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Casablanca – A recent study from the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research confirmed that watching TV while eating has a direct impact on the cognitive development of children.
According to the study, young children exposed to television during family meals have lower language skills on average, which affects their interactions with their parents.
The study over several years evaluated the language skills of more than 1,500 children at the ages of 2, 3, and 5 and a half.
It also relied on the responses of parents, who were asked how often their child watches television while eating at home.
The study found that increased TV viewing during family meals is connected with lower language results, whether the screen is turned on or off.
The research also found that kids at age two who were constantly exposed to television at family meals had poorer language levels than children who were never exposed to television.
Thus, two-year-olds who eat with the TV “always on” have on average a score 3.2 points lower than those in whom the small screen is “never” turned on during meals.
Meanwhile, the study confirmed that children at ages 3 and 5.5 who were never exposed to television during family meals have higher language and verbal IQ assessments, compared with those who were sometimes or more frequently exposed.
“Exposure to television during family meals is consistently associated with lower language scores” at all ages studied, the study concluded.
As a result, the study’s researchers recommend that, before the age of three, parents should avoid putting their children in a room with a television, even if they are not watching it.
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