Technology encourages bad eating habits

The use of tablets, smart phones and television amongst young people has been proven to increase the likelihood of developing unhealthy eating habits, researchers have said.

The researchers used data from the Growing Up Today Study II, which surveyed kids and teenagers in three stages. The study found that there was a direct correlation between the amount of time a child spends in front of the screen and how much that child weighs.

The report revealed that on average, every child would gain half a pound for every hour of television they watch over time. It is thought that this is because these sorts of activities leave the kid's hands free to eat food, and therefore form unhealthy eating habits, dailymail.co.uk reports.

Dr Mark Tremblay, director of healthy active living and obesity research at the Children's Hospital of Ontario Research Centre, told reuters.com that when children watch television they are exposed to a whole range of eating options through the adverts, which can cause them to snack on food they would otherwise not bother with.

Dr Tremblay said: "Typically your hands are free when you're watching TV, so should that temptation capture you, you're able to sit there and munch on, whether it's a healthy or an unhealthy snack."