Research Objective
Frequent use of mobile touchscreen devices (MTSDs) often disturbs social interactions or even takes time from spending time with others. This phenomenon could be also observed in families. In this study, we investigated whether children’s MTSD use correlates with the quality of parent-child interactions. This question was investigated via a parental questionnaire and on a live session with free play and a structured play session. Results showed that generally MTSD use was correlated with lower quality interactions, which strengthens the social displacement hypothesis. We also found that joint attention was longer among MTSD user dyads. A possible explanation of the latter result is that shared online activities might help focus attention more both for the parent and the child.
Publication:
- in progress
The study was funded by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (OTKA K 135478; OTKA PD 134984), by the Ministry for Innovation and Technology (ÚNKP-21–5 New National Excellence Program) and by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Bolyai János Research Fellowship).
