Parents may want to limit electronic media at mealtime

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Parents who let their teens use electronic devices or watch TV during family meals tend to serve less nutritious food and have poorer family communication, a new study suggests.

Experts have suggested turning the TV off at mealtime for years. But with the advent of cell phones and other handheld devices, kids can bring all kinds of media with them to the table.

"The findings of this most recent paper showed that mealtime media use is common among families with adolescents but that setting rules around media use at meals may reduce media use among teens and have other positive benefits as well," lead author Jayne A. Fulkerson told Reuters Health in an email.

She said research has shown frequent family meals are tied to higher self-esteem and a better diet among kids.

Given the opportunity, most children will talk about themselves and their lives at mealtime, leading to better family communication, Fulkerson said.

"Perhaps they will have greater feelings of connectedness as well. Mealtimes are a great venue for this. Of course, it is not true for every family, but fits for many," she said.

"There is no magic number of how many (family meals) to have, not all food at meals has to be 100% healthy and having electronic media at meals is not all bad (e.g., an occasional movie night with dinner) if it facilitates family time," she noted. "But, parents can take small steps to have quality time with their children by reducing media use at mealtimes."