5 Tips To Keep Kids Away From Cell Phone Use During Meals

Reema Shah

Author | 740 Articles

Sitting down at the dinner table lets families spend quality time with one another while enjoying meaningful conversations and practising healthy eating habits. However, according to a study, 47% of parents reported they or another family member used a phone at the dinner table. The use of cell phones during meals can distract family members from engaging in conversations and interaction with others. Plus, it can also affect healthy eating habits.

Here are five ways to manage the use of mobile phones in children while eating. While you’re on this, do keep a pack of wet wipes handy for younger kids who tend to be messy eaters.

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5 Ways Kids Don’t Use The Phone While Eating

1. Start a Conversation

Improve your child’s social and emotional development by engaging in a conversation. You can ask how an event during the day made him/her feel. Find out what’s going on with your child’s school and social life. You can also help develop your child’s conversational skills and encourage self-expression. To do this, you may introduce a word of the day and talk about what it means.

2. Eat Meals as a Family

Keep aside your smartphone, tablet and laptop. Don’t bring them to the table. Show your child that family time is important by practising this as much as you can.

cell phone use during meals and don’t use the phone while eating — *To manage the use of cell phone use during meals, parents need to avoid using them first while having meals / Image credit – Canva*

3. Set an Example

Many parents spend a lot of time on their smartphones. Hence, in such cases, telling children to not use their mobile may not help. After all, children are bound to follow in their parent’s footsteps. The idea is to be a good role model for your child by limiting your mobile phone usage. However, in case your profession demands high mobile usage, explain it to your child.

4. Make it a Chore Game

You can set the rule that whoever is first to look at their device during meals has an extra chore. It can be washing the dishes or cleaning the table.

don’t use the phone while eating and cell phone use during meals — *Don’t use the phone while eating even when your child is very young so they don’t develop this habit from early childhood / Image credit – Canva*

5. Involve Them in Cooking

Involve your family and children (if they are old enough) in cooking dinner. You can ask them to set the table and clean up. In case your child is too young, just ask them to pass on small items that are not sharp. The more involved and engaged your children are, the less likely they will want to use technology during mealtime.

While a smartphone is a gadget of convenience, you and your child need to regulate your gadget usage to build a bond. Try out these tips to manage cell phone use during meals for your children. Just keep the gadgets aside and spend some quality family time.

Cover image credit – Canva