Gareth O'Callaghan: Parental neglect and the loss of our children to the sewer of social media

'We're reaching the point where a small child will show more affection for a smartphone than they will have for their parents. Smartphones have already replaced dolls and teddy bears, domestic pets, and real-time friendships.'

When I was a small boy, I spent my breakfast time every morning before school studying the back of the cornflakes box, a hypnotic cardboard scene filled with colourful cartoon figures. It was daydreaming in the most harmless way. It was what four-year-olds did back then.

Fast-forwarding to today and you're likely to find four-year-old children sitting at the kitchen table staring at their mobile phones or iPads before they go to creche or junior infants.