Like their kids, parents now have hard time unplugging

Many schools have given up on separating students from their cellphones, in large part because parents want their kids plugged in and accessible and don’t support bans.

A new study on parental time devoted to screen time explains why. American parents are spending large segments of their own days in front of screens, according to a new survey by Common Sense Media.

Parents spend more than nine hours a day watching television, movies, and videos, playing video games, listening to music, using social media, reading either print or electronic books, and using digital devices for other purposes, such as browsing websites and playing games. The data in "The Common Sense Census: Plugged-In Parents of Tweens and Teens" won't surprise anyone who's attended an event at their local middle or high school. You can see the bright screens of parent smartphones at concerts, football games and plays.