A teenager is telling a parent about a difficult day at school. The parent is listening, or at least appears to be, while scrolling through messages. The conversation continues, but the teenager notices that their words are competing with a screen for attention. It may seem like a small, everyday moment. Yet repeated experiences of this kind could influence how young people feel about their relationships with their caregivers.A study published in Frontiers in Psychology in June 2026 examined this overlooked side of digital life. Titled “Mommy, do you love your phone more than me?”: Parental device use and the adolescent-caregiver attachment bond, the research explored whether teenagers who felt that their caregivers were frequently distracted by devices also reported greater attachment insecurity.The researchers surveyed 600 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 in the United States. They found that higher levels of perceived device-related interference were associated with greater anxious and avoidant attachment towards both mother-like and father-like caregivers. The finding shifts an important part of the screen-time conversation. While parents often worry about how much time teenagers spend on their phones, the study suggests that adults may also need to pay attention to how their own device habits affect family interactions.
When a phone becomes a third person in the conversation
Researchers use terms such as “phubbing” and “technoference” to describe situations in which phone use interrupts or interferes with face-to-face interactions. In a family setting, this can happen when a parent checks notifications during a conversation, looks at a screen while a child is asking for help or repeatedly turns away from an interaction to respond to messages. The researchers behind the 2026 study wanted to understand how teenagers interpret these moments. To do this, they developed the Device Attachment Interference Scale, or DAIS. It asked adolescents about their caregivers’ device habits and whether they felt those habits affected the attention and availability they received.The teenagers also completed a measure of their attachment to a primary caregiver. The researchers found that higher DAIS scores were consistently associated with higher levels of anxious and avoidant attachment. Anxious attachment can involve worrying about whether someone will be emotionally available, seeking reassurance or fearing rejection. Avoidant attachment, meanwhile, can involve keeping emotional distance and finding it difficult to depend on others. These patterns are not labels that should be casually applied to a teenager. Nor does the research suggest that every parent who checks a phone will create an insecure relationship. Instead, it highlights how young people’s experience of a caregiver’s availability may matter.
What earlier research tells us about parental phone distraction
The 2026 findings add to a growing body of research on parental phone use and children’s social and emotional development. A 2023 meta-analysis published in Psychological Reports brought together 42 studies involving 56,275 children. It found that parental phubbing was associated with higher levels of internalising problems, such as emotional difficulties, and externalising problems, such as behavioural difficulties. It was also associated with lower self-concept and social-emotional competence.The review does not establish that parental phone use directly causes these outcomes. However, the number of studies included suggests that the relationship deserves further attention. Another study, published in ‘Children and Youth Services Review‘ in 2019, examined parental phubbing and adolescents’ mobile phone addiction. Its findings suggested that parent-child attachment and association with peers played a role in the relationship between parental phone distraction and teenagers’ phone use. Together, these studies point towards a broader issue: digital habits do not affect only the person holding the device. They can also shape the quality of interactions with people around them.
Why feeling heard matters during the teenage years
Adolescence is a period when young people are developing a stronger sense of identity and learning to manage friendships, emotions and relationships. Having a caregiver who is emotionally available can provide an important source of support during this stage. When teenagers feel repeatedly overlooked, they may interpret it as a sign that their concerns are not important. However, the researchers also acknowledge that the relationship could work in more than one direction. Teenagers who already feel insecure in their relationships may be more likely to perceive their caregivers as unavailable.The 2026 study was based on adolescents’ reports at a particular point in time. It therefore cannot establish whether parental device distraction leads to attachment insecurity, whether attachment insecurity influences how teenagers perceive phone use, or whether other factors contribute to both. This distinction matters. The findings should be understood as an association, not proof that smartphones are damaging every parent-child relationship.
Small changes that can make conversations feel different
The study’s lead author, Dr Don Grant, emphasised that parents do not need to abandon their devices or immediately respond to every request for attention. The recommendation is more practical: when teenagers try to connect, parents should acknowledge those attempts and respond in some way. That could mean putting a phone aside during an important conversation, making eye contact when a teenager is speaking or explaining why an urgent message needs attention before returning to the discussion.Families can also agree on phone-free moments, such as meals, bedtime conversations or short periods spent together after school. These routines do not need to be complicated. What matters is making space for interactions in which everyone feels heard. The larger message is not that parents must be available every minute of the day. Work, responsibilities and genuine emergencies will sometimes interrupt family time. But regularly showing interest, listening and returning to a conversation can help teenagers feel that their concerns matter. In a world where screens compete for attention throughout the day, being present does not always mean putting a phone away for hours. Sometimes, it begins with looking up when someone you love is trying to talk.