According to a report, the dinnertime conversation has now become little more than ‘pass the screens’, with half of British children playing on phones and tablets at the dinner table.
Nearly two-fifths of parents surveyed said they struggled to connect with their child during mealtimes, and three in ten said they rarely spoke to each other during meals.
A report from pub chain Hungry Horse found that the average family in the UK only eats together three times a week, with 7 percent never sitting down to eat at the same time.
Only 19 percent of the 2,000 parents surveyed ate together every day.
“Technology has revolutionised communication in some ways, but it has also made us lazier when it comes to face-to-face conversations,” says family psychologist Emma Kenny.
According to a report (stock image), dinnertime conversation has become little more than ‘pass the screens’, with half of British children playing on phones and tablets at the dinner table
Nearly two-fifths of parents surveyed said they struggled to connect with their child during mealtimes, and three in 10 said they rarely spoke to the family during meals (file image)
The report from pub chain Hungry Horse found that the average family in the UK only eats together three times a week, with 7 per cent never sitting down to eat at the same time. Only 19 per cent of the 2,000 parents surveyed ate together every day (file image)
“While technology has revolutionized communication in some ways, it has also made us lazier when it comes to face-to-face conversations,” says family psychologist Emma Kenny (file)
‘The risk if we allow this is that our children will lose important social and emotional skills.
‘That’s why it’s important for families to come together and talk to each other over dinner. That’s how we help our little ones develop the skills they need for life.’
Ms Kenny advises using open-ended questions to get children talking. For example, instead of asking if a child had a good day, she suggests parents ask, “What was the best part of your day?”
She also says parents should give their children time to express their feelings and keep technology off the table.
This happened when Hungry Horse rolled out themed table conversation activity sheets across all its pubs to encourage families to communicate with each other.