Tech-addicted children don't notice strangers replace parents
Tech-driven children are so absorbed in their devices they don't realise their parents and siblings have been replaced with strangers, a hidden camera experiment suggests.
Televisions are no longer the major hijacker at dinner time.
From iPads and phones at the dinner table to arguments over what show is on in the background, mealtimes have become a tech minefield.
Four children aged between eight and ten were secretly filmed at the table completely unaware of what is going on around them in an experiment that highlights the disconnection between families at dinner time.
In the video, one set of parents swap family photos with plain artwork and roses with yellow flowers as their children sit on their devices, oblivious to what is happening.
Another family placed a viking helmet inside the living area and put a random yellow zebra painting on the wall.
Two children have their siblings replaced even as they they sat next to them to at the table. And another boy has his dad replaced by a man in his thirties, holding a tree.
Next, the children's parents are replaced with strangers and, when the WiFi is switched off, the children look up to find themselves surrounded by unknown people.
The confused youngsters leave the table in utter shock but their family members joint them and everyone giggles at the weird occasion.
The experiment was conducted by Dolmio after their own research revealed Australian parents said their kids were the ones to blame for the tech disruptions.
There are on average 12 internet connected gadgets/devices per household.
About 63 per cent of family arguments at the table stem from tech and, on average, 2.3 per cent of families’ dinners each week are interrupted by technology distractions, according to the research.
The most distracting device across New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia were all smartphones, whereas the majority of South Australian families clash with the use of tablets.
South Sydney mum of two, Bronwyn Gavin, who took part in the second Pepper Hacker experiment said iPads and phones are a constant problem at mealtimes.
“It showed us all how fun dinner can be when we all get together and actually talk with each other, without phones and distractions getting in the way.
"We’ll be making more of an effort as a family to be technology free at dinner times."
Mars Food Australia Marketing Director, Tim Hicks, said that due to the overwhelming response of the Pepper Hacker, the innocent-looking grinder will be available in stores across the country.
