Experts warn screen time during meals may impair children's hunger cues and promote overeating

Paediatricians highlight concerns that screens during meals can disrupt children’s natural hunger signals, potentially leading to overeating and unhealthy food choices, with experts recommending simple household rules to mitigate these effects.

Children who eat with a screen in front of them may be less able to notice when they are full, leaving them more likely to keep eating after their bodies have had enough, paediatricians told First Post. Aditi Sakdeva, a consultant in paediatrics and neonatology, said that television, tablets and phones can pull attention away from the body’s hunger and satiety signals, while Hemani Narula Khanna, a developmental paediatrics consultant at Madhukar Rainbow Children’s Hospital, said the distraction can interfere with a child’s natural response to those cues.

That concern is backed by wider research on hunger awareness. Johns Hopkins Medicine says paying attention to hunger and fullness helps people avoid overeating, while starting a meal when extremely hungry can make it harder to stop at the right point. A narrative review published in a paediatric journal also found that screen-based eating is linked with weaker awareness of internal food cues and a tendency towards passive overconsumption, often alongside larger portions and energy-dense foods.

Evidence on the size of the effect is mixed, however. A broad review of laboratory studies found that screen-related activity, even without food advertising, was associated with higher food intake than non-screen activities, but the researchers described the evidence as limited. A later analysis of studies involving children and teenagers was less conclusive, finding no clear increase in total energy intake in randomised trials when television was on during meals.

Doctors interviewed by First Post said the pattern can still matter because repeated screen use may train children to pair entertainment with snacking, even when they are not actually hungry. Sakdeva said foods high in sugar, salt or fat are especially likely to be eaten in those moments, and that repeated exposure to food advertising can reinforce those choices. A review cited by the report found children exposed to television food adverts ate about 60 more calories than those shown non-food adverts, while the World Health Organisation says food marketing through television, social media and video games can shape what children choose to eat.

Rather than relying only on blanket bans, the doctors recommended simple household rules. The main one is to keep meals screen-free so children can focus on eating and recognise when they are satisfied. Khanna also urged parents to pay attention to the content children consume, limit the pull of food advertising and model the habits they want to see at home.