• Posted August 13, 2026

Stressed Parents Turn To Screens For Help, Study Finds

Parents under stress are more likely to use screens to help manage their children, a new study says.

As stress levels rise, parents tend to use screens to help calm or occupy their children, researchers reported recently in the journal Family Relations.

They also are more likely to shrug it off when kids exceed family screen-time limits, rather than enforce the rules, researchers said.

"What stood out was the importance of caregivers' own stress in decisions about how screen media is used by their children," lead researcher Enid Moreira, a doctoral student in psychology at Florida International University, said in a news release.

For the new study, researchers surveyed 822 parents across the United States with kids ages 4 to 8, asking them questions about parenting stress, their children’s behavior and their family rules regarding screens.

Results showed that parents with high stress levels were more likely to resort to screens to distract their child, particularly if the child tended to be disruptive, defiant or aggressive.

Likewise, parents distracted by heavy stress also were less likely to enforce screen time limits, researchers found.

"This is important because it points to the need to support caregivers as much as children,” Moreira said.

Since screens help parents cope with stress, it might be better to help them instead steer their kids to media that is meaningful, engaging and appropriate, researchers said.

"In the same way we think about nutrition, we can think about digital content as something that can be more or less healthy," Moreira said.

The researchers recommend creating a family media plan that considers the “5 Cs of Media Use.” They are:

• Child: Consider your child's age, temperament and individual needs. 

• Content: Choose media that is age-appropriate, engaging and meaningful. 

• Calm: Think about how screens affect your child's ability to regulate emotions and manage stress. 

• Crowding Out: Make sure media use isn't replacing sleep, physical activity, family time or other important experiences. 

• Communication: Talk openly about technology use and online experiences.

Relying on a screen to get through difficult moments is not inherently harmful, researchers said, but parents can make it more positive by picking high-quality content and creating healthy media habits for their children.

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more on creating a family media plan.

SOURCES: Florida International University, news release, Aug. 6, 2026; Family Relations, 2026