The Princess of Wales has committed to making a real difference in the lives of families after her organisation announced plans to support a new study on Sunday.
The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood announced a call for research proposals to tackle ‘technoference’ – the unwanted distractions caused by digital devices that can disrupt parent-child connection.
The Centre will award £100,000 to support the new study, which will explore ways to help families build stronger bonds in early childhood by reducing interference by devices and helping parents to find a healthy tech-life balance.
The successful applicant will work with families across the UK to understand when and why ‘technoference’ occurs, and test practical ways to reduce its impact. The findings will help to shape future resources for practitioners such as health visitors and early years educators.
Last month, The Centre published an essay by the future Queen, titled, The Power of Human Connection in a Distracted World which highlighted the importance of warm, meaningful connections for a happy, healthy life. The essay noted that, while new technology has many benefits, we must also acknowledge that it plays a complex and often troubling role in the current epidemic of disconnection.
© Getty ImagesExecutive Director of The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, Christian Guy, said: “Nurturing relationships between babies, young children, and the adults in their lives is critical to the development of the core social and emotional life skills, which we know are the foundations of a healthy, happy and connected society in the future.
“There have been numerous studies about how digital devices impact relationships, but there is currently a lack of evidence about what is causing people to turn to their digital devices at times when it is interrupting family life and, importantly, how to help people reduce this unwanted interference. The Centre is seeking to address these gaps in research, so we find the solutions to make a real difference to families’ lives.”
© Getty ImagesThe Centre for Early Childhood was established in 2021 and is part of The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, and has since become Kate’s passion project.
The announcement comes following The Centre’s Future Workforce Summit earlier this week, where Kate made her first public speech in two years.
The event, which was hosted in London, has been coined the “first of its kind” and brought together the UK’s most influential business leaders to drive further action and investment in the early years.
During her speech on stage, Kate spoke at length of the importance of love. “My passion and the work of The Centre for Early Childhood stems from one essential truth; that the love we feel in our earliest years fundamentally shapes who we become and how we thrive as adults. Love is the first and most essential bond. But it is also the invisible thread, woven with time, attention and tenderness, through consistent, nurturing relationships, which creates the grounded and meaningful environments around a child,” she said, in part.
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