Mums are spending more than 12 hours every day on mobile devices

Well, this is disconcerting. A poll of 2,000 parents has revealed that today's mums spend more time taking photos and videos of their children to share on social media, than they do parenting them.

Worrying new research has revealed that almost a quarter (23 percent) of mums spend more than 12 hours every day on devices such as mobile phones, laptops and tablets. One in ten mums (12 percent) polled admitted to spending 9-12 hours a day on devices, which means over a third (35 percent) of mothers spend at least nine hours a day on their gadgets. Half of these (54 percent) reported that most of their time was spent on social media platforms, and one third (33 percent) said they were taking photos and videos of their children to share on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The poll of 2,000 mums, with children aged between 0-16, was commissioned by Row.co.uk, a mobile phone and tech insurance company. The results show that mums in England are in fact the worst culprits for spending time on gadgets and social media sharing. Twenty-four percent confirmed they spend over 12 hours a day on their phones - 55 percent said they spend the time browsing social media sites, and 34 percent said they capture their kids’ moments to share online. In comparison: Irish mums fared only slightly better, with 17 percent spending over 12 hours a day on mobile devices, 63 percent on social media and 38 percent taking pictures and videos of their kids to share online. Despite the stats clearly showing that many mums are spending more time behind the lens taking pictures of their children instead of playing with them, a whopping 62 percent of mums were very quick to say 'no' when asked if they spent more time on devices than they do with their children. However, almost a third (29 percent) said they were unsure, suggesting mums are not ready to fess up to their socia-media-mama habits. A quarter of mums (22 percent) confirmed to feeling guilty when on their phones and not playing with the kids, but they also said they felt they deserved some 'me' time. Six  percent of mums said they felt 'in company' when on gadgets as being at home with children can be lonely. So, when exactly do busy mums find time to take and share pictures of their family online?

• 30 percent said they use their mobile phone when they wake up in the night
• 20 percent said they use their gadgets as soon as they wake up in the morning
• 7 percent are on gadgets during breakfast and lunch time
• 5 percent even admitted to using gadgets during family bath times

But what are the kids doing while mum is on her phone or tablet? Well, it seems today's mamas may be teaching her children bad habits as 21 percent of mothers said their children would be playing games on their own gadgets. It also confirms the rise in play-centre playdates whereby mums can kick back and let their kids run wild, as 16 percent said they indulge in their social media pastime in such places. Other mums said their children would be watching television (19 percent), playing outside (19 percent) or eating a meal (8 percent). Sophie Tait, a trainee nurse and mother of two to Ella-Boo (11) and Logan (2), says she understands the social media pressure that mums are under:

"As a mum I understand the social pressures to show friends online that you’re getting on great with your mummy adventures with fun days out and holidays. Even though, behind closed doors, most of us are probably having a tough day dealing with tantrums and household chores while juggling work at the same time. We certainly do need to get our priorities right and perhaps even start taking parenting advice from our own parents when mobiles phones and tablets weren’t around to distract!"

When the 2,000 polled mums were asked to choose one thing their child loves spending time doing, the top five answers were:

1. Playing outside (39 percent)
2. Playing with their parents (19 percent)
3. Watching a film, television, or using a mobile device (18 percent)
4. Arts and crafts (17 percent)
5. Playing with toys inside the house (8 percent)

Sophie reckons mums need to live a life less filtered:

"The fact that a fifth of parents recognise their children love playing with them means we do know deep down that we need to spend more time with them. It is hard being a mum juggling all of the jobs and commitments we have, but perhaps we all need to make a pact to stop posting so many pictures of our children with glorified filters. If we see less of them, maybe we’ll be less likely to feel pressurised to add our own."