Consumer electronics are increasingly dominating family life and parents are finding it impossible to function without any electronic gadgets, according to a survey conducted by media accessories vendor Memorex.

Nearly 35 percent of parents responding to the survey said their families “could not function” without electronics and only 10 percent of them said electronics “are a necessary evil” or “create an unwanted barrier between family members.”

The survey was conducted online and collected responses from more than 1,000 parents across the United States.

There was a dramatic growth in popularity for consumer electronics when compared to the outcome of last year’s WeTime Parent Survey, wherein a few number of respondents had spoken in favor of electric gadgets.

For more than 51 percent of respondents from WeTime, getting together with family to enjoy each other's company, whether planned or spontaneous, happens at least every few days.

Of the most popular WeTime activities for families, three out of the top five involve consumer electronics.

“Our survey shows parents – particularly the younger generation – have embraced consumer electronics and created a complimentary role for the products in their family's life,” Jess Walton, Memorex global brand director of Imation Corp. (News - Alert), said. “The concept of 'WeTime' hasn't changed, but the tools families use to bring WeTime to life have evolved.”

Video gaming has been found to be a favorite activity among both parents and children, with a majority of children and parents playing some type of video game every few days.

In fact, video game accessories are the only consumer electronics children use more often than their parents.

 “We've seen a rapid shift in family attitudes toward consumer electronics in the past year, since we first conducted the WeTime survey,” Walton said. “Fortunately, it's a positive shift that involves families embracing new technology in order to spend more quality time together.”

The top 5 WeTime activities for families are:

•  Watching television or movies (86 percent)
• Cooking, baking or grilling (49 percent)
• Playing video games (42 percent)
• Reading or listening to books (41 percent)
• Listening, singing or dancing to music (39 percent)