These days, it is observed that the amount of leisure quality family time parents allocate to their offspring is on the decline for many households. This tendency is attributed to two primary factors, including occupied schedules and the technological distractions. Additionally, children are likely to be more seriously affected by this trend.
There are several first underlying reasons why parents spend less free time with their offspring. The first one is the demanding work schedule of parents. Many parents want their children to benefit from highly-qualified services, so they may need to work multiple jobs or work longer hours to build a sustainable financial background in order to meet the demands. As a result, they find themselves increasingly occupied with their jobs and social relationships, leaving limited free time for family. Another driving factor that results in insufficient time for family is the technology-related restrictions. The prevalence of digital devices and social platforms can consume parents’ free time, reducing the time available for leisure activities with their children.
I would contend that the reduction in free time that parents spend with their children has a more detrimental bearing on children since they may lack parental guidance. To be more specific, when parents spend less leisure time with their children, this will negatively affect children’s mental health and behaviors as they may develop a feeling of isolation or a sense of insecurity. Consequently, this could lead to them having deviated thoughts and actions, or in the worst-case scenario, this causes juvenile criminals. For example, without parents’ supervision, teenagers have more chances to be exposed to toxic influences from media or friends, potentially leading to bad activities such as smoking, cursing or illegal acts.
In conclusion, busy work schedules and technological distractions are the precursors to the absence of parents’ family free time for their children, and I am convinced that this phenomenon has more significant adverse implications for children’s emotional and characteristic development.