When parents are distracted
Parents are often told to worry about their children’s screen time. But emerging research is flipping the conversation: it may be parental smartphone use that is quietly shaping teen mental health in more ways than expected.
Smartphones have become inseparable from daily life — for work emails, social media updates and constant notifications. Yet experts warn that being physically present but emotionally distracted can still affect how teenagers feel seen, heard and supported at home.
A recent study found that adolescents who perceive their parents as frequently absorbed in their phones are more likely to report symptoms such as anxiety, attention difficulties and hyperactivity. Researchers say the issue is less about devices themselves and more about disrupted interactions within families, where attention is constantly divided.
Teenagers may be more independent than before, but emotional connection with parents remains critical. When conversations are interrupted by notifications or family time is replaced by scrolling, young people can interpret it as disinterest — even if that is not the intention.
Professor of Medical Statistics at King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience and lead author of the study Professor Ben Carter, said the findings highlight a wider behavioural concern among adolescents.
“By revealing the link between problematic use of smartphones and poorer mental health, and demonstrating that young people are aware of this problem and are eager to manage their use, these studies highlight the need for evidence-based interventions to help adolescents struggling with difficult behaviours around their smartphone use,” he said in an interview.
The research also suggests teenagers are not passive victims of digital habits. Many recognise when phone use becomes excessive and how it affects relationships at home and their own wellbeing.
Dr Nicola Kalk, a consultant addiction psychiatrist and researcher at King’s College London, explained that problematic smartphone use can resemble behavioural addiction patterns.
“Problematic smartphone use is a construct that researchers have come up with to describe a pattern of smartphone use which shares some similarities to the way other people would talk about behavioural addictions,” she said.
Experts stress that the solution is not eliminating smartphones, but reshaping habits around them. Simple changes such as keeping phones away during meals, setting aside device-free family time, and offering full attention during conversations can help rebuild stronger parent-teen connections.
Children often mirror what they see. When parents consistently model healthy digital boundaries, they indirectly teach teenagers that technology should support relationships, not compete with them.
For teenagers navigating identity, pressure and emotion, feeling genuinely present with their parents may matter more than any advice ever given. Sometimes, the most powerful intervention is also the simplest: putting the phone down.
