Study: Kids Also Worry That Their Parents Are Spending Too Much Time On The Internet

It is almost a universal truth that parents nowadays worry about their kids spending too much connected to the Internet. Well, it turns out, the inverse may also be true -- children are also expressing some concern especially if they feel their mom and dad is too engaged with the information superhighway.

According to the results of a survey conducted by nonprofit organization Digital Awareness UK and the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (a professional association for teachers), 36 percent of kids between ages 11 years old and 18 years old have actively requested their parents to stop checking their smartphones and tablet devices. Of the kids surveyed, 46 percent claimed that their requests were not heeded, and 44 percent said that they actually felt upset about their parents’ Internet time. The survey, by the way, was conducted on 2,000 students and 3,000 parents

In this age characterized by easy access to the world wide web and the wide availability of smartphones and tablet devices, it goes without saying that some quality family time is affected because each member of the family unit is too busy doing something else (most likely checking social media, watching videos on YouTube, or online shopping). The results of the survey suggests that there is some truth to all of it -- 22 percent of the kids that were polled stated that too much engagement with mobile devices have prevented family members from interacting with each other on a meaningful basis. Interestingly, it appears that most kids do actually value quality time during mealtimes -- 82 percent of them claimed that mobile devices should not be present during family mealtimes.

On the side of the parents, it turns out that just a tenth of the parents surveyed believe that their Internet time has a negative effect on their kids. It seems that there is a sizable gap between what children actually feel about their parents’ Internet usage, and how the parents themselves perceive the effects of their online actions on their kids.

Still, there is hope -- it appears that some parents do realize that they might be spending too much time on the Internet. 43 percent of the parents polled claim that they probably are too busy with activities online instead of doing normal interaction with people.

The survey offers more expansive information with regards to kids’ and parents’ digital behavior. Feel free to know more by heading to this page.