Parents of teens lose 48 nights of sleep per year worrying about their childrens growing online presence: survey

The average parent loses the equivalent of 48 nights of sleep each year worrying about their child — with concerns about technology emerging as the biggest contributors.A new survey of 2,000 parents of school-aged children finds that families are entering the school year under growing tech-driven anxiety as concerns over screen time, social media, school phone policies, and child safety collide.Results found that respondents lose seven hours of sleep per week on average, and worry about screen time habits (24%), social media’s impact on self-esteem (20%), and gaming or app addiction (18%), ranking among the top concerns keeping them awake at night.The survey, conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Cosmo, found that there’s a new and growing form of modern parenting stress: “techxiety,” the pressure parents feel balancing the benefits of digital connection with concerns about smartphones, social media, screen addiction, and online exposure.Although parents find themselves worried about how tech usage is impacting their child, nine in 10 parents report wanting their child to have access to a cell phone at school.The transition to a smartphone remains a defining milestone for many families, though it also brings mixed emotions for parents.The survey found that transitioning to a smartphone weighs on 38% of parents’ minds as a “loss of innocence” rather than a “step toward independence” (62%).For parents whose children already have smartphones, the pressure is even more pronounced.These parents lose nearly two additional hours of sleep per week on average and are more likely than parents whose children do not have smartphones to worry about their child’s mental health (31% versus 27%), social media’s impact on self-esteem (22% versus 17%), and feeling disconnected from what is happening in their child’s life (19% versus 14%).Despite noted reservations, nearly three-quarters of parents surveyed (73%) said their child already has their own sma...