Princess Kate warns parents about phone use impact on children’s emotional development
Photo: Getty
Princess Kate has issued what she describes as one of her most important warnings to parents—urging them to put down their phones and focus on building meaningful emotional connections with their children.
Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales has written an essay titled 'The Power of Human Connection in a Distracted World'. In collaboration with @robertwaldinger. https://t.co/D2eidvCdxu pic.twitter.com/uHKaMRzkVb
In an essay co-authored with Professor Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, the Princess of Wales emphasized that strong human relationships are the most reliable predictors of long-term health and happiness. The 87-year-old Harvard study has tracked generations of participants to determine what factors most influence mental and physical well-being.
“The best predictor of who would live a happy, healthy life wasn’t blood pressure or cholesterol,” Kate and Waldinger wrote. “It was the quality of their connections with other people.” They added that people with warmer, more meaningful relationships tend to be healthier and happier throughout their lives.
The essay warns that modern digital technology is undermining these vital human bonds. “While new technology has many benefits, we must acknowledge that it plays a complex and often troubling role in this epidemic of disconnection,” the pair stated. They pointed out that young people aged 16 to 24—those expected to be forming lasting relationships—are now reporting the highest levels of loneliness.
Princess Kate’s message is part of her long-term early years initiative through the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which focuses on supporting children’s development during the preschool years. She emphasized that emotional growth begins from birth, with parents serving as models for healthy relationship habits.
“The evidence is clear,” Kate and Waldinger concluded. “If you could invest in just one thing to help you and your family thrive, invest in the relationships you have with each other.”