What is a family? The meaning of family has changed throughout history. It means something different to many people. According to the U.S. Census Bureau: “A family includes a householder and one or more people living in the same household who are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. All people in a household who are related to the householder are regarded as members of his or her family. A family household may contain people not related to the householder, but those people are not included as part of the householder’s family. Thus, the number of family households is equal to the number of families, but family households may include more members than do families. Not all households contain families since a household may comprise a group of unrelated people or one person living alone” (Bronson). Society has undergone dramatic social, demographic, and economic changes in this century that have deeply affected youth and their families. Years ago, families went out together, ate all of their meals together, and generally bonded through most everything that they did. Families are supposed to be a source of love, protection, and identity for their members. They are supposed to be the backbone of communities. Today, the role of family is much less meaningful. Families spend little time together, family dinners are rare, and the bonding ways of families in the past seem almost nonexistent. What used to be healthy family life has practically been eroded down to nothing. The role of family is deteriorating over time. There are many possible causes of this. I believe that a few of these causes have contributed to this deterioration more so than others.
New advancements in technology are certainly causing changes family life. New advancements in technology, such as the iPad and cell phone, are putting a hold on the bonding time that families used to have. Studies show that in 2012, there was 5.9 billion mobile