Children spending more time on screens than with parents

It predicted the Trump presidency and Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox. Now The Simpsons has been proved correct again, disturbingly concerning our children’s upbringing.

Children under 13 are spending more time on screens than they do with their parents, shock new data reveals.

On average, Gen Alpha spend 12 hours and five minutes each week engaging in activities with their parents.

The amount of time on screens or watching television totals 12 hours and 25 minutes, the McCrindle research found, highlighting the excessive pull of technology.

Six hours and 35 minutes watching are taken up watching television, while five hours and 50 minutes are spent on a digital devices.

Researcher Mark McCrindle says parents had little control over their children’s screen time.

“Children today are growing up in a digitally immersed world, and so parents have little control over whether or not their child will engage with screens,” he said.

“While this is inevitable, parents do have agency over how much screen time their child participates in.

“The comparison between number of hours spent on screen compared to time spent with their

parents highlights the challenge parents face to vie for their children’s attention.”

In the Simpsons episode Homer Badman, Bart remarks that their TV spent more time raising him and sister Lisa than their parents.

Almost nine out of 10 parents admit that they feel pressured to allow their children on technology while trying to limit the time.

Gen Alpha children also spent an average of nine hours and 40 minutes in face-to-face activities with other children each week, six hours and 50 minutes in quiet time on their own and two hours and 25 minutes on social media connecting with friends.

More than two in three parents (68 per cent) strongly or somewhat agree screen-based devices provide entertainment for their children, help their child with learning (54 per cent) and help connect their child with others (31 per cent).

As Generation Alpha will become the most technologically literate generation, parents of Gen Alpha also agree that using devices helps their children learn how to interact with technology (61 per cent).

“Born into a world of technology, Gen Alpha will find engaging with screens second nature. As parents continue to manage their child’s screen time, the impacts of their child’s early interaction with technology will be seen in the years

to come,” Mr McCrindle said.