Can We Recapture the Iconic Kitchen Table Scenes of the Past?
When we think of our favorite moments from past movies and TV shows, many of them happened at a table over food. Remember the endearing scene in While You Were Sleeping when Sandra Bullock has dinner with her pretend fiancé’s family for the first time? What about all the hilarious moments during the Grizwald family Christmas Eve dinner?
Many of the Tanner family conflicts were resolved at the dinner table in Full House. And how can we forget the late-night chats on the Golden Girls? In the words of Dorothy, “Do you know how many problems we have solved over a cheesecake at this kitchen table?”
Would those scenes even be possible today in our technology-crazed culture? Now, when people can’t sleep, they watch YouTube clips or scroll through social media rather than having meaningful chats in the kitchen. How many potentially iconic conversations will never happen at the dinner table because everyone is on their phone?
We took a poll asking people, “Do you allow phones at the dinner table, and here’s what we found out.
The Findings of Our Poll
Of the 1,000+ participants, 85% said they did not allow phones at the dinner table. We were surprised by how high that percentage was. Are you? What is the rule at your dinner table?
Why It’s Good to Ban Phones at the Dinner Table
Research shows that one of the most critical factors in the language development of young children is having continual back-and-forth social conversations and human-to-human interaction. When parents disengage and look at their phones, it disrupts the child’s progress and growth.
Experts have even coined a term for how technology is interfering with the language-rich social interactions that children need. “Technoference” is technology-based interference in the interactions children need to develop their language skills and understanding.
Studies have shown that children who have many conversations at home are more likely to perform well in school and to have greater confidence in their language skills. Kids who eat dinner with their parents or guardians five days a week or more are less likely to use drugs and more likely to make healthier food choices. It also improves mental health, academic performance, and decreases the risk of having conditions such as depression and eating disorders.
But are there also benefits for adults when we ban phones at the dinner table? A study shows that having phones at the table makes people feel more distracted and enjoy dinner time with family and friends less. Eating while distracted by a screen can also lead to poor digestion and overeating. Using their phones while eating is actually causing more people to become overweight!
It’s clear that having a “no phones at the dinner table” rule is a good move for everyone, regardless of age. But it might feel impossible to implement successfully over the long term. In fact, despite the many benefits, only 30% of American families share dinner together every night.
There are some things you can do to make this decision feel more like a benefit than a punishment. You’ll find a few tips to get you started with this resource, “Tips to Make Weekly Dinners More Fun.”
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