75% of NI parents think technology ‘significantly’ impacts children’s mental health
Almost 70% of parents worry about children's future
Three- quarters of parents in Northern Ireland are worried about how social media and smart phones affect their child’s wellbeing.
Statistics released by Parenting NI’s 2019 Big Parenting Survey showed 82% of participants said they don’t get enough support with technology.
The online questionnaire was completed by 1,358 parents over a six-week-period.
The results showed that parents strongly felt that smart phones, technology, social media, the internet and video games/ consoles effect children in a ‘significant’ way and 75% of participants felt it impacted their child’s overall wellbeing.
Meanwhile, 71% said they found technology hard to monitor - 28% said they don’t feel supported and 69% of parents remain concerned about their child’s future, which is a 3% increase on last year’s figures.
Participants said they are more worried than hopeful about parenting in the future and only 23% felt that they had enough support in regards to technology.
Jenny Smithson, from Belfast, is a mother of three, she said:
“I don’t want my girls to be caught in the trap of living out their social interactions online, of comparing their lives, relationships and bodies with the fake world that these things celebrate.
“I know that the main responsibility for protection in this area lies with us, the parents, and so I feel that any support that can be provided for parents is really valuable.
“I’m just very aware that it can have a huge impact on them, and as a parent I want to understand more about that world that they are entering into, a world that I didn’t grow up with.”
She added: “A lot of their friends have smart phones, but we have held back for now, it’s when they start going to secondary school that our eldest will get her first smart phone.
“But yes, they’re looking on Youtube and their interested In social media, but I think once they plunge into it we want to be equipped to help steer them in that and help them to navigate that world.
“I think it’s very useful if schools are able to support young people so that they understand the pros and cons of social media and how to navigate it.
“It’s important that parents feel like they can seek advice from outside organisations as well as asking their peers in areas where they feel maybe their child has become completely isolated.
“I think social media can be an isolating thing as young people spend a lot of time on their phones instead of face to face interaction with friends.”
Around 87% of people who completed the survey were female and only 12% were male.
96% of participants identified as heterosexual, while 2% identified as being LGBT+ and the remaining 2% preferred not to say or specified as other.