Put the Phone Down, Mom! Managing Devices at Dinnertime with Comcast XFINITY xFi

Disclosure: All opinions expressed are my own. I have worked in the past with Comcast on a sponsorship basis.

Now that our school situation is settled and it's a new month, it feels like we're in a bit of reset in our home. Grayson and Nia are no longer at the same school (hopefully just for this year!), and Grayson is also transitioning to his own room this week. Now more than ever the key times that we *are* able to connect are most important and that includes dinnertime. While the kids are screen-free during the school week, I admit I sometimes sneak to check my notifications while we're eating. Thankfully, Comcast has got my back when it comes to reigning in device access. 

Did that last scene look familiar? A recent study by Wakefield Research confirmed:

• Dinnertime is bonding time – Nearly every (98 percent) parent surveyed agrees that disconnecting from devices during mealtime improves family bonding.

• Parents can set an example – More than half (52 percent) of parents have been told by their children to put their device away during meals.

• Device-free meals are rare – More than 2 in 5 parents (42 percent) can’t remember the last time their family had a device-free meal. And Millennial parents have an especially hard time remembering the last time they broke bread without a device at the table (49 percent), compared to Gen Xers (37 percent) and Boomers (33 percent).

As a Comcast customer with the new xFi app there are a range of family friendly features that help you manage screen time:

• Timed Pause: with xFi, parents can pause devices for a set amount of time – 30 minutes, one hour, or two hours.

• Safer Searching: xFi includes simple parental controls that include search settings for Google, Bing, and YouTube.

• Notification Center: xFi customers get real-time notifications about activity on their Wi-Fi network so when their children have friends over and a new tablet or phone logs on, the parent receives a text message and can decide whether to allow connectivity and even set parental controls remotely.

To learn more and how you can download the FREE xFi app (on Android and iOS) as a Comcast customer, head to the XFINITY xFi website. 

How do you handle screen time in your household? Do you put devices away at mealtime?