Spending time with your loved ones is easier said than done. Work or other responsibilities often get in the way. And then there are the distractions such as the television and phones.
A new study has found that the prominence of technological devices in our lives is directly impacting on the amount of quality time spent with family.
The research, conducted by Hollywood Bowl, found that the average amount of quality time a modern family spends together on a weekday is just 38 minutes.
As for the reason, almost a third of parents asked said that their family’s reliance on technology was the reason for the lack of quality time they spend together.
Moreover, a similar amount said that their children would rather play computer games than do a family activity whilst nine in ten said that their little ones are often distracted when they spend time together.
A spokesperson for Hollywood Bowl, Liz Penney, said: “Getting time together as a family is difficult, it’s a shame to see just how little quality time parents and their children are spending together, without the distractions of day-to-day life interfering.
“A worrying trend to emerge is the influence our heavy reliance on electronic devices is having on the lack of quality time we spend with our loved ones, as even when we are all at home together, chances are, much of that time will be spent with children and parents staring at a screen.
“It’s important to ensure that we spend time interacting with loved ones and have some time away from the technology that dominates modern life.”
