Study: Teens, parents addicted to cellphones

    Half of all teens say they are, according to a survey by Common Sense, an independent nonprofit that focuses on the impact of media. And nearly 60 percent of parents believe their teenagers are addicted to cellphones.
    But teenagers aren’t the only ones in the household who can’t get enough of cellphones. Roughly one quarter – 27 percent – of parents say they are addicted. And 51 percent of teens have seen parents check or use mobile devices while driving the car.
    Why does it matter?  According to the organization:

• Digital multitasking may damage the ability to focus.

    Consider that 69 percent of parents and 78 percent of teens check their devices at least hourly.
    At times, this may involve multitasking -- listening to a lecture while also looking at e-mail. “In terms of real-world performance,” the report said, “a study of laptop users in university classrooms found that students who multitasked on a laptop during a lecture performed worse on a test than students who were not multitasking.”

• Tech use can impact relationships and become a source of tension in families.

    It’s a problem for both parents and children. A survey of 8- to 13-year-olds and their parents found that “54 percent of children felt that their parents checked their devices too often, and 32 percent of children felt unimportant when their parents were distracted by their phones,” the report said.

• Tech use can be misunderstood.

      The constant use of technology “is actually a reflection of teens’ need to connect with others. What looks like excessive use and distraction may actually be a reflection of  new ways of maintaining peer relations and engaging in communities that are relevant to them,” the report says. “Some research suggests that what appears to be teens’ addiction to technology is actually just an expression of their desire to interact with friends in a society that does not allow children as much freedom as earlier generations.”

     Read the report here.

     Related:

     Most teens go online daily, survey finds

     6 predictions for the Internet in 2025

     If you would like to comment, give us a shout, or like us on Facebookand tell us what you think.