London, June 1 (IANS) A study in Britain has found one third of parents regretting having given their children mobile phones, computers, and games consoles.
According to the study commissioned by Hobbycraft, a chain of arts and crafts superstores, parents fear about the harm to youngsters’ patience, creative and social skills as well as to quality time means 34 percent of them yearn to take the gadgets back from their children, Daily Mail reported.
About 67 percent of the parents were found to be annoyed with the amount of time their children spend with computer or watching TV instead of enjoying traditional activities.
The study, of 2,000 parents of children aged 3-16 found that over half of youngsters have a hand-held games console, while another 50 percent have a games console. And four in ten kids have their own TV in their bedrooms.
The huge variety of gadgets now owned by kids sees them spending about three hours everyday watching TV, playing computer games or surfing the internet.
Two thirds of parents blame the gadgets for reducing the amount of quality time the family has together. And, because of this, 80 percent are thinking of getting anything but a gadget for their child’s next birthday or Christmas present.
Catriona Marshall, Hobbycraft’s CEO, said: “With most children being given these gadgets by their parents, most mums and dads are finding it difficult to change things now.
“They face the dilemma of whether to give in and let their kids watch or play what they want, or put their foot down and line up some creative games and activities.”
