We’ve all seen “those” parents—the ones that stroll with their children, talking on their smartphone rather than with their little one—and the parents who answer a call or text in the middle of a conversation with their child—or the parents who play repeated games or read “important” news on their devices rather than opting for a good old-fashioned board game or reading together. Not only have we seen “those” parents, but we have also been those parents.

Distracted parenting is not unique to the digital age. Generations of kids have been raised by “distracted parents”—parents who bring work home, who interrupt the dinner hour to answer the phone, who keep their noses in a book or a newspaper ignoring their child’s recount of the day. The difficulty with social media and interactive technology is that it becomes all-encompassing and habit forming. Whether verbally or non-verbally, distracted parents communicate that the distraction is more important than their child and their needs.

How can parents go from distracted and disconnected to attentive and connected?

Read further in this article from Net Nanny for five parenting tips to help you dial back in.