"Just Five More Minutes": Exploring Children's Perspectives on Parents' Device Use.
Parents today are spending an unprecedented amount of time on their devices, potentially disrupting family dynamics. Despite their central role in family life, children's voices and perspectives on their parents' device use have been largely neglected in research. This article explores the experienc...
| Published in: | Journal of Child & Family Studies Vol. 34; no. 6; pp. 1462 - 1474 |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
Springer Nature
Jun2025
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=186336892&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 186336892 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 10621024 JFM jtl: Journal of Child & Family Studies issn: 10621024 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jun2025 vid: 34 iid: 6 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature artinfo: ui: 186336892 10.1007/s10826-025-03089-w ppf: 1462 ppct: 12 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 1.3MB tig: atl: "Just Five More Minutes": Exploring Children's Perspectives on Parents' Device Use. aug: au: Swit, Cara S. Crossen, Sarah Kelly, Christopher Coyne, Sarah M. van Gerwen, Jennifer affil: https://ror.org/03y7q9t39 Faculty of Health, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand https://ror.org/047rhhm47 School of Family Life, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA su: New Zealand Social media Parent-child relationships Interviewing Role playing Work-life balance Family relations Psychological adaptation Technology Child behavior Communication barriers Smartphones Research funding Drawing Adult education workshops sug: subj: Social media Parent-child relationships Interviewing Role playing Work-life balance Family relations Psychological adaptation Technology Child behavior Communication barriers New Zealand Smartphones Research funding Drawing Adult education workshops keyword: Children's perspectives Contemporary family life Parental device use Psychology and Cognitive Sciences Psychology Technoference Children's perspectives Contemporary family life Parental device use Psychology and Cognitive Sciences Psychology Technoference ab: Parents today are spending an unprecedented amount of time on their devices, potentially disrupting family dynamics. Despite their central role in family life, children's voices and perspectives on their parents' device use have been largely neglected in research. This article explores the experiences and perceptions of 6–9-year-old children (n = 20) regarding their parents' device use at home and its impact on them. Through a combination of workshops involving whole class activities, small group interviews, drawing, and role-play, the study captures children's views on parental device use. The findings reveal that children are keenly aware of the patterns and purposes of their parents' device use throughout the day, often observing the high level of absorption and preoccupation parents exhibit when on their devices. Children expressed feelings of neglect and frustration due to their parents' divided attention. These results highlight the depth of perception and awareness young children have regarding their parents' device use in the home. In the context of encouraging responsive parenting and positive parent-child interactions in a digitalised 21st century, it is crucial to recognise children as active observers and learners concerning devices and their role in contemporary family life. Highlights: This study highlights children's awareness of how devices disrupt parent-child interactions. Young children can provide critical insights into how parental device use impacts family dynamics. Parents' preoccupation with devices leads to frustrations and feelings of neglect in children aged 6–9 years. Encouraging parents to model and discuss healthy device use with young children is recommended. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
|---|