Digital Media Use May Be Linked to Negative Parenting Practices, Study Says

A new study conducted by the University of Waterloo recently aimed to examine the association between the use of digital media, mental health, and parenting practices of caregivers at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. On average, these care providers spend three to four hours each day on digital media.

Caregivers consuming digital media to relax are more likely to engage in negative parenting practices, as indicated in new multinational research, a EurekAlert! Report specified.

According to the study's lead author, Jasmine Zhang, a master's candidate in clinical psychology at Waterloo, all family members matter "when we try to understand families" in a society pervaded with technology.

She added that it is not just children who are frequently on devices. Parents are also using digital media, and such behaviors can affect their children.

Digital Technology Use

To perform the research, the study authors studied over 540 participants with at least two children aged between 5 and 18 years old.

Caregivers gave information about their use of digital technology, their mental condition, their children's, family functioning, and parenting practices.

In this study published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, the research team discovered that caregivers who have higher distress levels are involved in more screen-based activities, and they more likely turn to devices to relax.

Such consumption was associated with negative parenting practices like nagging and yelling. They discovered that negative parenting behaviors were more likely when technology disrupts family interactions.

Technology Affects Parenting Practice

The study did not focus on specific apps or websites that caregivers were using. Instead, they discovered that caregivers who spent more time on screens were retreating from being present with their family, which was linked to negative parenting practices.

Nonetheless, not all media use is associated with negative results. Using digital channels to maintain social connections is associated with lower anxiety and depression levels and higher positive parenting practice levels like listening to their children's ideas and speaking of the good their children do.

Commenting on their research, Zhang explains that when they study how parents are using digital media, there's a need for them to consider the motivations of caregivers for using technology devices on top of how much time they're spending on them.

Canada Chair in Child and Famly Clinical Psychology and Psychology professor Dillion Browne at Waterloo is expecting such patterns to continue after the pandemic.

Digital Media Linked to Mental Health

A related Mirage News report said that the family media landscape continues to grow and become more prominent.

Dillon Brown, Canada Research Chair in Child and Family Clinical Psychology and professor of psychology at Waterloo, expects the trend to continue until after the pandemic. According to him, it is important to consider the nuances of digital media going forward as some behaviors are linked to well-being, and others are associated with distress.

The study investigators are planning to build on such findings and hope their work will help develop guidelines that will help caregivers handle their screen-based behaviors.

Related information about the effect of the pandemic on care providers is shown on TODAY's YouTube video below:

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