Dinnaz on tbl! Now we even text each other at home rather than talking

By RACHEL QUIGLEY
Updated:

What used to be a familiar dinnertime cry is now being replaced by a bleep. 

Instead of calling out to let the family know the evening meal is ready to be served, many parents are simply sending a text.

They have given up shouting to their children and are instead sending messages via mobile phone, a survey reveals. 

Woman texting at the dinner table

'Food's ready': A survey has revealed that women are more likely to text rather than talk at the dinner table

And it seems this is becoming a more effective and popular way for all family members to communicate with each other.

Half of those under the same roof are using texts and emails to communicate messages such as 'food's ready', 'are you up?' and 'turn the TV down!', researchers say.

The survey, commissioned by electronics retailer Best Buy, revealed that women are more likely than men to 'text talk'.

Figures for mobile phone messages are particularly high among women aged 3 to 44, it added, leading researchers to conclude that thousands of technology-savvy mothers have taken to giving orders to their children via text.

Respondents also said they would text someone in another part of the house to put the kettle on or to ask them a question in a crossword puzzle.

Texting someone in the same room is another popular activity, with many people using it to flirt with a partner.

Among the under-2 s, the figure using electronic communication within the home is 69 per cent. Mother-of-two Emma Matthews, 36, from Epsom in Surrey, confessed to texting her husband when he is downstairs to put on the oven or kettle.

'If he doesn't respond quickly enough then I might even call,' she said.

'He used to say I was lazy but now he is just as bad.'

And texting has also taken over from simple talking in the workplace. 

More and more employees use it to call in sick or inform a boss they are running late, according to a survey commissioned by online texting service Textplus. com. 

Others text colleagues while they are in meetings, and 11 per cent of students and graduates think it is acceptable to ask their boss for a raise via text. 

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