Deteriorating Distance: Impact of Mobile Phones on Interpersonal Relationship between Parents and Teenagers

Abstract

Mobile phone use among teenagers has increased since the COVID–19 pandemic in Sri Lanka. This research seeks to find out how mobile phones affect the interpersonal relationship between parents and teenagers. Data for the questionnaire was collected randomly from 240 respondents based on three ethnicities in Niwithigala Divisional Secretariat of Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka. Social exchange theory was used as the theoretical framework for the study. According to the findings of the present study, teenagers are most motivated to use mobile phones for online education in a limited period of four years, from 2020 to 2023, in Sri Lanka. Teenagers consume mobile phones as heavy users to entertain, educate and for gaming. Parents consume 1-2 hours daily, and their main purpose is to communicate with children and others. Male teenagers spend more time on their mobile phones than female teenagers. It is found that both parents and teenagers have different perceptions of the impact of mobile phones on their lives. Teenagers strongly believe that mobile phones are essential devices for their daily activities. Teenagers believe that mobile phones are a better way to socialize, whereas parents do not agree that mobile phones are a socializing tool. On the other hand, in families with limited phone use or no phone use, the interpersonal relationship between parents and teenagers is more intense. The majority of the respondents, both parents and teenagers, faced misunderstanding because of excessive use of mobile phones, and they cleared up the misunderstanding by meeting the person physically. While the majority of both parents and teenagers strongly agreed with the statement that mobile phone consumption creates distance in the family, a few of them think that mobile phones do not cause distance in the family. The main finding of the study is that due to the excessive use of mobile phones by teenagers, the frequency and quality of communication among family members are affected, and so the interpersonal relationships between parents and teenagers become detached.