Parental Digital Media Usage During Caregiving: How Can Technology Reverberate in Parent–Infant Emotional Connection?

Parents tend to be distracted and less available in the presence of their infant when connected to their devices, even when they are physically in the same room. Parental usage of digital media, such as smartphones, during caregiving, may negatively affect the quality of parent–infant interactions, impacting the child’s development. This chapter discusses how this practice can reverberate on the quality of dyadic relationships, and it explores why adults use screens when they are interacting with their children.