Mobiles cause rows every day in a fifth of British homes

MOBILE phones provoke conflict and argument every day in a fifth of Britain’s families, according to a groundbreaking study into their impact on family life.

Half of parents and teenagers admit they get distracted by their phones on a daily basis with similar proportions also saying they feel “addicted” to their devices. As a result, conversations and meal-times are regularly disrupted with both children and parents critical of each other’s addictive usage.

Almost two thirds of parents felt their teenage children spent too much time on their devices but more than a quarter (29 per cent) of the children said their parents were also on their phones too much.

For parents, their teenage children’s mobile phone use has become one of the top three sources of conflict with them, behind rows over household chores and bed times. Homework was fourth.

While a fifth said their children’s phone use caused conflict at least once a day, a further quarter had a row once a week. A third of parents said phones interrupted conversations and 28 per cent said they disrupted meals.

The study of 1,200 parents and their children aged 13 to 17 by Common Sense Media and the University of Southern California enabled comparisons with the US and Japan. British parents and teenagers were, in each other’s eyes, seen as the most addicted to their phones of any of the three countries.