Technology leaves families struggling to connect, bond

Technology leaves families struggling to connect, bond

By Ghadeer Ghloum

KUWAIT: It hasn’t been easy for Haider Al-Mosawi, a father of three, to interact with his three children who are preoccupied with their electronic devices. “It’s hard to compete for our children’s attention when the most entertaining content is only a swipe away on their phones. We used to have a tradition of watching a movie together, but now my children can’t tolerate watching 15 minutes of a movie together because they would rather hop on TikTok, YouTube or Roblox,” he told Kuwait Times.

These days, owning at least one smart device is essential for every family member in order to keep up with their responsibilities. However, the devices could have a negative effect on family bonding. “Eye contact and body language are essential during communication. Although technologies have benefits, they affect the relationship among family members. This definitely creates a gap between them,” Sociologist and Family Consultant Jamil Al-Mari told Kuwait Times.

Family interaction is an important foundation that prepares children for their social life in the future. Therefore, Mari sees their attachment to these devices can leave a bad influence. “Technologies are attractive because they provide numerous kinds of interesting content, which attaches the user to their device.