By Racheal Amuge,
KAMPALA
Parents have been urged to take greater responsibility in rebuilding families and prioritizing their children’s well-being amidst rising mental health challenges and the growing impact of technology on parenting.
Speaking at a parenting symposium held at Kampala Parents School on Saturday, Arinaitwe Rugyendo, founder of Young Engineers Uganda, revealed that 14 million Ugandans out of the country’s estimated 48 million people are living with mental health conditions. Rugyendo noted that many children today are not born out of love, but rather out of societal pressures and circumstances.
“Families are breaking down, and children are the biggest victims,” he said. “Many parents are too busy for their children, and the family structure is no longer a safe space.”
Reverend Nathan Mugalu Balirwana, a national consultant on adolescent issues, echoed these concerns, warning that technology is silently displacing parental presence in homes.
“Parents today are more immersed in technology than in their children’s lives. As a result, many children are growing up neglected,” he said. “Some children don’t even know who their fathers are. We must become more mindful about how we use social media and how it affects family connections.”
Reverend Mugalu added that many parents are still fighting battles from their own pasts and, in the process, are leaving their children emotionally abandoned.
The symposium emphasized the need for deliberate parenting, where families become intentional about creating safe, loving environments for children to thrive both emotionally and mentally.
