For mum used to calling until they are hoarse for kids to leave the computer alone and come to the table for meals or exasperated spouses going to bed alone every night while their other half stares into the screen. It’s not a finding that will come as any surprise.
More and more of America’s Internet-connected households report erosion of family time and increased feelings of being ignored by family members using the Web, according to a report released on Tuesday.
The study, by the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California, found that the percentage of people who say they spendless time with household members since being connected to the Internet at home had risen from 11 percent in 2006 to 28 percent in 2008.
At the same time shared family time dropped by 30 percent from an average of 26 hours per month to just 17,9 hours. Researcher Michael Gilbert said diminishing family time coincided with the explosive growth of social networking sites.
Gilbert said the threat of the Internet to family structures appeared stronger than past technologies, like the telephone and television.
The Internet delivers an engrossing interactive universe into our homes and demands much greater individual commitment. This can play havoc with our personal boundaries,” he said. “The family is our foundation, society’s basic building block. We need to guard its health in what otherwise seem to be a boundless digital future. DPA
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