In a study published in the journal Pediatrics, a team of researchers observed families eating at fast food restaurants, watching how parents interacted with their mobile devices while they shared a meal with their children. In a summary of their conclusions, the researcher said the dominant theme was what they called "the degree of absorption in devices [that the] caregivers exhibited." For a majority of the parents, the study found, their "primary engagement was with the device, rather than the child." The researchers also noted that "highly absorbed caregivers often responded harshly to child misbehavior."

Catherine Steiner-Adair, a psychologist who has interviewed 1,000s of children and parents about the role of screens in children's lives, concludes that our kids are well-aware of our media absorption. She says, "Children of all ages—2, 15, 18, 22—used the same phrases to talk about how hard it is for them to get their parents' attention when they need it: sad, angry, mad, frustrated," she said. They were complaining that their parents were focused on screens, she continued, "like a child's chorus of all ages, talking about this new sibling rivalry, only it's not a new member of the family—it's a new screen, it's a device."