Most parents fear they're losing ‘precious time' while fighting with kids about digital ‘addiction': new study
Kids can't 'Just Say No' to the high of WiFi.
The bewitching buzz of being online — be it via an iPad, cellphone or computer — is like a narcotic to Gen Alpha kiddos.
Now, parents fear their perennially online offspring are devolved into digital drug addicts due to the prevalence of modern technology, per a nightmarish new report.
'Parents spend approximately 96 hours fighting with their kids over screen time every year,' researchers for AngelQ, a kid-friendly internet browser, wrote in the May 2025 study, estimating that families face over 500 tech-related rows — more than one per day — annually.
'Two-thirds (67%) of parents fear they're losing precious moments with their children due to screen addiction,' the analysts alerted.
More frightening, the findings revealed that 41% of moms and dads are afraid they're 'losing their little ones' childhood to technology completely.'
It's a new age panic plaguing parents of all ages.
Investigators surveyed 2,000 adults — from the 20-somethings of Gen Z to Baby Boomers age 61 and up — with kids in kindergarten through fifth grade (typically kids ranging in age from 5 to 12).
Across the generations, 61% of parents confessed to 'worrying' that too much screen time is replacing important elements of childhood development, such as building strong social skills and empathy.
Participants reported the concerning consequences of excessive screen time, including irritability (27%), mood swings (24%), and full-on tantrums (22%).
Decreased attention spans with offline activities, such as homework (19%), high levels of anxiety (14%), and trouble sleeping (14%) were, too, high on their list of tech-induced issues.
Still, approximately six in ten (60%) parents permit their kids to surf the internet sans supervision, according to the data.
Without proper guidance, youngsters may fall prey to virtual predators, inappropriate content, cyber bullying, social media influence and mental health damage.
'Technology is currently aligned against families instead of allied with them,' Tim Estes, CEO and Co-Founder of AngelQ, said in a statement. 'Our kids are losing years of their childhood – precious time they'll never get back – to exploitive products that addict them.'
'Technology should educate and empower, not distract and divide families,' he added. 'That starts with giving parents easier tools to manage screen time without the daily struggle.'
But parents can't be pushovers.
The poll found that 65% of mothers and fathers give in to their whining children when they refuse to put down a digital device.
A staggering 28% of Gen Z parents, more than any other demographic, said they gave in 'often.'
'These conflicts are most likely to occur leading up to dinner (64%), disrupting important family bonding time,' warned the insiders.
However, even when mom and dad insist, 39% of the rugrats sneakily access the phones, tablets and laptops behind their backs, the study showed.
The crafty crumb-snatchers will also secretly change passwords or controls on their devices, create new user accounts on social platforms and use Siri or voice commands to open apps.
'These findings highlight the delicate balancing act parents face, wanting to protect childhood while also preparing kids for a digital world,' said Estes. 'We recognize that screen time isn't inherently bad, but today most of the options are.'
'We want to reimagine how kids use tech to create healthy habits,' he continued, adding that the internet and digital devices should be tools for, 'enhancing childhood, not taking away from it.'
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