THE vast majority of British children are being distracted by technology during family meals.
Almost nine out of 10 children aged six to 10 (87.5 per cent) use TV, iPads, mobile phones, computers, video games and radios while having dinner, the study found.
Over a third (37 per cent) admitted to watching TV programmes during meal times and only seven per cent said that they had dinner without any distractions.
The survey of 1000 UK children for the Table Table brand of pub restaurants found that more than one in 10 children (12 per cent) do not eat dinner with their parents and more than half (51 per cent) stated that they would like to spend more time with their parents.
Jennifer Kilham, marketing manager at Table Table, said: “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.”
The research also found that British children share little time during meals with their family, with more than a quarter (28 per cent) spending less than 15 minutes eating their dinner.
And one in three (30 per cent) admitted that they had dinner in the living room rather than at the dinner table.