Parents Are on Devices During Family Meals Even More than Their Kids, Study Says
Researchers said smartphone use often replaced conversation during family meals, and nearly 70% of children ages 4 to 10 also used media.
- A study published Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found that media consumption is common during family meals, with more than 75% of over 350 parents and nearly 70% of children ages 4 to 10 reporting device use.
- Co-Author Cecilia Sada Garibay noted a shift where shared family media experiences are being replaced by individual device use, meaning family members sit together but engage in completely different activities.
- Sada Garibay, a professor at the Universidad Panamericana, emphasized that constant device checking at the table can negatively affect parent-child relationships and valuable daily bonding moments.
- Dr. Margie Skeer, a public health professor at the Tufts University School of Medicine, suggests families can prioritize connection by designating even one undistracted meal a week or adopting an "if you can't beat them, join them" mindset.
- Shared mealtimes serve as vital rituals creating predictability and identity, according to Anne Fishel, director of the Family Dinner Project, who noted that families need not view the practice as "all or nothing.
19 Articles
19 Articles
When Family Dinner Survives Only on Shabbos
New York (VINNEWS/Rabbi Yair Hoffman) A survey of more than 350 families, published this week in JAMA Pediatrics, found that Roughly 70 percent of children are looking at a screen during dinner, and the figure for their parents is even higher. Over 75 percent of parents used media — most often a smartphone — during […]
Parents are on devices during family meals even more than their kids, study says
Once the school pick-up routine begins in the afternoon, it can feel like mental arithmetic getting everyone to the right place at the right time: One child has math tutoring from 2 to 4 p.m., and then its straight to soccer practice from 4:30 to 7. The other has dance class from 5 to 8 p.m., and then the whole family isnt home until after 9 p.m. And then somewhere in there, you were supposed to eat Taco Tuesday leftovers together as a family.Wh…
Parents are on devices during meals even more than their kids. Here’s how to rethink family dinner
Once the school pick-up routine begins in the afternoon, it can feel like mental arithmetic getting everyone to the right place at the right time: One child has math tutoring from 2 to 4 p.m., and then it’s straight to soccer practice from 4:30 to 7. The other has dance class from 5 to 8 p.m., and then the whole family isn’t home until after 9 p.m. And then somewhere in there, you were supposed to eat Taco Tuesday leftovers together as a family.
Parents are on Devices During Meals More Than Kids
Experts say families that share meals enjoy an abundance of benefits, such as improved emotional satisfaction and healthier diets. However, a new study finds parents are on their devices during meals even more than their kids. The survey of more than 350 parents found that more than three-quarters of them reported media use during their last family meal, mainly smartphone use. Experts say making the time for even one dedicated family meal a week…
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