Connected But Distant: The Phenomenon of Phubbing among Families and Its Effects on Coexistence

Ethical considerations

This study examined the ethical, moral, and legal frameworks concerning the proper treatment and care of research participants.¹⁶ The initiative was formally granted permission through Act (5-24) issued on December 4, 2024, by the Research and Ethics Subcommittee of the Latin American Family Institute (ILFARUS) at the La Sabana University. This paper attests that “The Research and Ethics Subcommittee of the Latin American Institute of the Family – ILFARUS has approved the project titled “Challenges, Difficulties, Achievements, and Strategies in the Presence of Phubbing in Families Located in Colombia and Canada,” led by Professor Ana Dolores Vargas Sánchez (corresponding author). The suggestion is considered favorable due to its academic significance. Furthermore, after reviewing the current regulations for conducting social science research, which aim to ensure respect for personal dignity, freedom, and self-determination, as well as to safeguard privacy; and the declaration of ethical aspects of intellectual property for the project, submitted by the principal investigator, the ethical considerations outlined in the project were approved.”

Moreover, the study adheres to the norms of confidentiality, respect, and participant autonomy; it does not involve risks exceeding those minimally expected; and it has secured the necessary informed consents for its proper implementation. The research complies with the worldwide norms of scientific integrity set forth in UNESCO’s Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights, together with the ethical rules established by the Ethics Committee of the University of La Sabana. The research underscores the necessity of explicitly communicating to participants the project’s aims, the processes they will engage in, the safeguarding of their identity, and the guarantee that they will not experience any bodily or psychological harm.

Likewise, it is affirmed that the research aims to enhance academic knowledge. The gathered data remain anonymous and are utilized solely for research purposes, upholding an ethical and sensitive stance towards the concerns of participants and the community. Moreover, only data from individuals who have given their explicit and formal informed consent will be used into the study.

Type of study

The research is a qualitative, descriptive investigation that is designed to identify and characterize the perceptions of technology use among families and its influence on daily relationships. The instruments were administered to 25 families, predominantly nuclear, with children aged 9 to 17 years enrolled in primary and secondary schools situated in Colombia and Canada, but the families living abroad were Colombian. All participants provided written informed consent prior to their involvement in the study; specifically, the adults signed the informed consent forms, which also authorized the participation of their minor children, who subsequently completed digital assent forms to affirm their involvement. Regarding geographical distribution, 92% of the participating families reside in Colombia, while 8% reside in Canada. The sample included 28 adolescents aged 9–17 years, with 15 mothers and 10 fathers. Table 1 presents detailed sociodemographic characteristics of the participating families.

Method

Data were collected through a 26-question survey and semi-structured interviews with 16 questions. Likewise, the research instruments were created according to the researchers’ criteria and the theoretical framework outlined in the study and were later validated through expert evaluation in the domains of family and educational technology at the University of La Sabana. The evaluators received an overview of the study, its objectives, access to the survey, question procedure, category matrix, and a designated format for their evaluation and feedback.

Once the instruments were validated, informed consent was obtained from all participants. Data collection was conducted exclusively in virtual format. The surveys were performed via Google Forms, while the interviews were conducted through in-person meetings or virtual conversations. During the interview sessions, the participants’ voices were recorded in audio form, having previously secured the necessary informed consent and assent.

The instruments were analyzed using a category matrix that addressed the study’s unique aims, facilitating a systematic examination of family narratives by categorizing the key and overlapping statements relevant to the research aim. The transcripts were processed using Microsoft Excel, followed by a comprehensive inspection of the texts to determine pre-established categories. Each interview lasted approximately 30 minutes, and the analysis categories utilized are detailed in Table 2.

The data extended from reseaerch, Connected But Distant: The Phenomenon of Phubbing among Families and Its Effects on Coexistence, have been published by,¹⁷ and are located in the availability section.

Perception of technology utilization in daily life

The regulation of mobile device usage is a significant challenge for modern families, particularly for parents, who must maneuver through a global landscape characterized by escalating technological reliance. This situation presents an evident paradox, as these devices simultaneously function as essential tools for optimal academic and professional performance while also becoming potential disruptive elements of traditional family interaction. The prevalence of these technologies in everyday contexts creates intergenerational tensions and necessitates the development of new mediation frameworks to maintain a balance between technological integration in daily life, the preservation of healthy family interactions, and psychosocial development. This reality is reflected in the testimony of a family: “It is important to keep in mind that children cannot completely disconnect because it is part of the reality they are living in, with which they are growing up, which is technology” (F1). Other families highlight particular circumstances: “It’s just that Matías studies virtually, so he is connected to the computer or the cell phone for many hours of the day because he is taking classes” (F8).

At the same time, parents recognized the academic and social functionality of these devices, stating that, “it also became important for communicating with classmates or doing assignments, sometimes even from the same cell phone. If they are doing an assignment with other classmates, it is also a way for them to socialize with their peers. It’s difficult, but if it is removed, it is before going to sleep” (F6). They even highlight its usefulness for parental supervision: “Gabriel ahorita que se ha ido a los partidos, el celular se ha vuelto una forma para podernos comunicar si a ellos les pasa algo o necesitan algo en el colegio” (F6). These elements facilitate the normalization of extended mobile device usage within a familial context.

Some families note that these devices are supplanting conventional study tools such as books, as immediate access to online information is more enticing to youth. The ubiquitous accessibility of content prompts individuals to engage in prolonged screen time. In light of this reality, students recognize self-control as an essential skill to cultivate: “Nowadays, I am aware that I have to exercise self-control, I have to make the effort. It’s not natural for me to just say, that’s enough, turn off the phone, go to sleep, no” (F12).

Another challenge articulated by students from various families is the recognition that mobile devices simultaneously alienate them from individuals in their immediate physical vicinity while facilitating connections with those who are geographically remote. This phenomenon has been integrated into daily life, as individuals articulate: “In everyday situations, I do not take offense because I recognize that I also engage in it unconsciously, and it is not my intention, nor is it the intention of the other person” (F12). This viewpoint emphasizes how everyday interactions contribute to the normalization of such behaviors, despite the ongoing awareness of improper time utilization: “it makes me so angry that I turn on my phone to see something specific and a message comes in or I go and get distracted watching TikTok and I end up stuck there for 40 minutes, which I could have spent studying” (F12).

Furthermore, the plethora of information accessible in the digital realm enables personalized content consumption, a phenomenon articulated by one of the participating families: “today personalized content allows each person to be in their own world in the same space” (F12). This observation highlights the paradox of modern connectivity, wherein digital hyperconnectivity may lead to interpersonal disconnections in physical environments.

Influence of technology on familial relationships

In today’s sociocultural environment, technology has transitioned from being a supplementary tool to an integral element of daily life, profoundly altering communication methods, job dynamics, and interpersonal relationships. While fostering significant advancements across numerous aspects of human experience, this technological integration has concurrently produced a range of issues related to its deployment and daily utilization. These challenges are particularly pronounced within the familial context, where generational disparities in digital adoption, conflicts between virtual engagement and physical presence, challenges of parental supervision in virtual spaces, and health consequences converge, elements that frequently emerge in the testimonies of contemporary families.

Likewise, family narratives reveal concerns about the impacts on physical health stemming from technological use, as expressed by (F3) “sometimes I get visual fatigue because I work a lot with my cell phone, everything, everything in the company.” These testimonies are echoed in other experiences such as “… my eyes get red and I feel mentally exhausted” (F6), “I have indeed suffered from neck pain, but not from using social media, rather from all devices in general” (F7), “I imagine there is a visual impact, but for Luisa, yes, sometimes her fingers hurt” (F8), “I didn’t used to wear glasses, but due to the exposure to so many screens, especially during the pandemic and also because of the use of so many devices, I had to start wearing glasses” (F9).

Likewise, the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)¹⁸ is characterized by the anxiety of missing important events, exacerbating technological dependence. This condition is evidenced by the behaviors articulated by the participants: “you wake up because notifications start sounding and you wake up your phone, because of those little sounds” (F3), “I didn’t even become aware, I mean at that level and I said, wow, it has already become part of the body, I think I experience a bit of that strong dependency issue, yes” (F8).

Likewise, the testimonies indicate the effect of mobile device usage on the quality of familial interactions: “During family gatherings, for instance, everyone is engrossed in their phones, and family time is not being effectively utilized” (F7). His dynamic undermines significant instances of interpersonal camaraderie, normalizing patterns of disregard: “let’s say that communication sometimes completely breaks down. It breaks because you talk to them and then they are elevated, they don’t pay attention to you” (F11).

Similarly, these behaviors elicit diverse emotional responses in individuals who sense a deficiency of attention during social interactions: “I don’t like feeling like I’m talking to someone, and they are more focused on their phone than on our conversation.” “It makes me really angry” (F22). Participants expressed feelings of sadness, frustration, and discomfort in these scenarios, perceiving the absence of attention as a diminishment of their physical presence and involvement in the interaction.

In the same way, the testimonies indicate apprehensions regarding possible physical and mental health detriments arising from extended use of electronic devices: “I think I’m going to have hearing problems because of my headphones” “my pinky hurts because my phone is heavy” (F12). These issues pertain to mental health, as illustrated by the observation: “I have indeed noticed him sometimes a bit anxious when he doesn’t have his phone, and Carlos, when he leaves his phone behind, is capable of going back for it even if he is at work” (F6).

Regulation and utilization of technology in the family

Some families indicated that they have leveraged electronic devices, converting them into advantageous instruments to enhance their daily activities. regard Family 8 emphasizes this beneficial adaptation by stating, “now I know it has become tough to use because since he studies virtually, he has had to learn many digital tools” (F8). Similarly, family 12 developed self-control strategies during family interactions: “I have all my notifications turned on, but I manage them because I know we are in a family moment” (F12).

The study results indicate that a considerable percentage of family members do not feel discomfort, anxiety, or despair when their mobile devices are unavailable for more than one hour. Fifty-two percent reported that this experience is rare, but forty-four percent asserted that it never occurred, as illustrated in Figure 1. Furthermore, 68% of the participants indicated that the use of mobile devices during family gatherings is rare, as illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 1. Survey result.

Figure 2. Results of the survey conducted with parents.

This suggests that despite occasional obstacles and hurdles in familial interactions via technology, there exists comprehension and regulation to facilitate its effective utilization.

Strategies of families against phubbing

The study revealed that families employ strategies categorized as formative, punitive, or preventive. Formative strategies are defined by their incorporation into family routines, with the objective of enabling children to comprehend and internalize their significance, as illustrated by Family 2: “we have been working on this part, especially with my son, that the cell phone is a good method to use certain apps that allow him, for example, to learn another language and that this precisely encourages a good use of the cell phone” (F2).

Punitive strategies are employed as mechanisms of sanction or restriction, representing the most common methods for regulating mobile device usage, as demonstrated by Family 1: “At meals, as a rule, no one here at home uses their cell phone” (F1). Additional testimonies corroborate this approach: “The spaces for using electronic devices are agreed upon, so there are schedules, and it is established as a rule that at dinner time or when talking with the family or, for example, at this moment, we do not use electronic devices” (F2).

On the other hand, regarding preventive strategies characterized by including deliberate digital disconnection exercises, as shown in Figure 3, the data indicated a balanced distribution, where 44% of participants implemented them frequently, another 44% did so infrequently, and the remaining 12% never practiced them. The results indicated that self-regulation, coupled with the equilibrium between connectivity and disconnection, represents a continuous learning process for families, acknowledging the dual function of mobile devices as academic and professional instruments.

Figure 3. Results of the survey conducted with parents.

In addition, some families mentioned agreed-upon strategies: “we reach a consensus before doing any activity so that it is quality time, time together” (F1). Other families suggested, “to look for strategies and games that allow families to interact with each other and have, as well, a common goal” (F2). These narratives indicate a preliminary focus on initiatives designed to enhance familial relationships and foster a deeper understanding among members, albeit with a quantitatively restricted number of specific proposals.

Some parents are dedicated to educating their children about technology use, acknowledging that complete isolation from the digital realm is unfeasible while fostering awareness of its potential negative consequences: “I have shown them videos about the influence of mobile phones on the brain, on brain development, because I work in the Neuropsychiatric field, so I tell them, look, and they are very intelligent children who are capable of understanding that this really causes an impact on their neurons” (F2).

On the other hand, some of the responses that emerged in the study emphasized the relevance of organization and self-discipline, setting specific goals, and consciously monitoring device usage times. Families also consider potentially viable strategies for future implementation by stating that, “I understand there are apps on the phone that control the time and even block the apps, leaving only certain functionalities” (F3), as well as suggesting: “having a list of daily tasks to know what one should do and not use the phone all the time, because sometimes I use it when I don’t know what to do, but if I have tasks and activities, then I have to do them because it’s an obligation” (F6).

Limitations and future lines of research

This research highlights the importance of maintaining the academic debate on the impact of phubbing, and the imperative need to develop practical tools that allow each family member to manage technology use in a way adapted to their life stage, maximize benefits, and minimize drawbacks. Likewise, the results obtained establish a relevant conceptual basis for providing families with tools for time management and the optimization of technological use in their daily activities. Additionally, the exploration of family communities is proposed as a space to share experiences and realities, discuss implementable strategies, and enhance collective awareness about the impact of technological use across all age groups.

Finally, it is emphasized that during the formulation of family interviews, strategies were identified for both immediate execution and anticipated future use. Among the proposals, those that utilize technological resources are particularly notable, including applications intended to track the usage time on each digital platform and automatic locking systems for electronic devices after specified usage durations. These measures illustrate an increasing recognition of the effects of excessive technology use on familial relationships and signify substantial progress towards responsible management.