Parent phone interruptions linked to child behaviour problems through weaker self-regulation

A study of 518 preschoolers in Türkiye suggests device-related interruptions may be associated with emotional and behavioural difficulties by weakening children’s regulation skills, though it cannot establish cause and effect.

A new study in Frontiers in Psychology adds to growing evidence that when parents are pulled into their phones or other devices during time with children, the effects can reach beyond the momentary lapse in attention. In a sample of 518 preschool children in Denizli, Türkiye, researchers found that technology-related interruptions in parent-child interactions were linked to greater emotional and behavioural difficulties, but the association appeared to run indirectly through children’s emotion regulation and self-regulation skills.

The study focused on children aged five and six and relied on reports from both parents and teachers. Parents completed a scale measuring technoference, a term used for device-related interruptions in family interaction, while teachers rated children’s emotional regulation, self-regulation, emotional difficulties and behavioural problems. Using structural equation modelling, the researchers reported that technoference was not directly tied to children’s behavioural problems once the mediating factors were considered. Instead, the relationship was explained by weaker regulation skills, both separately and in sequence.

That pattern fits with earlier research. A Canadian study published in Pediatrics found that more frequent technology-related interruptions during parent-child interaction were associated with poorer response inhibition and emotional self-regulation, as well as more externalising and internalising behaviour in preschoolers. Research in the same area has also linked parental device use with child behaviour problems, lower responsiveness during interactions and greater parenting stress. A recent systematic review covering studies of children under five reached a similar broad conclusion: parental technology use in the presence of young children is associated with poorer cognitive and socio-emotional outcomes, although the effects tend to be small and the evidence remains largely correlational.

The Turkish study goes a step further by suggesting a possible pathway. The researchers reported that technoference was associated with weaker emotion regulation, which in turn was related to greater behavioural difficulties. Self-regulation showed a similar pattern, and the two skills together formed a serial mediation pathway. In practical terms, that means the study is not simply saying that phones are harmful in the abstract; it points to a mechanism through which repeated distraction may make it harder for children to manage feelings and behaviour in everyday settings.

The authors caution, however, that their findings do not prove cause and effect. Because the research used a cross-sectional design, it captures associations at one point in time rather than changes over time. Even so, the results add weight to concerns raised by earlier studies in the United States, Canada and elsewhere that parent distraction can disrupt the interactional environment young children need for learning emotional control. The study’s main implication is straightforward: helping parents reduce unnecessary device interruptions, while strengthening children’s regulation skills through early childhood and family-based support, may be a useful way to lower the risk of emotional and behavioural problems.