If you ask me, I will tell you that parenting is not an easy task at all. It gets tough by the day!
Being a parent is a daily attitude, not a biological relation. If you want to be a good parent then you need to get off your phone because too much screen time can make you nag and yell more, researchers say.
Those dealing with a stressful household often turned to social media to relax – but this in turn would only make them nag and yell more, researchers found.
A questionnaire was given to 549 adults, who had at least two children aged five to 19, on their use of digital media, mental health, and parenting practices. The study revealed that as parents increasingly used social media to retreat from spending time with their family, the worse their parenting became.
According to the research posted on dailymail, such negative parenting behavior – such as ‘nagging or yelling’ – was also more likely to increase when ‘technology interrupted family interactions’, it found. A vicious cycle was created in which parents with higher levels of stress were more likely to turn to their devices to relax.
However, not all parents’ social media use was negative, with researchers finding it could lower anxiety and depression by maintaining friendships. It also resulted in ‘positive parenting techniques such as listening to their children’s ideas and speaking of the good their children do’.
Lead author; Jasmine Zhang, from the University of Waterloo, in Canada, told the journal Computers in Human Behavior: ‘All members of the family matter when we try to understand families in a society saturated with technology.
‘It’s not just children who are often on devices. Parents use digital media for many reasons, and these behaviors can impact their children.’
Miss Zhang’s colleague Dillon Browne said: ‘The family media landscape continues to grow and become more prominent.
The study revealed that as parents increasingly used social media to flee from spending time with their family, the worse their parenting became.
‘Going forward, it’s important to consider the nuances of digital media as some behaviors are related to well-being, and others are related to distress.’
Parenting is unquestionably one of the hardest things you’ll ever do, but in exchange, it teaches you about the meaning and power of unconditional love.
Always make sure that your child grows up in a healthy environment; this includes plenty of love, trust, and commitment.
Reduce your long hours on phones.
