Couple Friday afternoon summer getaway days with a long weekend like the Fourth of July and what do you get? Maybe not as much as you think.

A recent article in The New York Times pictured a family of four seated on their living room couch. Each has a laptop or mobile electronic device. They all looked at the camera for the shot, but the accompanying story demonstrates that they—and many other Americans—are kidding themselves: physical proximity isn’t the same as spending time together.