Having a mobile device at hand while in lockdown may help improve relationships among friends and families.
Lockdowns and other restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic can have a serious toll on people’s mental health. Now, a new study from Curtin University found that mobile devices can be useful tools to help those in lockdown to keep connected and inspired to do family activities.
According to lead author, PhD student Rebecca Hood from Curtin’s School of Allied Health, their research explored how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced family routines, relationships and use of technology such as smartphones and tablet computers, among families.
“Families described how spending more time together and doing more shared activities as a result of lockdowns brought them closer together and strengthened relationships. Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets were found to be helpful for maintaining connections with family and friends who couldn’t visit due to restrictions and also for providing ideas for family activities,” Ms Hood said.
“Families celebrated birthdays over video calls and sent photos to grandparents to keep their spirits up. Activities such as exercise classes went online, helping families to bond and spend time together while keeping physically active. Children chatted and played games online to stay connected with their friends,” Ms Hood added.
However, the study also found that in some cases, smartphones and other device had a negative effect, distracting users from family activities, as well as interrupting playtime and communication.
According to Dr Juliana Zabatiero, Research supervisor, also from Curtin’s School of Allied Health, their results provided insights on some positive side effects of the pandemic, while also helping identify negative impacts and how to manage them.
“Overall, the findings indicate that access to devices has played a positive role in alleviating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on families,” Dr Zabatiero said. “It was clear from the findings that the ways in which families used their devices was important in whether this was beneficial or detrimental, rather than simply the amount of time they spent on screens,” she added.
The findings of this study may help inform families, health professionals and government advisers about the potential downsides of technology use during lockdowns and other pandemic-related restrictions.
This research is linked to The ORIGINS Project, a collaboration between Telethon Kids Institute and Joondalup Health Campus. The project is a long-term study of 10,000 families, aimed at improving child and adult health.