This week, I read ‘’Look at me!’ Parental use of mobile phones at the playground,’ by Dafna Lemish, Nelly Elias, and Diana Floegel. I thought this article was very interesting because I can compare being a child on a playground when smartphones didn’t exist vs when they did exist.
I was homeschooled through second grade with one of my sisters. This meant we had a lot of time for activities and excursions. Our mom would take us to playgrounds regularly and we loved it. At the time, cellphones were barely becoming popular and I don’t even think my mom had one. I do agree that smartphones make it much easier to disengage as a parent on a playground. However, before smartphones, parents would find other ways to pass the time.
Often, my mom would find another mom at the playground and they would talk for hours while played. Sometimes my mom would bring a book or a magazine. I think our expectations for engagement on the playground is unrealistic considering we don’t expect parents to go on the slides or swings with their kids. We have never expected parents to actually climb around on the playground with their kids once they developed their mobile skills.
I also have many years of childcare and nanny experience. For a while, I nannied for a learning pod of four kids and I would often take them to the park. The kids want to play with each other, generally. I can play some things with them, but they mostly want to play games with each other. This meant I spent a lot of time on my phone during these outings. I think it is okay to semi-disengage at a playground as long as you don’t get so sucked into your phone that you are completely inaccessible to the kids you are watching.
That is easier said than done. Smartphones and apps are designed to put users down rabbit holes and keep their engagement. I think that is the dangerous part of using a phone at the playground as opposed to talking to other moms, reading a book, etc. Smartphones can suck you in and make you a brick wall that is inaccessible to the kids that need you.
Also, I do think kids are adapting to living in a world with technology and they don’t think seeing a parent on a phone at the playground is anything out of the ordinary. Kids actively use technology nowadays – it’s not just the parents. Kids beg for “iPad time” or to watch a show so I think they understand the fascination behind technology.
It is sad to say, but I think any kids being taken to playgrounds nowadays are lucky no matter what level of disengagement their parents have. For over a year, playgrounds were closed due to COVID-19. Parents got out of the routine of taking their kids to the park and many have not gotten back into said routine. It’s not uncommon for parents to rarely, if ever, take their kids to playgrounds or anywhere outdoors.
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