Resource Roundup #5

Pilot study evidence suggests that mother–infant dyads respond differently to technoference following phone calls and text messages

Our recent study from the University of Edinburgh suggests that the type of smartphone use during mother-infant interactions may matter as much as the use itself, and that texting may be more disruptive to the mother-infant relationship than making or receiving a phone call.

The study observed 46 mother-infant pairs in Scotland, where infants were aged between 3-6 months. Using a structured observation method, we compared how mothers and infants interacted during free play together, after a phone call, and after a period of texting. Following both types of phone use, mothers and infants showed more shared negative emotions and less shared positive engagement compared to free play. However, the effects were notably stronger after texting than after a phone call.

These findings have practical implications for practitioners supporting new mothers. Rather than advising mothers to avoid smartphone use altogether, guidance could focus on how they use their phones around their babies, suggesting that sending voice notes or making a voice call may be less likely to disrupt the emotional connection between a mother and her infant than scrolling or texting. This kind of specific, non-judgmental guidance may be more useful and more achievable for families than blanket messages about reducing screen time.

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This article is open access

Objective vs. perceived maternal smartphone use and observed mother-infant interaction quality

Similarly, this study from a group of international researchers suggests that how mothers feel about their smartphone use may matter more for mother-infant relationship quality than how much they actually use their phones.

The study followed 147 mothers and their two-month-old infants, tracking both objective smartphone use and mothers' own perceptions of their use, before observing mother-infant feeding interactions. Mothers who reported feeling empowered by their smartphone use, for example, feeling more confident in their parenting or better supported, had higher quality interactions with their infants during feeding.

These results suggest that rather than focusing solely on reducing phone use, supporting mothers to reflect on how their smartphones fit into their caregiving, and helping them use their phones in ways that feel purposeful and empowering, may be a more helpful approach.

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This article is open access

Each year, Fathers Network Scotland, release results from their Dads Survey - a comprehensive exploration of dads’ parenting experiences across Scotland.

In 2025, a total of 440 dads from across Scotland shared their experiences of becoming a dad, and the results are now live. Questions specifically targeting digital use found that mobile phones frequently interrupt the time dads spend with their infant in the first year, with 31% of dads reporting frequent interruptions from digital devices.

Read the full report here

Leading researchers in digital wellbeing have developed the Parent Phone Use Regulation Efficacy Scale (P-PURE), a tool designed to measure how confident parents feel in managing their smartphone use around their children. The scale captures two key elements; the ability to use a phone intentionally and the ability to stop use, and has been validated with over 450 parents, showing strong links with mindfulness, self-regulation, and reduced problematic phone use. It's a promising tool for both research and practice, with potential to support targeted interventions for parents.

Click here for an open access article about the validation of the scale