Mothers obsessed with their smartphones talk less to their children, study finds – which could hinder their language development
Research shows that new mothers who spend hours on their phones can hinder their child’s language development.
Scientists have found that mothers talk to their children up to 26 percent less when they use a phone.
They advise mothers and fathers to be “attuned” to their child’s needs when texting, calling or scrolling through social media.
The researchers from the University of Texas at Austin recruited 16 pairs of mothers and their children for the study.
On average, the babies were four months old and wore small audio recorders while their mothers’ phone use was monitored through smartphone logs.
It’s tempting for many parents to answer their phones even in front of their child, but this can harm their language development (file photo)
In total, the team collected more than 16,000 minutes of synchronized phone usage and audio data over the course of a week.
Research found that phone use was linked to a 16 percent drop in the number of words mothers said per minute to their young children (average four months old).
It turned out that shorter phone calls – one to two minutes – were associated with an even greater decline in mothers’ word production, by 26 percent, compared to conversations held for longer periods of time.
Study author Professor Kaya de Barbaro told MailOnline: ‘What we see is that the effect of phone use on mother’s speech is strongest during short periods of phone use.
‘When mothers use their phones for 1-3 minutes, this is associated with a greater decrease in speech than when mothers use their phones for a longer period of time.
‘This may be because people use their phones more often for phone calls or video calls if they use them for a longer period of time. There is a lot of speech present while the telephone is being used.’
Scientists have found that mothers talk to their children up to 26 percent less when they use a phone. They advised both mothers and fathers to be ‘attuned’ to their child’s needs when messaging, calling or scrolling through social media (file photo)
Phone use also had stronger effects on speech during certain hours of the day than others, especially between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., noon and 3 p.m.
Previous research shows that chatting with babies, even from a very young age, is important because it improves their language and communication skills.
Professor de Barbaro and co-author Dr. Miriam Mikhelson said in a joint statement: ‘It is unlikely that completely abolishing the use of phones in childcare is necessary, nor realistic.
‘Our advice to new parents is to be aware of the impact phones can have on their ability to be attuned to their child’s needs.
‘It is crucial that babies receive consistent and responsive care, which can be more difficult with the alluring and consuming nature of a smartphone.’
They added that they were “surprised by the overall amount of phone use among participants” – with an average of 4.4 hours of phone use per 12-hour period.
The findings were published in the journal Child development.