Kids Will Absolutely Hate This ‘Pause Feature’ from Comcast

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If you believe that disconnecting from your device during meal-time improves family bonding, then you aren’t alone. 98% of the parents surveyed by Wakefield Research agreed that “disconnecting from devices during mealtime improves family bonding”, but 42% said they couldn’t remember the last time that their family had a device-free meal. That’s messed up.

In order to get a device-free meal, some parents will go to great lengths — like disconnecting their modems — to ensure distraction-free family togetherness. But shamefully, 52% of the parents surveyed admitted that they have been asked by their children to put away their devices. That’s nevvvvver happened to me. 😛

I’ll admit that getting everyone off their phones during mealtime has been a struggle at my house. Whether it’s me checking the latest ping from a news source, my youngest step-daughter checking for a text from her boyfriend, or my husband checking his Instagram feed for new likes, we’ve all been guilty of it at one time or another. It’s to the point now that a completely device-free meal is non-typical, rather than the norm, and that’s … not so good.

As parents, we need to set the example, but that’s usually the last thing on our minds when it’s so tempting to see what set off the latest smartphone alarm; we can’t help but check our screens like Pavlov’s slobbering dogs.

If you are a Comcast/Xfinity customer, then you might be interested to hear about Xfinity xFi, which gives users a way to personalize, monitor, and control their home WiFi systems. Xfinity xFi makes it possible to instantly pause WiFi connectivity by user or device.

Xfinity xFi features include:

Timed Pause: with xFi, parents can pause devices for a set amount of time – 30 minutes, one hour, or two hours

Safer Searching: xFi includes simple parental controls that include search settings for Google, Bing, and YouTube

Notification Center: xFi customers get real-time notifications about activity on their Wi-Fi network so when their children have friends over and a new tablet or phone logs, the parent receives a text message and can decide whether to allow connectivity and even set parental controls remotely

You can control your whole xFi experience through the Xfinity iOS or Android app, through their website, or on your TV with the xFi voice remote.

It’s sad that we need to go to such lengths to ensure device-free meals now, but for many of us — this is what it’s come to.

If you are one of the more than 10 million Xfinity Internet customers with a compatible Xfinity Wi-Fi device, you can take advantage of this xFi service for no extra cost.

Learn more about Xfinity xFi here.

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She started in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie is best known for her device-agnostic approach, deep-dive reviews, and enjoyment of exploring the latest tech, gadgets, and gear.