In a new survey of parents and teens released by Pew, there are some interesting key findings about families and screen time:
- Phone-less: 72% of U.S. teens say they often or sometimes feel peaceful when they don’t have their smartphone; 44% say it makes them feel anxious.
- Parental snooping: Half of parents say they have looked through their teen’s phone.
- Smartphone standoffs: About four-in-ten parents and teens report regularly arguing with one another about time spent on their phone.
- Distracted parenting: Nearly half of teens (46%) say their parent is at least sometimes distracted by their phone when they’re trying to talk to them.
Use these findings as talking points to ask your teens if they ring true. For example: How do they feel when “phone-less”? How do they feel about you, their parent, looking through their phone? Is there tension about how much time is spent on phones? How can that tension be prevented or reduced? Do they feel you give them full attention and are not distracted by your phone when you’re together?