Study: Parents Using Smartphones Ignore Kids

DETROIT (WWJ) - A new study suggests that smartphones are affecting parenting skills — and kids are beginning to take notice.

Researchers from the Boston Medical Center observed more than 50 family groups eating out, and found that a significant number of adults were preoccupied with their smart phones.

In the study, "Patterns of Mobile Device Use by Caregivers and Children During Meals in Fast Food Restaurants," published in the April 2014 journal Pediatrics (published online March 10), found that smartphones are becoming more of a distraction when it comes to raising kids.

They study found more than 70 percent of adults used their phone at least once, while about one-third used them continuously.

Some kids accepted being ignored, while others acted out to get attention.

The study author says face-to-face interactions are important for cognitive, language and emotional development, but they're not sure how much impact parent smartphone use will have on a child development.

The biggest concern is vocabulary development.

Researchers say the best predictor of a child's vocabulary is conversations between parent and child, often happening during meal time.

Learn more about the research HERE