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Parents 'missing important family time' due to aimless phone use

Virgin Media O2 said a 10-question tool will help users measure phone habits after research found parents spend 88 hours scrolling unintentionally over summer.

  • More than half of children aged eight to 16 say their parents' phone use causes them to miss important family moments, according to a survey for Virgin Media. Additionally, 63% believe their parents do not realize how much time they spend on their phones.
  • An 18-month study involving 16,000 people revealed parents of under-18s spend more than two hours daily using smartphones unintentionally. Half of parents admitted they have little to no control over phone and internet use during the Summer.
  • Almost half of children have had to repeat themselves because a parent was using their phone, while 34% said a parent missed something they wanted to show them. Parents are set to spend an average 88 hours on unintended scrolling this Summer.
  • Dana Haidan, chief sustainability officer at Virgin Media, said: "Summer holidays are a chance for families to spend quality time together." She noted Parents often get caught in unintentional phone habits while balancing work and childcare.
  • Virgin Media launched a "digital intentionality score" to help people understand their phone engagement. The 10-question tool compares behavior against the national average of 63 out of 100, with higher scores representing more intentional use.
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10 Articles

Evening StandardEvening Standard
+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
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Parents set to spend average 88 hours on unintended phone scrolling over summer

More than half of children aged eight to 16 say their parents’ phone use causes them to miss important family moments, a survey found.

·London, United Kingdom
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A new study shows that smartphone use can cause serious harm to children.

·Hungary
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Kent Online broke the news in Kent, United Kingdom on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.
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