Long working hours (56%), the kids' homework (29%), and household chores (27%) are the top things that stand in the way of families spending quality time together, a survey has found.
Over a third of families (37%) struggle to find the time to spend in each other's company – with just six hours a week spent all together as a family unit.
Other reasons for this include work deadlines and the kids' social lives – with one in five, of the 2,000 mums and dad polled, blaming social media for getting in the way of family time.
And 19% say that children's after-school clubs reduce the amount of time they can spend together – while half (49%) blame distractions at home, such as the TV or games consoles.
As a result, 42% of parents admit they even struggle to start up a conversation with their youngsters.
And families only eat a meal as a household on four days out of seven each week – but a quarter of mums and dads would like to sit down for more family meals, in order to chat more with their children.
Three in ten (31%) also put their lack of family time down to the impact of the cost-of-living crisis – with a quarter claiming that communication within households hasn't been the same since the economic climate changed.
More than a third (34%) have experienced increased emotional strain in light of the economy.
And despite 35% having spent more time at home as a unit in the past 12 months, due to the cost-of-living crisis, 42% of parents admitted they’re usually all in different rooms.
A fifth (21%) claim to have had more group meals prior to the cost-of-living crisis – with other barriers to dining more often including after school clubs (26%), different dishes (31%), and varying mealtimes (34%).
The research was commissioned by McCain, to mark the launch of its “Teatime to Talk” cards, a collection of conversation starters.
The digital cards have been developed in partnership with British child psychologist, Laverne Antrobus, to help families connect during mealtimes, and improve imagination and problem-solving skills.
When families do dine at home together, the most popular topics around the table include school (50%), TV shows (48%), and their kid’s friendships (46%).
And aside from mealtimes, parents are most likely to chat to their children when in the car (57%), putting them to bed (40%), and walking to and from school (38%).
Mark Hodge, at McCain Foods UK&I, said: “It’s clear from the research that many families across the UK are struggling to make the most of time together – so we’re delighted to be launching “Teatime to Talk” today, to help families have more quality time with each other over dinner.
“Our cards are relevant for all ages and abilities, and we hope they help families to enjoy those simple moments that matter, such as teatime.”
The research also revealed what parents define as family time – with eating together coming top (74%), followed by watching TV as a group (66%), and cooking (46%).
Seven in ten surveyed, via OnePoll, actively try and set aside at least one day a week for their family to sit down and eat together, with the evening meal most likely to be when this happens (67%).
Sunday was found to be the day households most often have a group meal (44%), followed by Saturday (39%) and Friday (25%) – suggesting weekdays are busiest.
All chipping in with the cooking (36%), a birthday in the home (35%), and kids helping with meal planning (29%), have also helped encourage families to eat together.
However, three in ten admitted mealtimes are the only time their household gets to spend quality time with one another.
TOP 15 THINGS THAT HAVE HINDERED FAMILY TIME:
- My work hours
- The cost-of-living crisis
- Kids' social lives
- Their homework/coursework deadlines
- Household chores
- My work deadlines
- Rubbish weather
- My social life
- TV use
- Social media use
- Running errands outside of the home
- After-school clubs e.g. sports clubs
- Different eating times
- Food shopping
- Lack of space in our home
