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Introduction:
Phubbing is a recent phenomenon which refers to individuals ignoring others in their presence because they are too preoccupied with their mobile phone. Parental phubbing is when this occurs in parents towards their children, ignoring them by being on their phone instead of interacting. This may also involve being distracted from the parent-child interaction by a phone call or message. In any context in which it occurs, phubbing decreases the perceived quality of the relationship, and it may be considered a new form of social neglect. Therefore, there have been new studies conducted on the effects of parental phubbing on children. In this article, I will particularly examin the effects on the parent-child relationship, as well as the consequences for the developing child or adolescent.
Parental Phubbing and the Parent-Child Relationship:
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory describes how there are different environments that impact the child’s development. These environments follow an arrangement based on how much they impact the child. The first level is the microsystem, which involves the elements that have direct contact with the child. In the microsystem there are the parents, which can be seen as the main element of the family. Therefore, parents have a direct important impact on the child’s development. Therefore, phones disrupt the parent-child relationship because if a parent is distracted by their cell phone this will have an impact on their interaction and communication. Another impact can be seen in the formation of a secure attachment style, which will be disrupted by the parent’s use of their phone as it will lead to a lack of closeness needed for the child to feel securely attached. This lack of interest in parenting the child due to the distraction by the phone is investigated by McDanile and Radesky, which suggest that this “technoference” is associated with fewer interactions, less responsiveness to the child’s request of attention, as well as hostility towards these requests.
Parental Phubbing and Effects on the Child’s Development:
One of the most important effects that parental phubbing may have on the child is that it plays a mediating role on the development of social anxiety. This is because the reduced parent-child communication prevents the child’s development of social skills, consequently making them feel more insecure in social situations with their peers. This is also because the parent-child interaction and lack of warmth from the parent creates an undesirable portrayal of social interaction for the child, further fueling the potential development of social anxiety. Furthermore, parental phubbing impacts a child’s social-emotional development, seen as how parental phubbing is positively associated with greater internalizing and externalizing problems in children, with externalizing problems being particularly prominent in children where both parents engage in parental phubbing. Internalizing problems may include loneliness and depression, while externalizing problems may involve aggression or addictive behaviors. This is also connected to more negative self-concepts in the child and fewer socio-emotional skills. Moreover, Social Learning Theory holds that behaviors can be learned through observation, especially of family members. If a parent engages in parental phubbing, it is likely that children and adolescents will also engage in problematic internet use.
Conclusion: From several research findings, it is evident that parental phubbing impacts not only the parent-child relationship itself, but it can also be harmful for the child’s development of different social skills, potentially leading to internalizing or externalizing problems. However, there is also research on moderating factors such as self-control. If an adolescent has self-control, the association between parental phubbing and their own problematic internet use may be attenuated. Research is ongoing but it is clear that parental hubbing has a negative overall impact, so it is important to be careful about such behaviors.
Di Giuila Daccò Coppi
Bibliography:
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A.P.E. 
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