Would YOUR kids do this? Video shows children so engrossed in their iPads they don’t notice strangers trading places with their parents
It seems that the telly is no longer the major distraction at dinner time...
THIS is the shocking moment kids hooked on iPads don't even notice when strangers replace their parents, a hidden camera experiment shows.
A new video by Dolmio, the brand that makes pasta sauces, reveals the increasing disconnection during family dinner time with parents saying their kids are to blame for tech disruptions.
In the clip, four youngsters between the age of eight and 10 were secretly filmed at the dinner table completely oblivious to what's going on around them.
Family photos can be seen swapped with paintings in one scene while roses are replaced with yellow flowers in another.
Another scene shows a man wearing a Viking helmet putting up a yellow zebra painting on the wall.
All this is taking place while their kids continue to stare at their devices completely unaware of what's happening.
Two kids even have their siblings replaced as they sit right next to them while another boy's dad is replaced by a stranger holding an inflatable tree - right under his nose.
It's only when the Wi-Fi is switched off, the confused kids look up to find out their surroundings has completely changed.
Shocked, they leave the table to be confronted by giggling parents who comfort their kids.
The message "sometimes we need to disconnect to connect" appears on the screen.
According to research by Dolmio, who want families to turn off the internet during dinner time, 67 per cent of family arguments at the table stem from internet-connected devices - with an average of 12 gadgets per household.
More than half (54 per cent) of parents surveyed by Dolmio® said that technology at mealtimes has a negative impact, with more than two family dinners interrupted every week.
Smartphones, tablets and laptops were found to be the most distracting devices.
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Earlier this month, This Morning featured a survey which suggested many kids as young as four fly into violent rages when their gadgets are taken away.
Hosts Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, who presented the segment, were were joined by parent Fiona and her partner James, and addiction expert Mandy Saligari.
The survey revealed that 27 per cent of four to 14 year olds became verbally abusive when their parents tried to take the technology away.
Mandy insisted this is a common problem, and she is often approached by parents who are worried about their kids’ addiction to technology.
She said: “I work in addictions… one of the most common questions I get from parents is about tehcnology… kids as young as four, five six [are addicted]…
“Parents are very short of time. they resort to technology as a babysitter…”
But the story prompted little sympathy among viewers.
Many claimed that parents who rely on gadgets like mobile phones, tablets and video games to keep their kids occupied deserve to suffer the consequences.
They flocked to Twitter to debate the subject and one wrote: “@itvthismorning Parents need to BE THE PARENTS. Control your kids. Don’t let them control you! #TechAddiction.”
Another tweeted: “This is parents blaming technology rather than themselves. If you don’t like technology, simulate your child yourself. #TechAddiction.”
One fuming viewer wrote: “@itvthismorning Whoever gives their child a smartphone at 4 and doesn’t limit their tech time deserve an angry child. #TechAddiction…”
Many also suggested that technology addiction is not a real condition, insisting the angry outbursts are just temper tantrums.
Onetweeted: “I used to throw an absolute fit when I got things taken off me as a kid. It’s called having a tantrum it’s not new or special #techaddiction.”
Another viewer added: “I can imagine I would have been annoyed if my parents tried to take my phone away at 14… That’s not a #TechAddiction.”