Kate’s Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood wants researchers to submit proposals to combat what has been called “technoference” that can disrupt parent-child relationships. They added: “While new technology has many benefits, we must also acknowledge that it plays a complex and often troubling role in this epidemic of disconnection. “While digital devices promise to keep us connected, they frequently do the opposite. “We sit together in the same room while our minds are scattered across dozens of apps, notifications, and feeds. “We’re physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us.”