3 hours ago
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A quarter of British families no longer talk at dinner, with most bringing their phones to the table and 42% of parents saying they struggle to find a topic of conversation, a survey of 2,000 households shows.
It found that just one in three families sit down to eat together every day and conversations are increasingly being replaced by scrolling and screens.
Two-thirds (66%) of children aged eight to 16 said they would rather eat in front of a TV or computer than with a parent, and 51% said they actively used their devices while eating.
However, it is not just young people who are increasingly being drawn towards their screens – 39% of children said they had to ask their parents to put down their phones at the table.
Commissioned by The Week Junior, a weekly news magazine for children, the research found that a reluctance to discuss current events was part of the reason why dinner-table conversation had fizzled out.
More than 70% of parents said they struggled to discuss the news with their children and 42% found it difficult to come up with a topic of conversation altogether.
In its latest edition, the magazine published a set of conversation cues for parents and children, such as: “If you were in charge of the country, what would you do?” and: “What’s one thing you would like to know more about?”
Vanessa Harriss, editor of The Week Junior, said: “In our fast-paced daily lives, being able to spend time together as a family can be a challenge and the digital distractions are ever more insistent.
“Whether it’s chatting about everyday things or discussing what’s going on in the news, family conversations boost children’s development and their wellbeing.”
The research found that despite worrying signs dinner-time conversation was dying out, children and parents were keen to bring it back. Of the children surveyed, 82% said they wanted dinner to be a special time set aside exclusively for conversation with their parents.
The majority said they enjoyed discussing a range of topics, from global affairs to playground drama, and 83% said they preferred having these conversations with their parents face to face at the table, rather than over the phone.
Of the parents, 93% said they would more consistently enforce dinner table rules if it helped their children’s development and 94% said they learned something from their children in two-way discussions.
Dr Elizabeth Kilbey, an author and child psychologist, said: “These simple, daily interactions can make a significant impact, not just in strengthening family ties but in cultivating a generation equipped to lead empathetically and thoughtfully.”
This year’s World Happiness Report examined the link between eating together and wellbeing for the first time. It found that dining alone was becoming more prevalent, especially among young people, but those who shared more meals with others reported significantly higher levels of life satisfaction and social support.
