Widespread phone-feeding adds to children's screen addiction

Data from a new study in Kollam district show that mobile phones are being used to feed or pacify young children despite longstanding medical advice against the practice.

- HD Bureau

There-search, carried out under the auspices of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics by Dr Manoj Mony, district president in Kollam and his team, reveals that 69 per cent of parents surveyed admit to using smart phones during mealtimes to encourage intake or quiet their children.

The investigation, which gathered data from children attending immunisation clinics at around 18 months of age, found that 89.1 per cent of participants had some screen time in the home, a figure that climbs to 100 per cent among children whose mothers had only high-school education. Among mothers with postgraduate education the figure drops but still remains high at 80 per cent.