This consumption was correlated with negative parenting practices such as nagging and yelling.
They also found that negative parenting behaviors were more likely to occur when technology disrupted family interactions.
What parents need to be a healthy role model for children
The experiment did not focus on specific apps or websites that caregivers use, but rather found that parents who spent time on screen were holding back from being present with their families, which was negative for parenting. -Relating to nutritional practices.
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“All family members matter when we try to understand families in a technology-filled society,” said lead author of the study, Jasmine Zhang, published in the journal Science. computer and human behavior,
“It’s not just children who are often on devices. Parents use digital media for a variety of reasons, and these behaviors can affect their children,” Zhang said.
On average, the study noted that parents spend three to four hours a day consuming digital media for comfort.
However, not all media consumption was related to negative outcomes.
Maintaining social connections through digital channels was related to lower levels of anxiety and depression and higher levels of positive parenting practices such as listening to their children’s thoughts and speaking up about their children’s good deeds.
“When we study how parents use digital media, we need to consider caregivers’ motivations for using the devices,” Zhang said.
The family media landscape continues to grow and become more prominent.
“Going forward, it is important to consider the specifics of digital media as some behaviors are related to well-being, and others are related to distress,” said Dillon Brown, professor of psychology at Waterloo.
The researchers plan to build on these findings and hope that their work will help create guidelines that will help caregivers manage their screen-based behavior.
Source: IANS
