Cell phones: Too much screen time can make you whine and yell more, say researchers

According to a study, moms and dads who spend too much time on their smartphones are more likely to be bad parents.

Those dealing with a stressful household often turned to social media to relax — but this, in turn, would only make them whine and scream more, researchers found.

They surveyed 549 adults, who had at least two children ages five to 19, about their use of digital media, mental health and parenting practices.

The study found that as parents increasingly used social media to withdraw from spending time with their families, their parenting got worse.

Such negative parenting behaviors — such as “whining or yelling” — also increased more when “technology interrupted family interactions,” it found.

A vicious circle was created in which parents with higher levels of stress were more likely to use their devices to relax.

However, not all parents had negative use of social media, with researchers finding that it could reduce anxiety and depression by maintaining friendships.

It also resulted in ‘positive parenting techniques such as listening to their children’s ideas and speaking about the good their children are doing’.

Lead author Jasmine Zhang, of the University of Waterloo, in Canada, told Computers in Human Behavior magazine: “All members of the family matter when we try to understand families in a society steeped in technology.

‘It’s not just children who are often on devices. Parents use digital media for many reasons, and this behavior can affect their children.’

The research was conducted at the beginning of the pandemic.

Ms Zhang’s colleague Dillon Browne said: “The family media landscape continues to grow and become more prominent.

The study found that as parents increasingly used social media to withdraw from spending time with their families, their parenting got worse.

“For the future, it is important to consider the nuances of digital media, as some behaviors relate to well-being and others to distress.”

In 2018, a survey found that 46 percent of moms and dads were addicted to their smartphones.

Conducted by Common Sense Media, it looked at screen time addiction among 13 to 17 year olds in the UK and their parents.

Half of both teens and parents admitted to being distracted by their cell phones at least once a day, with screen time disputes being the third most common cause of conflict between them.

Still, 86 percent of parents said their teens’ mobile device use hadn’t harmed — or even helped — their relationship, while 97 percent of teens said the same about their parents’ mobile use.