Nearly nine out of ten children use technology at the same time as having their dinner, with a third of UK children admitting they watch TV during meal times, according to new research into children's eating habits released by Table Table.
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The study looked into children's distraction levels, which found that the majority of children cite TV, iPads, mobile phones, computers, video games and radios as technology they regularly use at the dinner table. Just seven percent of youngsters eat their dinner without any other distractions whatsoever. Furthermore, research revealed that mealtimes no longer typically take place in the dining room with almost one in three kids admitting to having their dinner in the living room, amongst distractions such as the TV or computer.
Of the 1,000 6-10 year olds surveyed on a variety of eating habit questions, it was found that more than one in ten children do not eat dinner with their parents, with over half of British kids stating that they would like to spend more time with their parents.
Research also showed that leisurely mealtimes is a habit best left to our European neighbours, with more than a quarter of youngsters spending less than 15 minutes eating their evening meal, illustrating that there is no real time devoted to dinner in the UK.
The research has been commissioned to launch the nationwide search for Table Table's 'Family Tasting Teams', supported by this year's celebrity TV personality and mum, Jenni Falconer, and is designed to celebrate family mealtimes and encourage families to be excited by dining occasions. Following last year's successful search, in which over 1,000 families applied to take part, both Jenni and Table Table are looking for ten families to take part in becoming one of the restaurant's 'Family Tasting Teams', where they'll sample the restaurants variety of food, review new menus, receive insight from top chefs and win a year's worth of free meals.
Jenni Falconer commented: 'I was amazed by the results from Table Table's research – mealtimes are an integral part of family life and it's surprising to see how many children are distracted during dinner and not having a proper family experience. We're all guilty of leading busy lives and not always having the time to come together, which is why Table Table's 'Family Tasting Teams' campaign looks to remind people why meal times offer such a great opportunity to bring everybody back together around the dinner table and I am excited to be involved in the search.'
Jennifer Kilham, Marketing Manager at Table Table added, 'Our findings revealed that not only are children distracted by other activities at meal times, but also that there is a real desire from them to spend more time with their parents and have the opportunity to talk through their day.
'At Table Table, we understand that today's hectic lifestyle means that it isn't always possible to get everyone together all of the time. However, we want to encourage parents to spend less time serving up square eyes with their square meal, and instead spend more time eating together as a family. From the success of 'Family Tasting Teams' last year, we hope to further build on what we achieved and encourage even more families to get involved with the campaign, by giving them the opportunity to eat, learn and have fun together at Table Table.'
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