Parent Perspectives Children's Mobile Device Use

​Technological advancement is one factor that affects parent-child relationship. According to research, 46% of smartphone owners consider their smartphones as a necessity for daily living (Smith). Technology has made it possible to incorporate a lot of things in just one phone – you can use it as an alarm clock, a camera, a dictionary, and many more – making it a constant feature in day to day activities. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and other social networking sites have made communication easier, that’s a good thing. However, most college students spend their time interacting with their friends online and that causes them to spend less time bonding with their parents. Likewise, the parents distance themselves from their children when they use technology as a means to bring more work at home. Even if technology

younger ages, are beginning to demand, some say need, a cell phone, and more and more data

Study’s made by AVG shows that fifty four percent of children think their parents check their smartphones too often and thirty two percent of children ‘feel unimportant’ when their parents are on their smartphones. The constant use of the smartphone is a bad model of parenting, but it does not mean that parents have to stop using smartphones because parents can give hundred percent attention to their children without giving hundred percent of their time. In fact, it is healthy for children and they will not see the smartphone as more important than

Parents need to pay more attention to their phones than their children. In the article “For The Children’s Sake, Put Down That Smartphone”By Patti Neighmond, it states evidence that “Forty of the 55 parents used a mobile device during the meal, and many, she says, were more absorbed in the device than with the kids”. Children will soon feel neglected that parents chose their phones over them. People have done research that kids feel angry that their parents use the mobile device. It states “ ….Steiner-Adair interviewed 1,000 children between the ages of 4 and 18, asking them about their parents’ use of mobile devices. The language that came up over and over again, she says, was sad, mad, angry, and lonely”. This show that families need to stay off their phones and pay more attention to their each

For example, two families living on opposite sides of the world can now communicate using Skype, or any means of telecommunications application software in order to keep in touch and stay connected with one another. This technology does not come without its consequences; using technology to keep in touch with loved ones from afar has turned into communicating with another from across the room. Those mostly affected by the increasing usage of technology are adolescents. The Pew Research Center conducted a research titled “Teens and Technology 2013” (Madden et al., 2013). This report consist of data collected from not only adolescents ranging in age of 12 to 17 but also from the parents of those adolescents, where it is reported that 74% of “teens ages 12-17 say they access the internet on cell phones, tablets, and other mobile devices at least occasionally” (Madden et al.,

How many people could take a whole day out of their week to not look at their phone? “Tech Free Tuesday” could be the new hit of the times. Children in today’s world grow up with their iPad’s, iPhone’s, tablets and computers that basically does everything for them What about dinner time conversations, playing in the neighborhood, and exploring at their own leisure. We are constantly consumed by our technological devises and the newer generations are continuing to grow worse with the amount of technology they use on a daily basis. The age at which children begin using technology continues to grow younger and younger. In this day and age people would rather spend their free time alone consumed with electronic devises rather than engaging in conversation. Therefore, reducing the amount of technology use in homes across the United States could have serious positive

The use of mobile electronic devices, specifically iPads, has become strikingly popular in America. Along with this growth, the age at which they are being introduced is getting lower and lower. Out of all electronic devices, the iPad is considered to have the fastest adoption rate (Manuguerra & Petocz, 2011). In fact, by the age of two over 90 percent of children had, at minimum, a moderate knowledge of how to use an iPad (Hourcade, Mascher, Wu & Pantoja, 2015). For decades, children of this age group have been watching television, but with newer technology they are now able to constantly stream videos, play games, and access apps off their mobile devices. Though the use of instantly accessible visual media is convenient and rapidly increasing,

“Kids can stay connected with their parents at all times, whether it’s to ask for a ride home from soccer practice or to receive a good-luck text message moments before a big game,” Parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and other family members can’t always be at your soccer game or get to see you shoot hoops or even compete in a huge dance competition. It isn’t their fault either. That’s why a cell phone is good for children. Maybe you won the big hockey tournament but your parents missed it for work. With such a little portable device such as a phone, your

Now, mobile devices almost always have a network connection, and many fit in the palm of your hand. Additionally, mobile devices’ long battery life makes them more suitable for a school day (Warschauer, 2011). “Smartphone ownership rates in emerging and developing nations are rising at an extraordinary rate” (Poushter, 2016), and “overwhelming majorities” in almost every country surveyed by the Pew Research Center in 2016, reported possessing a mobile device of some sort, even if were not nessicarily “smartphones.”

Janis Elspas, founder of Mommy Blog Expert, says that she, “believes the rules and boundaries parents set for their children when they get their first cell phone or smartphone might be helpful in heading off any addictions later on.”(9)  Elspas’ children, now 18 and 20, didn’t own their first cell phones until they were at least a junior in high school with money to pay for part of their phone bills.  Elspas also has a no phone rule at table which goes to her and her husband, their children and any friends her kids bring over.  She believes, “Such a rule can prove to kids, firsthand, that they can ‘survive’ without having to see or use their smartphone constantly”(12)  While phone addiction is still running rampant the Common Sense Media poll found that more than a third, 37%, of teens very often or at least occasionally try to cut down on the time they spend on their electronics.  Many parents complain about how this generation overuses and can’t seem to put their phones down, but many parents will admit they don’t always have the easiest time unplugging themselves.  Twenty-seven percent of parents feel that they are addicted to their phones as well and 28% of teens believe they are as well. Both teens and parents admit to checking their at least hourly with parents at 69% and teens at 78%.  About half of parents admitted to feeling the need to immediately

Do people ever wonder how a mobile device may benefit a young child’s life rather than immediately assuming that they are too young to be exposed to such technology? According to a report from Growing Wireless, 46% of families today owns at least one tablet. That is a huge number. To put it into perspective, nearly half of the people that someone would encounter on a daily basis has at least one tablet in their homes. A mobile device introduces children to new ways in which they can overcome the problems that they are faced with in their daily lives. A mobile device can help stimulate their brain and provide interaction with others, while also providing apps that can help them engage in physical activities. Mobile devices can positively affect a child’s growth, mentally and physically.

Cellular telephones today aren’t just a rich man’s object in California; they are a present under the Christmas tree for an eleven year old girl. Although technology allows us to be nowhere and everywhere at the same time, with great advances also comes great setbacks. Most people desire to achieve the American dream of a big house, big family, and a golden retriever sitting in the corner, but nothing in this dream requires a cell phone. Technology is taking real conversations and replacing them with a barrier of a screen. Generation Z has never seen a day without the existence of cell phones. This life changing invention is in fact doing more harm than good for families around the world. People are forgetting to unplug from the cyber world and focus on what is right in front of them. Families need to take a stand, and choose to unplug daily for the better of the family unit as a whole. It is easy to get caught up in the rush of current technology, but it is also easy to forget how to enjoy the simplicity of life without Twitter, Instagram, and iMessage.

Over the past century there have been a lot of developments in mass media. In the 1900’s the media communication started out as the telegraph. The telegraph soon ran its course and newspapers became the new mainstream way to get out news and information. After that was the rise of the radio gave us information while in commute or in the comfort of our homes. In the mid-19th century came the television that changed the world forever. This type of development became big because this meant people could watch and see what was going on around the world. With that taking off it sparked the development of computers, DVD’s, CD’s, cellphones, cable, the internet and email to name a few.

Tablets are replacing the use of textbooks and social media is a commonplace for even the youngest of users. When used intentionally and appropriately, technology and interactive media are effective tools that can support young children’s cognitive skills, social and emotional developments. There are a variety of ways technology can be used at school and at home to support learning. The use of

In 2005, the number of mobile phone subscribers worldwide will reach 2 billion (Deloitte Research, 2005) and in Australia will reach 19.2 million (Fisher, 2005). Various surveys worldwide have found high rates of mobile phone use amongst young people. In Norway in 1999, 80% of 13 to 20-year-olds owned a mobile phone, while in the United Kingdom in 2001, 90% of young people under the age of 16 did so (www.capacitybuilder.co.uk). In 2003, in Italy, 56% of children aged 9 and 10-years-old owned mobile phones and of the 44% who didn’t, all expressed a desire to own one (Guardian Unlimited, 2003), and amongst teenage girls in Tokyo, the adoption rate is almost 100% (Srivastava, 2005). In Australia in 2004, a survey by iTouch found that 50,000 children aged between 5 and 9 years of age owned a mobile phone, one third of children aged 10 to 13-years old and 45% of 13 to 15-year-olds also owned the device (Allison, 2004). Surveys have consistently shown that young people even prefer their mobile phone to television or the Internet (Enpocket, 2005; Hession, 2001). It is children’s favourite method of communication (Livingstone & Bober, 2005) with younger adolescents (school years 7 to 9) more attached to their mobile phones than older adolescents (school years 10 to 12) as they reported needing to return home to collect their phone if they forget it (Matthews, 2004). Young