Mobile phones and tablet computers are becoming dangerous distractions for parents who are supposed to be supervising their children , researchers claim . A study found youngsters were more likely to engage in risky behaviour when those looking after them were distracted – with texting or talking on the phone a common cause . Researchers observed randomly selected parents with children who looked between 18 months and five years old at playgrounds in New York . Children are more likely to engage in risky behaviour when those looking after them are distracted by texting or talking on the phone , the study showed ( file picture ) They measured factors such as the adult ’ s level of engagement with the child and how distracted they seemed . The researchers also observed how often the child took risks such as jumping off moving swings or going down a slide head-first . Children whose carers were distracted were ‘ significantly ’ more likely to behave in this way . The researchers also observed how often the child took risks such as jumping off moving swings or going down a slide head-first and found children whose carers were distracted were ‘ significantly ’ more likely to behave in this way . Electronic devices such as mobile phones were responsible for 30 per cent of all parental distractions . Three children fell while the researchers were observing them although none was seriously hurt . Study author Ruth Milanaik , of Cohen Children ’ s Medical Centre in New York , called on gadget-obsessed parents to keep a closer eye on their offspring , saying : ‘ Increased awareness of limiting electronic distractions and other activities that interfere with supervision should be considered. ’ A neuroscientist claims that modern technology such as computer tablets and mobile phones could be changing the way our brains work . Professor Susan Greenfield warned that unless people wake up to the damage that the gadget-filled , pharmaceutically-enhanced 21st century may be doing to our brains , we could be sleepwalking towards a future in which neuro-chip technology blurs the line between living and non-living machines , and between our bodies and the outside world . Electronic devices such as mobile phones and computer tablets could be anging the way our brains work , according to a neuroscientist . She said : 'One vital fact I have learnt is that the brain is not the unchanging organ that we might imagine . 'It not only goes on developing , changing and , in some tragic cases , eventually deteriorating with age , it is also substantially shaped by what we do to it and by the experience of daily life . When I say `` shaped '' , I 'm not talking figuratively or metaphorically ; I 'm talking literally . At a microcellular level , the infinitely complex network of nerve cells that make up the constituent parts of the brain actually change in response to certain experiences and stimuli . ' The brain , in other words , is malleable - not just in early childhood but right up to early adulthood , and , in certain instances , beyond . The surrounding environment has a huge impact both on the way our brains develop and how that brain is transformed into a unique human mind . Of course , there 's nothing new about that : human brains have been changing , adapting and developing in response to outside stimuli for centuries . But in the last century , development of new technologies has increased dramatically . 'This will affect our brains over the next 100 years in ways we might never have imagined , ' she said . 'Our brains are under the influence of an ever- expanding world of new technology : multichannel television , video games , MP3 players , the internet , wireless networks , Bluetooth links - the list goes on and on . 'This games-driven generation interpret the world through screen-shaped eyes . It 's almost as if something has n't really happened until it 's been posted on Facebook , Bebo or YouTube . 'We could be raising a hedonistic generation who live only in the thrill of the computer-generated moment , and are in distinct danger of detaching themselves from what the rest of us would consider the real world . ' 'Electronic devices and pharmaceutical drugs all have an impact on the micro- cellular structure and complex biochemistry of our brains . And that , in turn , affects our personality , our behaviour and our characteristics . In short , the modern world could well be altering our human identity . '
Researchers observed random interactions with children at playground playgrounds . Phones and slides were a dangerous distraction for parents , they argued . Kids with distracted carers were more likely to engage in risky behaviour . This included bouncing off moving objects or going face - first down slides .