Smartphones and Tablets: Regulations, Routines, and Habits of Spanish Families

Smartphones and tablets generate familiar challenges to be effectively managed in order to live together properly. The influence of both devices on routines and habits in families is described in this article, analyzing whether there are regulations in place to manage their use and determining the presence of significant differences according to the independent variables analyzed. A cross-sectional quantitative design is developed with a sample of 1,082 subjects from all over Spain. Two measurement scales have been applied relating to routines and habits and to family regulations regarding the use of smartphones and tablets. The results indicate the low impact of devices on intra-family routines and habits, as well as the existence of rules regulating their use in the home, mainly when there are minors and the adults are over 35 years old. It seems that families are aware of the need to regulate the impact of these devices.