Child Therapists Reveal They Wish Parents Would Stop Doing This 1 Thing During Meals

This advice may shock you, but it’s important to follow it.

On Assignment For HuffPost

It’s hard to imagine a time when “screen time” isn’t a hot-button topic, right? Perhaps especially for parents.

The problems that come with spending too much time on screens are pretty well-known. A 2023 study points to effects such as eye strain, neck pain, depression, anxiety, decreased well-being and more.

Yet, with technology advancing and taking us all by storm – and with the necessity of a Ms. Rachel video when you’re trying to finish doing the dishes, for example – the urge to give kids a phone, tablet or some TV is all too real.

If it helps, child therapists believe that screen time isn’t the absolute worst thing. There are just factors you need to consider as you establish healthy boundaries.

Below, find the one thing they wish adults would be better with when it comes to kids and screen time, along with some other advice to help you navigate it.

The number one thing caregivers should do? Examine their own screen habits.

Perhaps it’s not about controlling your child’s screen time, but your own.

Research published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics suggests that parents use screens during mealtime more often than kids do, and that this habit can interfere with interpersonal relationships.

Another study in 2023 found that kids’ emotional intelligence can be directly affected by parents’ smartphone use. Additionally, a study published in 2025 found that caregivers’ smartphone use during conversations with children is associated with increased anger and sadness in children during those interactions, potentially negatively affecting their well-being.

A recent study published in August found that caregivers’ screen use directly affected kids’ vocabulary. According to the authors, parental smartphone use may be a “meaningful indicator” of “risk for poorer language outcomes, highlighting the importance of considering screen use at the family level when evaluating children’s language........

© HuffPost