Patterns of Mobile Device Use by Caregivers and Children During Meals in Fast Food Restaurants

AND OBJECTIVES: Mobile devices are a ubiquitous part of American life, yet how families use this technology has not been studied. We aimed to describe naturalistic patterns of mobile device use by caregivers and children to generate hypotheses about its effects on caregiver-child interaction. METHODS: Using nonparticipant observational methods, we observed 55 caregivers eating with 1 or more young children in fast food restau-