Smartphones are everywhere these days, and it seems that every child over the age of 7 or 8 has one in their hands at all times, and parents are taking drastic measures to get their children to put them down. How much screen time is too much screen time has long been debated among healthcare professionals and parents, but a new study is now showing that parents have resorted to paying their children to put their phones down and spend more time doing homework.

A study by Halifax, which polled 500 parents of children between the ages of 8 and 15, found that almost a quarter of the respondents had paid their children some form of an allowance to put their phones, laptops, and tablets down, according to Yahoo! Finance. Kids aren't just earning some pocket money for putting their phones down either. The study also found that approximately 20% of parents are offering cash incentives for them to go to bed, something that most adults would do for free in a heartbeat. Around 15% of parents are also giving rewarding their kids with pocket money for simply doing their homework.

Giving your child an allowance in exchange for them doing chores around the house is nothing new, and the study found that 60% of parents are still paying their children for doing things like cleaning their rooms, and emptying the dishwasher despite 53% of parents thinking that these are things kids should be doing regardless of whether they are receiving an allowance. Thirty percent of the parents surveyed did state that if their child didn't perform their chores properly, they wouldn't receive their allowance.

Almost all parents surveyed, 93% in total, agreed that they encourage their children to save the money they've earned although half do let their kids use their money to buy streaming services, apps, and online games.

"The summer holidays represent a great opportunity for parents to spend time with their children, get out and about as well as giving a life lesson on the value of money and earning their own cash," Giles Martin, Head of Savings at Halifax said. "With over 70% of children still using a piggy bank to save their pennies, the summer months can be great for kids to see how much they can earn or save by the time they go back to school – and it’s interesting to see so many parents try to incentivize good behavior with pocket money too."

Do you pay your child an allowance?

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