Teens and parents don’t agree about much, but they agree they’re addicted to their phones

Most people wonder whether they depend too much on their cell phones.

Now even teenagers are admitting they’re addicted to their phones, according to a poll of more than 1,200 teens and their parents by Common Sense Media published Tuesday. Teenagers are also flipping the criticism on their parents, with nearly half saying their parents get distracted by cell phones and don’t pay attention during family time.

The poll found 52 percent of teenagers and 66 percent of their parents feel the teens spend too much time on mobile devices. Some took it a step further, with 50 percent of teens and 59 percent of their parents believing teens are addicted to mobile phones.

When the question was flipped on parents, only 27 percent of parents and 28 percent of their teenagers believed the parents were addicted to their mobile phones. But 41 percent of teens say their parents get distracted by their phones and it takes away from family time, while 77 percent of parents said the same of their teens.

A study with 55 caregivers eating with young children found those parents who were “highly absorbed” in mobile devices tended to be harsher when dealing with children misbehaving.

Other indicators show why teenagers spend so much time on their phones: 72 percent said they feel the need to immediately respond to text messages and 78 percent said they need to check their devices at least hourly. However, the study found most teenagers still prefer face-to-face communication because it was perceived as “more fun” and easier to understand people.

“The seemingly constant use of tech, evidenced by teens immediately responding to texts, social-networking posts, and other notifications, is actually a reflection of teens’ need to connect with others,” the study says.

While 79 percent of parents and 70 percent of teenagers said device use causes conflict in their homes, 85 percent of parents said they believe mobile devices made no difference or even helped their relationships, and 89 percent of teens felt the same.

The study also cautions against automatically seeing the use of technology as negative, saying this addiction to technology could be teens’ way of keeping in touch with friends in a world where they have less freedom than previous generations. But other studies have suggested the extensive amount of time in front of screens could be affecting children’s empathy, and parents should be cautious.

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 10:24 AM with the headline "Teens and parents don’t agree about much, but they agree they’re addicted to their phones."