When Gadgets Become Babysitters Again

There is a gap between what is said on social media and what happens at the dinner table.

At a family restaurant during lunchtime, it is not uncommon to see a toddler sitting in a high chair, their plate of food barely touched, their eyes glued to a mobile phone screen propped against a water glass. Children’s videos play endlessly, one clip moving to the next without pause, and the child eats only when a spoonful is slipped in between attention-grabbing scenes. The parents can eat in peace. There is no crying, no whining, no mess. At home, the same pattern occurs while parents wash dishes, iron, or finish office work brought home. A gadget is handed over, and the child becomes quiet.

This sight is nothing new. It is a repetition of something that happened over a decade ago, when YouTube first exploded as an online viewing platform for all ages. Back then, many parents found an instant way to calm a fussy child by handing over a gadget loaded with long animated videos. The practice was later heavily criticised by paediatricians and child development experts, who warned of its impact on language development, attention span, and a child’s social interaction. Some parents responded by strictly limiting their children’s access to gadgets. However, it appears the warning did not completely change habits on a broad scale. It merely dimmed temporarily, then resurfaced as a new generation became parents.

Generation Z, who are now beginning to have toddlers of their own, actually grew up with a higher digital awareness than previous generations. Various 2026 parenting trend reports note that this generation is the most vocal in voicing the importance of screen-free time, real-world play, and avoiding excessive stimulation for children. Some of them consciously reduce gadget use at home and replace it with physical activities or wooden block games. But this philosophical awareness does not always run parallel with daily practice. A survey by the children’s educational institution, Kiddie Academy, found that only 38 per cent of Gen Z parents with children aged zero to six years consistently follow one parenting approach they themselves believe in. There is a gap between what is said on social media and what happens at the dinner table.

This gap is closely related to the pressures faced by young parents today. Many of them raise children without the extended family support system that was once common for previous generations, while still having to work, manage the household, and maintain sanity amidst constant exhaustion.