If your kids are misbehaving the cause could be held in your hand according to a new study.

The study's author, Dr. Brandon T. McDaniel from Illinois State University, tells us that he and his colleagues "have been studying the influence of technology on relationships for years . . . and we had also noticed that many parents seemed to be on their devices a great deal while with their children."

This observation led them to the latest study. 

Both mothers and fathers from 170 families were surveyed concerning interruptions and intrusions due to technology in their time spent with their young child as well as behavioral problems (externalizing/internalizing symptoms) their child shows.

"Interruptions and intrusions" could be as simple as stopping to check a notification. That's something that almost 50% of respondents said happened at least three times per day. Parents were also surveyed on their children's behaviour over a two-month period, looking at how often the children "whined, sulked, easily got frustrated, had tantrums or showed signs of hyperactivity or restlessness."

"Children cannot manage their emotions like adults, so we thought that children would likely start to show behavioral issues if they were often being ignored for devices," McDaniel said in an email explaining why they decided to do the study. And what they found confirmed those suspicions. "Our findings confirm that parent technology use is connected with child behavior, specifically technoference in the parent-child relationship might influence child negative behavior."

So, what's a parent to do in a hyper-connected world?

"Put the phone down, unplug, and focus on your children," suggests Katherine Penner, a school psychologist for the Winnipeg School Division. She says it's important that children's needs for attention are met in early development. And as the study suggests, you might just see a change in behaviour for the better, too.