Study: Smartphones and TV cause children to gain weight

A recent study found that children who use smartphones or watch TV while eating are more likely to gain weight.

According to researchers at the University of Minho in Portugal, children's preoccupation with screens while eating prevents them from realizing that they are full.

The researchers said that children who were allowed to use smart devices or watch TV while eating were 15 percent more likely to gain weight than those who were not allowed to do so.

A team from the university studied the eating habits of 735 children, aged between 6 and 10 years, and asked each child about the foods they had eaten in the past 24 hours, and asked parents about their rules about using screens at mealtimes.

The researchers presented their findings at the European Congress on Obesity held in Venice on Saturday, indicating that they are likely to be an underestimate because some parents may not have admitted to allowing their children to use screens at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“When children are eating and watching something on TV or a mobile phone, they continue to eat because the screens distract them,” said lead researcher Dr Anna Duarte.

Tam Fry, co-founder of the Child Development Foundation, said: “Obese children are now developing diseases such as diabetes that used to only affect adults. It is clear that letting children eat mindlessly in front of the TV is damaging to their health. It is unfortunate that this has become a way of life for many families,” the Daily Mail reported.