Dinnertime conversation has become little more than “passing the screens”, with half of British children playing with phones and tablets at the table, a report has found.
Nearly two-fifths of parents surveyed said they had difficulty interacting with their children during meals, and three in ten said they rarely talked as a family while eating.
The report by pub chain Hungry Horse found that the average UK family eats together just three times a week, while 7 per cent never sit down at the same table.
Only 19 percent of the 2,000 parents surveyed ate dinner together every day.
“While technology has revolutionised communication in some ways, it has made us lazier when it comes to face-to-face conversations,” says family psychologist Emma Kenny.
Dinnertime conversation has become little more than ‘passing the screens’, with half of British children playing with phones and tablets at the table, according to a report (file image)
Nearly two-fifths of parents surveyed said they struggled to interact with their children at mealtimes, and three in ten said they rarely talked as a family while eating (file image)
The report by pub chain Hungry Horse found that the average UK family eats together just three times a week, while 7 per cent never sit down at the same table. Only 19 per cent of the 2,000 parents surveyed dined together every day (file image)
“While technology has revolutionised communication in some ways, it has made us lazier when it comes to face-to-face conversations,” says family psychologist Emma Kenny (file image)
‘The risk of allowing this is that our children will lose important social and emotional skills.
‘That’s why it’s important for families to get together at dinner time and talk, helping our little ones develop the skills they need in life.’
Ms. Kenny recommends using open-ended questions to get kids talking. For example, instead of asking if they had a good day, she suggests parents ask, “What was the best part of your day?”
She also says parents should give children time to express their feelings and ban technology.
This came as Hungry Horse rolled out ‘table talk’ activity sheets across its pubs to encourage families to interact.
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