits of British parents.
It turns out parents have some bad habits when it comes to smart phones
Thirty two percent of Brits surveyed felt that parents had bad habits when it came to using their smartphones around their children with the top 5 worst smartphone habits they had witnessed being:
- Focusing on their phones and expecting others to look after their children e.g. when they’re with friends or at the hairdressers (34%),
- Sitting on their phones when in a restaurant with their children (30%)
- Giving children their mobile phone to act as a digital babysitter (29%)
- Allowing children to play with devices with the sounds on loud in coffee shops/bars/planes (20%)
- Using their phone behind the wheel whilst driving with their kids in the car (12%)
68% felt that parents who spend a lot of time on their phone instead of focussed on their children were not setting a good example for their kids, with seventy three per cent agreeing children would benefit from more one-on-one time with family.
29% of Brits flagged the bad habit of parents letting their child have their mobile phone to distract them like a ‘digital babysitter’ while the average age Britons feel children should be allowed their own mobile phone or tablet was found to be 11 years old.
Almost half (46%) of the parents polled admitted they were guilty of spending too much time on their phones when around their children, and that they were most likely to do this at home (23%), in a restaurant (16%) and at a local park or play zone (15%).
When asked how they planned to change their ways, the majority of parents stated that they would be looking to implement no-phone zones (30%), as well as setting time brackets when phones are off limits (28%) and only responding to important texts when with their children (19%). 1 in 9 (11%) revealed they weren’t planning on changing their phone habits around their children at all.
Rob Baillie, spokesperson for www.sellmymobile.com, commented:
“Mobile phones are fantastic in that they keep us in touch with anyone, anywhere, at any time. We’re never disconnected from those we love and can even keep up with work whilst on the go; however this pocket convenience can distract us from our surroundings.
“This study has demonstrated that parents are under a huge amount of scrutiny from those around them, when using their phones in the company of their children, and that parents themselves are second-guessing their mobile behaviour and the impact it might have on their children. There are a lot of contradictory reports on the impact of mobile and tablet use which makes it hard to make the right call, but ultimately the parents will know best what is right for their child.”
Tagged in Parenting