THE age-old tradition of families eating together at a table can do more than bring families together – it also can teach children important social skills. Children who eat with their parents are also less likely to play truant from school, and have a reduced chance of becoming obese.
A new survey from YouGov Omnibus quizzed 1,789 children and found that one in three (34%) eat their evening meal in front of the TV and a slightly lower number (29%) do the same for breakfast.
Children are about as likely to eat on the sofa as they are in front of the TV – as in many cases the two will be combined. In each case, about a third of children (32% for breakfast and 34% for dinner) enjoy a meal while curled up on the sofa.
However, the family dinner is clearly a custom that’s still going strong. The results show that eight in ten (82%) of children have tea at the table, although only two thirds (66%) eat breakfast there.
The research suggests that children become less sociable with their meals as they get older. The proportion that sometimes take their dinner to their own room rises from 1% of six year-olds to 19% of 15 year-olds. Likewise, 22% of 15 year-olds ever have breakfast in their room, compared to just 2% of six year-olds.
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