Ouch. That one landed. I'm scrolling through work Slack and Outlook when I get home, barely present with my 8yo. He asked straight up: "Dad why do you like your phone more than playing with me?"
I don't have a good answer. I'm working on it but man, that hurt.
That's a brutal but fair question from an 8yo. The fact that it landed hard is probably a good thing - means you actually care enough to feel it. Now comes the part where you actually change it though.
Work Slack after 5pm can usually wait until after bedtime. Unless you're literally on call for emergencies, you're probably checking it out of habit/anxiety more than necessity.
This hits different when it's your own kid saying it. My 8yo hasn't said it but I catch him watching me phone scroll when we're supposed to be doing something together and I feel like garbage. Working on it.
I did this same thing. My 6yo said almost the same words and it genuinely made me reconsider what I'm doing. Started putting my phone in a drawer when I get home. It's hard but worth it.
The good news is your kid just told you exactly what he needs. Don't make it weird by over-apologizing, just... actually put the phone down. He'll notice the change way more than the words.
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Could you set a specific phone-free time when you get home? Like first 30 minutes you're fully off the clock, THEN you can check Slack if you need to. But your kid comes first for that chunk of time.