A study shows that mobiles at meal time can jeopardise your emotional connection with your kids and can also affect their health negatively.
Mothers who use mobile devices while eating with their young children are less likely to have verbal, non verbal and encouraging interactions with them. According to researchers, non verbal interactions are a primary mode through which emotions are communicated between parents and children.
The findings showed that mobile device use is associated with a decreased number of maternal verbal and non verbal interactions through decreased awareness of the child’s social cues.
Parent-child interactions at dinner table in particular is are believed to have protective effect on child health outcomes such as obesity, asthma and adolescent risk behaviours.
Maternal use of mobile devices was associated with 20 per cent fewer verbal and 39 per cent fewer non verbal interactions.
The findings appeared online in the journal Academic Pediatrics.
So next time put down that mobile when you attend to your young one!
