How to encourage honesty in our kids

Plus: phones at mealtimes and the problem with online surveys

Gather ‘round, techno sapiens. It’s time for another Research Roundup and, let me tell you, it’s a good one this month.

We’ve got three new studies—as always, #1 is available to all subscribers, and #2 and #3 are behind the paywall:

1. Parent and teen phone use during mealtimes

2. How to encourage honesty in our kids

3. Can we trust online survey data?

Let’s do this!

1. Patterns of parent and teen phone use during meals

How often are teens and their parents using phones during mealtimes? And how is it impacting their time together? To answer these questions, this study went straight to the source: McDonalds (and other fast-food restaurants).

Researchers visited a series of fast-food restaurants, unobtrusively observing a total of 66 families with at least one adolescent. Watching each family for at least 10 minutes, they noted each time family members used their phones, as well as what came before and after. 

Of all the families observed, the vast majority (88%) used media (primarily phones) at least once while at the table. In some cases (52%), this involved “co-viewing”—with families sharing their media use with one another, taking photos, laughing, and talking. In others (15%), though, phone use turned into “technoference”—interrupting the conversation or ignoring each other. Also notable: in 10% of cases, the “trigger” for a family member’s phone use was—you guessed it—the other person’s own phone use.

My take: Phone use at meals doesn’t always indicate a problem—as we see here, there were many times when it sparked connection, shared laughter, and conversation. But in some cases, a familiar pattern played out: one person picks up a phone and the other sees they’re being ignored, so they grab a phone, too. The more we’re aware of times we’re on either side of that equation, the more we can try to fix it. Translational Issues in Psych Science.

2. How to encourage honesty in kids

There are many different techniques we can use to encourage our kids to be honest. This study set out to test which techniques work best, and for what ages.