As modem life is constantly changing it is said that family communication is breaking down. I agree that communication between family members has decreased because the role of technology and the internet has increased dramatically and there has been a large shift in socio-demographics over the last fifty years.
A good reason to hold this view is that modem communication technologies and inventions such as the internet, mobiles and personal computing have fundamentally altered the family. It is now common for adolescents to spend more time engaged in social media and the internet than actually communicating with their family members. The average teen in the west now spends over forty hours a week on the internet, it is doubtful they spend the same amount talking with their family.
Another point to consider is that Demographic changes over the last half-century such as more housewives entering the workplace is another example of reduced family ties. In my city, it is commonplace for the mother to pursue a career and pay for a childminder. This modem and increasing trend, especially in the western world, has almost become the norm. Compared to a traditional model of sixty years ago this relatively new concept is another example of the reduced time spent on communication within a family.
To conclude both technological and demographic factors have and will continue to erode family communication. These two facets are the main culprits for the reduction of time spent conversing between family members, and the trend will most likely continue as more societies move towards a western economic model.