More than eight in 10 of parents are satisfied with their relationship with their children, a poll by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) has found.

In the survey of 2,005 Singaporeans conducted late last year, 86 per cent of 633 respondents who have children, aged seven to 18 years old, said they were satisfied with their relationship with their children. Almost the same number (85 per cent) said they were satisfied with the state of their family life.

This is the first time a survey has been done to examine the state of family life in Singapore. Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Low Yen Ling said on Sunday that she is "heartened" by the findings as parenting as become more complex these days. But as technology becomes more prevalent, she cautioned parents against using gadgets as a convenient form of babysitting their children.

"These days, it is common to see a family having dinner together, yet everyone is occupied with their electronic gadgets and hardly interacting with one another. This can be worrisome," added Ms Low, who was speaking at the closing session of the Singapore Parenting Congress, held at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The event, now into its tenth year, comprises seminars by local and international parenting experts. It aims to equip parents with better parenting skills, such as how to connect with their teenagers who are growing up in a digital age.

Yet conflicts within the family are inevitable. To better support these families when such conflicts arise, MSF also launched an online tool that aims to help them understand their parenting styles and offers them constructive ways of managing disputes.

About 3,000 parents attended the two-day event, which started Saturday.