Abstract
Popular media attention and scientific research in both mindful parenting and technology use in the context of parenting has expanded in the 21st century; however, these two streams of research have largely evolved separately from one another. Thus, in this conceptual paper, we integrate the research on mindful parenting with that on parents’ technology use and parenting to examine how parent technology use may impact or be linked with aspects of mindful parenting. Mindful parenting theory outlines five key components: listening with full attention, self-regulation in the parent–child relationship, emotional awareness of self and child, nonjudgmental acceptance of self and child, and compassion for self and child. Parent technology use, in particular the use of mobile devices, has the potential to impact all five elements of mindful parenting. However, the relationship between mindful parenting and technology is complex, and there can be both positive and negative implications of parent technology use on mindful parenting. On the positive side, technology use might help parents regulate their emotions; access support; and develop more empathy, acceptance, and compassion for themselves and their children. Yet, parent technology use also has the potential to create distractions and disrupt parent–child interactions, which may make it more difficult for parents to listen with full attention, maintain awareness of their own and their child’s emotions, and calmly respond to child behaviors with intentionality. Technology use may also create more opportunities for social comparisons and judgement, making it more difficult for parents to accept their children nonjudgmentally and have compassion for their children as they are. Future research is needed to understand the conditions under which technology use can hinder or promote mindful parenting and how interventions can promote mindful parenting skills and a positive uses of technology.
Highlights
The 21st century is distinct in the proliferation of technology in our lives, especially due to the emergence of smartphones that allow individuals to have nearly constant access to information and continuous connection through texting, the internet, and social media.At the same time, and perhaps because of the proliferation of technology, there has been increased interest in mindfulness, and in ways that individuals can “be present” as the world becomes increasingly distracting
As family researchers continue their work in the 21st century, it is critical to examine how emergent technological contexts might intersect with and shape parenting
As technology has become more embedded in our lives, there has been growing interest in understanding how it impacts ourselves, our relationships, and our parenting
Summary
The 21st century is distinct in the proliferation of technology in our lives, especially due to the emergence of smartphones that allow individuals to have nearly constant access to information and continuous connection through texting, the internet, and social media. The goals of this paper are (1) to briefly review the history and theory of mindful parenting, (2) examine how parent technology use may affect elements of mindful parenting, and (3) identify new research directions at the intersection of mindful parenting and parent technology use. Scientific research in both mindful parenting and technology use in the context of parenting has expanded in the 21st century. We describe the technology context that undergirds modern parenting and review research related to how technology, in particular the use of mobile devices (e.g., smartphones), might predict the five distinct elements of mindful parenting. We end with a discussion of promising future research directions on mindful parenting and technology
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