Skip to main content

New study reveals the tech restrictions kids want to place on their parents

Won’t somebody please think of the children? The famous refrain from The Simpsons character Helen Lovejoy would make for sound advice for the social-media-addicted parents who are increasingly neglecting their kids for an online fix.

Although that hysterical plea for engagement is often challenged, it turns out that children do want to be noticed, at least when it comes to their parents’ hypocritical application of the rules they put in place regarding the use of tech.

Recommended Videos

A new survey conducted by researchers in the U.S. has found that children want their parents to put their phones away at mealtime and stop posting pictures of them online, reports The Independent.

The study into restrictions on technology in a household involved 249 families with children between the ages of 10 and 17. Instead of simply asking about the adults’ views, the researchers also questioned the participating kids on rules they wished to impose on their parents.

Overall, researchers found seven common themes. In addition to the aforementioned rules, children wanted their parents to be more present and to stop using devices during conversations, and to use devices in moderation at home.

Children also highlighted safety concerns regarding tech, urging their parents to stop texting while driving or at a traffic light. They also agreed with the existing rules their parents had put in place to protect them, but ultimately felt they should be allowed to make their own decisions without the fear of interference from an adult.

In terms of the hypocrisy of said rules, children felt that parents should also abstain from using their phones at mealtimes. Additionally, they claimed that their photos should not be shared online without their explicit permission. Explaining their reasoning, children often stated that they found the content embarrassing and felt frustrated when their parents continued to do it.

The adults, on the other hand, favored enforcing privacy rules on kids in order to lower the risk of them sharing personal information online.

“Our results indicate that families in the U.S. struggle with common challenges around technology use,” concludes the study conducted by researchers from the University of Washington and University of Michigan.

“Children find it difficult to comply with requests to disconnect, parents share more information online than their children are comfortable with, and the most salient concern among both parents and children is the desire for all family members, regardless of age, to pay attention to one another when in one another’s company.”

Saqib Shah
Saqib Shah is a Twitter addict and film fan with an obsessive interest in pop culture trends. In his spare time he can be…
Yale reveals powerful new smart lock designed specifically for Google Home
Yale Smart Lock with Matter

Yale is discontinuing the popular Nest x Yale Lock and replacing it with a powerful new device this summer -- the Yale Smart Lock with Matter. Designed specifically for easy integration with Google Home and a style that meshes perfectly with the Nest Doorbell, it's shaping up to be a worthy successor to the fan-favorite Nest x Yale Lock.

The Yale Smart Lock with Matter was built to complement all aspects of the Nest Doorbell and wider Google Home ecosystem. You'll be able to manage your lock remotely, create guest profiles, and get alerts when the lock is being operated. It also benefits from an impressive 12-month battery life and seamless connectivity with Google Home. Best of all, the lock supports Matter, giving you a chance to sync it with other platforms like Apple Home or Alexa.

Read more
Character.AI attempts to appease concerned parents with new feature
Demonstration of Parental Insights on Character.AI.

Character.AI, the popular AI chatbot service, has added Parental Insights, a new safety feature gives parents reports on their kids' activity on the platform.

The new safety measure, which the company announced in a blog post on Tuesday, gives parents a weekly overview about how their teens spend their time on Character.AI. Specifically, Parental Insights will tell them their kids' daily average time on the app, the characters they talk to most often, and the amount of time spent with each character. However, the overview will not divulge the contents of the chatbot conversations, as they are private.

Read more
Ecovacs reveals robot vacuum with new technology ideal for carpeted homes
The Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni in a home.

Ecovacs just launched the Deebot X8 Pro Omni in February, which we found to be an excellent choice for hard floors -- thanks to its innovative roller mop that tackles all sorts of spills with ease. For March, it looks like the focus is on carpets, with the newly launched Ecovacs Deebot T50 Max Pro Omni incorporating new technology designed to better extract debris from plush floors.

The Ecovacs T50 Max Pro Omni is the first Ecovacs product to use BLAST Technology. An acronym for Boosted Large-Airflow Suction Technology, the new system uses both suction and optimized airflow to better pull debris, dust, and pet hair from deep within carpet fibers. Using a high-toque 100W motor, Ecovacs says the robot can achieve a 50% higher discharge current while generating 50% less heat than traditional robot vacuums. In other words, it's built to have a longer lifespan while also providing you with a superior carpet cleaning experience.

Read more