A poll commissioned by Campspot through OnePoll revealed that most parents (60 percent) admit to spending more time with their electronic devices than their children. The poll surveyed over 2,000 parents, with 60 percent reporting that, on average, they spend about five hours per day on their devices, while they spend less than four hours daily on meaningful activities with their children. Eighty percent of parents reported owning three or more devices, with 81 percent of their children owning at least two. Only two percent of children owned no devices. 

The good news is that most parents expressed an interest in cutting back on screen time in their family and focusing more on personal connections. Seventy-nine percent of parents reported that their time spent with children without devices was more memorable and that 76 percent encouraged their children to spend more time outdoors. Sixty-three percent were also creating device-free spaces. Erin Stender, chief marketing officer at Campspot, stated it was an encouraging sign. “Summer is the perfect time to unplug and reconnect with what truly matters – our families. We know the power of stepping away from screens and immersing ourselves in nature since it’s often in these moments that we create the strongest family bonds. Camping, in particular, offers a unique opportunity for families to experience new adventures together, fostering not only a love for the outdoors but also nurturing children’s self-development,” she said. 

A parent’s time spent on their smartphone can be detrimental to the development of their children’s emotional intelligence, as one study found. Emotional intelligence allows a person to recognize and manage their emotional states and includes skills that can be developed throughout a child’s life. When a parent is more involved in their smartphone than their child, those skills can lag. “We know that how parents express, reflect and talk about emotions with children influences their EI (emotional intelligence) development. And we know how easy it is for parents to be absorbed in their own phones, which could limit the interaction and feedback they give to their children,” said the study head, Robin Nabi, a UC Santa Barbara professor of communication. “So, we thought it would be important to see what role parents’ screen time and phone use around their child might play in their child’s EI development.”

The survey of 400 parents with children aged five to 12 asked parents to gauge their children’s emotional intelligence and the amount of time the parents spent on their phones. The study found that the more time parents reported spending on their phones, the less skill in emotional intelligence they reported in their children. One result of the use of phones is “still face,” when a parent is using their phone and their face is fairly expressionless, oftentimes interpreted as depression. Nabi said parents must prioritize when they use their phones, particularly in front of their children. “The takeaway is for parents to be more mindful of how often they use their phones around their children,” she said. “Where their eyes are sends a message to their children about what’s important.”