Screen use while eating

Child screen-time and behaviours is an increasingly important area of research, given

its wide-ranging and growing impact on child well-being and development. Excessive

screen-time at 3 years of age is associated with increased sleeping problems, delayed

motor function milestones and attention deficits, amongst other issues (Hale & Guan,

2015). Simultaneously, screen-time can negatively impact a child’s eating habits and

diet quality: increased TV viewing has been linked with obesity, poorer nutritional

intake, and overeating (Semar & Bakshi, 2022).

One growing area of research in this field is that of screen-time while eating.

Numerous international studies indicate that eating in front of a screen is a prevalent

activity amongst young children; one US study noted that nearly one-third of parents

who provide their 6-month-old with a screen do so during mealtime (Wiltshire et al.,

2021). The figures seem to grow even starker as children get older; a recent Chilean

study reported that over 80% of preschool children viewed a screen while eating a

meal or snack at least once daily (Jensen et al., 2020).

Recent literature has examined the relationship between screen use while eating,

increased media emotion regulation, and young children’s socio-emotional

development. Higher levels of parenting stress, difficulties related to child

temperament, and parental reports of behavioural issues are associated with

increased time spent watching screens while eating (Jusiene et al., 2019). The same

study also notes that the exposure to screens during mealtime in early childhood is

related to an overall increase in screen-time: amongst children aged 2 to 6 years,

screen use during meals was positively related to average daily screen time, exposure

to background TV, and junk food consumption (Jusiene et al., 2019).

Further studies have developed this association between screen use while eating and

overall eating habits or dietary intake. Dubois et al. (2008) analysed data from the

Longitudinal Study of Child Development in Quebec of children at ages 2 to 4 years:

they found that eating meals while watching television predicted an increased

consumption of soft drinks, carbohydrates, fats, and sugar as well as a decrease in

fruit and vegetable consumption. Findings from a study conducted by Liang et al.

(2009) in Canada were similar: meals eaten in front of the television involved a higher

percentage energy intake from sugar, carbohydrates, fat, and snack food than meals

eaten away from the screen.

In Ireland, the HSE recommends that televisions are turned off and phones kept away

when feeding children under the age of 4.19

19https://www2.hse.ie/babies-children/weaning-eating/nutrition-child/healthy-eating/

Recommendation for Cohort 24 at 3 years:

•Whilst general screen-time behaviour is a well-established topic (13 of the comparable studies reviewed in chapter 1 included questions on screen time), only two studies, Growing Up in New Zealand and Growing Up in Quebec, asked a question specifically related to the use of screens and media exposure while eating. The topic could be addressed in Growing Up in Ireland with the addition of a single question, similar to that used in Growing Up in Quebec, In general, how often does your child watch TV shows, videos or movies during meals (not including snacks)? as part of the primary caregiver main questionnaire.

Feeding strategies for picky eaters