The case for phone-free dinners
Even a phone face-down on the table changes the conversation.
Research on conversations has found that the mere presence of a phone on the table can make people feel less connected, even when nobody uses it.
Shared meals are one of the few daily moments when families and partners sit together. Making them phone-free is a small rule with a big effect.
Keep it light: a basket by the door, one evening a week to start, and the same rule for adults as for children.
Try this
- Put phones in a basket away from the table.
- Start with one dinner a week.
- Ask one open question: what was the best part of your day?