ABSTRACT

Objectives

Families may prefer to use screens during mealtimes from an early age to make it easier for their children to eat or to distract them. Screen use may affect children’s eating habits and behaviors and may be associated with emotional and behavioral problems. We aimed to determine the eating behaviors and social-emotional functioning of toddlers aged 1-3 years with screen use at mealtimes and to compare them with children without screen use.

Materials and Methods

Mothers with children aged 1-3 years were sent online forms and asked how often they used a tablet, phone, or television during meals. Children of mothers who answered “frequently/always” were included in the group with screen exposure during meals (n=50), and children of mothers who responded sometimes/never were included in the control group (n=79). Participants were asked how they perceived their children in the first year. Socio-demographic data form, Brief Symptom Inventory for Mothers, Brief Infant-Toddler Social Emotional Assessment, and Infancy Adaptive Eating Behavior Scale for Children were completed.

Results

There were similarities between the groups regarding gender. The social-emotional group was older than the control group. Children in the social-emotional group were more likely to be perceived as difficult babies by their mothers. The social-emotional group had higher “poor appetite” and “resistance” scores on the Infancy Adaptive Eating Behavior Scale. Their “competence” scores were significantly lower on the Brief Infant-Toddler Social Emotional Assessment, while their “problem” subscale score tended to be higher, but not significantly. There was no difference between the psychopathological symptoms of the mothers.

Conclusion

This study provides new data on screen use during mealtimes, eating behaviours, and toddlers’ social-emotional development. Children with screen exposure during mealtimes showed negative eating behaviours and inadequate social-emotional development, while the child’s behaviour may have led to more screen use during mealtimes. Longitudinal studies with more participants are needed to generalize the results and establish cause and effect relationships.