Majority of children, parents feel phones hinder family conversation & bonding: Vivo report

Majority of children and parents feel they can converse more comfortably and build stronger bonds when they spend moments together without a phone, a study commissioned by smartphone company Vivo said.

The vivo Switch Off Study 2025, which covered 1,517 smartphone owners comprising 1,017 parents and 500 children across the top eight cities, found that children primarily use their devices for entertainment, self-expression and personal downtime, and they tend to put their phones aside when they feel seen and heard.

Parents, however, often slip into habitual micro-checking triggered by work notifications or routine behaviour, which sends signals of emotional unavailability, the study said.

The study found that 72 per cent of children spend most time with their parents during phone-free moments, with 91 per cent of children saying conversations feel easier and more meaningful when phones are kept aside, dinner becomes a natural space where attention aligns and families reconnect.

“No-phone dinners significantly improve shared interactions, with 87 per cent of children feeling more comfortable talking and 81 per cent of parents noticing stronger bonding with their child,” the report said.

According to the study, teens describe parental micro-checking as disruptive, noting that even brief glances at a phone can interrupt the emotional flow of conversations.

The study found that parents spend 4.4 hours and children 3.5 hours daily on smartphones, creating interruptions that affect shared time and presence.

“Parents and children use smartphones differently across the day, parents through multiple short check-ins, and children through longer entertainment-focused sessions,” the report said.

The quantitative study was conducted by CyberMedia Research across New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Pune, followed by a qualitative study comprising 18 smartphone owners, comprising 12 parents and 6 children, across New Delhi and Mumbai. The parents surveyed were in the 35-50-year age bracket who had children aged between 10 and 16.