• Ars Technica, Tuesday, October 21, 2008 11:30 AM

You may think cell phones and iPods are pulling your family apart -- not a hard conclusion to reach when your children refuse to put down either long enough to hold a conversation with you -- but a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project suggests that such devices may actually help bring the American nuclear family closer together.

Pew, which surveyed 2,252 adults in the U.S. between December and January of this year, found that "couples use their phones to connect and coordinate their lives, especially if they have children at home." Spouses, parents, and kids all manage to stay connected by cell phones and the Web during the day when they are separated, and are more likely to share moments with other family members online.

Which is not to say you should stop complaining about the cell phone entirely. The study found that some aspects of traditional family life are suffering because of technology, such as meal times and levels of satisfaction with leisure time together.

Read the whole story at Ars Technica »