Parents’ obsessive technology use may have serious long-term effects on babies and toddlers: study

Call it phoney parenting.

Tots under the age of five suffer adverse effects if their moms and dads are distracted by the bings and dings of modern technology, according to a startling new study on the dangers of “technoference.”

“Parental technology use in their child’s presence was significantly associated with poorer cognition and prosocial behavior, lower attachment, higher levels of internalizing and externalizing problems, and higher levels of screen time,” warned the authors of the May 5 report. “This phenomenon may negatively affect young children’s health and development.”

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Researchers from the University of Wollongong in Australia evaluated data across 21 previous studies on the adverse impacts of technoference. 

It’s the interference of technology in interpersonal relationships, particularly within families — when mom and dad are so obsessed with scrolling that they refuse to stop and read their brood a bedtime story. 

Investigators reviewed responses from 14,900 worldwide participants with kids ranging in age from 0 to 4.9, seeking the association between parental technology use (PTU) in a child’s presence and the child’s motor development, cognitive development, psychosocial health, physical activity, screen time and sleep.

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The results revealed that repeated distractions and interruptions caused by gadgets can leave small but indelible impressions on little ones.   

“It may foster a sense of being ignored or lead children to feel they must compete for their parents’ attention,” the clinicians said in a statement. 

“Such intrusions may disrupt the natural flow of interactions, which is particularly important as young children are acquiring critical social and language skills,” they continued, in part, “and establishing their movement behavior patterns.”

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The findings echo a September 2024 report on technoference. It was determined that screen-addicted moms and dads ruin their kids’ language development skills through hyper-dependence on digital devices, even tech used for educational purposes. 

“While reading e-books and playing some educational games may offer language learning opportunities,” said lead author Tiia Tulviste of the University of Tartu, in a release. 

“During the first years of life, the most influential factor is everyday dyadic face-to-face parent-child verbal interaction.”