Increased Internet usage, especially activity on social-networking sites, has likely bred decreased family unity, according to a new poll.
The report from The Annenberg Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California reported that 28 percent of Americans said they spent less time with their families last year than in the year prior. More startlingly, the percentage of people making that admission has nearly tripled over the past two years.
Much of the recent decline in family togetherness, the poll indicates, may come from increased Internet use, particularly the rise in popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Michael Gilbert, senior fellow at The Annenberg Center, called the trend "unhealthy."
"The notion of a family sitting around having dinner together," he noted, "seems to be a tradition that's eroding in America."
Experts say families have to be intentional about making time to get together or risk being less cohesive.
-- Nima Reza
