The importance of screen-free meals

Whether at breakfast, lunch, or dinner, screens should be avoided at the table by adults and children alike.

Why avoid screens during mealtimes?

Eating in front of a screen can lead to bad table manners and even be harmful to your health. When your child eats while watching a video, for example, their attention is focused on the characters they’re seeing and the sounds they’re hearing.

They aren’t paying attention to the food on their plate, looking at it, smelling it, or enjoying it. This makes it more difficult for your child to learn about food and develop their taste. It also makes the act of eating less enjoyable, because your child’s meal isn’t getting the attention it deserves.

When your child eats while looking at a screen, they don’t notice how much they’re eating or how their stomach feels. They eat mindlessly, without stopping to consider whether or not they’re actually still hungry.

It has been proven that we eat more, and more often than necessary, when we eat in front of a screen. Over time, this habit may increase the risk of obesity.

Podcast: Pourquoi je ne peux pas manger devant la télé? [Why can’t I eat in front of the TV?] (In French only)

Less interaction

Eating should be about sharing a meal with people you love and connecting through conversation. It’s also an opportunity to pass on family values and traditions. Eating in front of a screen limits family interaction around the dinner table.

Benefits of eating together as a family

Family meals strengthen family ties. They’re a prime opportunity for your child to feel supported, develop their sense of belonging to the family, and build confidence, which is beneficial for their mental health.

When you eat together as a family, your child also develops their own tastes and eating habits by watching and drawing inspiration from you. You’re a role model for your child. For example, while eating, you can explain what you like about a particular food. Your enthusiasm for certain foods may encourage your child to want to try them, too.

Family meals are also an opportunity for your child to learn good table manners (using their utensils properly, remaining seated, chewing with their mouth closed, etc.). They learn by watching their parents and older siblings.

Finally, research shows that families who eat at the table together tend to eat more fruit and vegetables and drink fewer carbonated beverages, which is better for your health.

Breaking the mealtime screen habit

Is your child used to eating in front of a screen? To get them out of the habit, try other ways to make the meal more fun. Chat with them, ask questions, and tell stories or jokes. And, of course, your child will find it easier to accept screen-free meals if the whole family is on board.

Things to keep in mind

• Screens distract children from what’s on their plates.
• Eating without the distraction of screens helps promote good eating habits and a healthy weight.
• Screen-free family meals strengthen family ties.

Research and copywriting: Stéphanie Côté, M.Sc., nutritionist Updated: May 2025

Photo: GettyImages/tatyana_tomsickova