Most parents have felt the twang of guilt that comes with scrolling a mobile phone in the presence of their children and now there is a term for it - digitally distracted parenting.
The perennial conversation about how much screen time is too much shifted sharply this week from teenagers and children to their parents.
First, Victorian parents were told to put away their phones when their children were in the water at public pools as part of a campaign to stop drownings. Brunswick Baths put up a sign: ‘Watch Your Child, Not Your Phone’.
The reports likely inspired Michael Leunig's cartoon published in The Age on Wednesday that suggested some mothers love their smartphones more than their children and set off a social media storm.
The Leunig cartoon under discussion.Credit:
The cartoon prompted a quick and fierce backlash with many dubbing it sexist, condescending and judgemental of mothers.
Author of Raising Your Child in a Digital World Kirsty Goodwin said the cartoon did not acknowledge the increasing pressures parents face and their reliance on digital technology as a means of human connection and support.
“To be perfectly frank it’s techno shaming and making people feel guilty for their digital behaviour,” Dr Goodwin, said. “If we see a mother on her phone we are only seeing a snapshot. They could be dealing with a personal crisis or responding to an appointment for an employment opportunity."
But Dr Goodwin also cautioned there were dangers of over-using digital technology and parents needed to enforce boundaries.
Numerous studies have shown eye contact and facial interaction, particularly during feeding times, was an essential form of non-verbal communication for babies and critical for their brain and behavioural development, she said.
In a statement to The Age, Mr Leunig said he did not want to weigh in on the debate.
"The message is, that for the moment I have nothing to say - even though there is much to be said. I simply want to step back and let the thing take its course."
Alarmingly, Dr Goodwin also noted there was emerging evidence that linked children presenting to doctors with playground injuries to parents distracted by their phones.
Dr Goodwin said Australian paediatricians had anecdotally suggested two theories to account for increased injury rate; children were spending less time outdoors so they lacked the physical skills to navigate playground equipment and parents paying too much attention to digital devices.
“My strategy is that if you are going to use technology do it minimally in the presence of kids and make sure your children are safe to begin with,” she said. “Nominate specific times for use, have boundaries so it’s not encroaching on your child’s wellbeing. Be accountable for it. As your children get older, let them know what you are using it for, whether it be coordinating a play date for them or responding to a work email."
In 2015, a University of Washington study of almost 500 people found smartphone use at playgrounds was a significant source of parental guilt. Researchers found caregivers absorbed in their phones were much less attentive to children’s needs than when they were chatting with friends or caring for other children.
A child can feel deprived of attention and vital interactions when a parent is constantly immersed in digital technology and Queensland University of Technology parenting expert Professor Marilyn Campbell said parents needed to take responsibility for the care of their children and not blame a device.
"If you ignore your children and their needs because you're on your mobile phone all the time then that's being as neglectful as just leaving them because you're not paying attention to them at all," Professor Campbell said.
"As adults, we have been thrown into this digital world without having any guidance from our parents. We are still learning and working out how to engage sensibly with technology. What we need to be doing is modelling the behaviour with our phones that we want our children to be doing."
It is not the first time Leunig's cartoons have courted controversy. He previously came under fire for creating cartoons that challenge the science behind vaccinations, including a 2015 cartoon which depicted a mother pushing her baby away from a volley of syringes raining down from the sky.
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'EmCredit: Michael Leunig
Another Leunig cartoon, with a baby in childcare wondering why it had been abandoned, albeit temporarily, sparked similar outrage.
In an interview with The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald in 2014, Leunig said: "I've hurt people inadvertently, I know that. But I never set out to cause hurt. With childcare, I'm so respectful of women's rights and roles ... it's the complexity of it that we face as a society."
Credit: Michael Leunig
with Rachel Eddie