Children’s Wellbeing in a Digital World

This report is the third in a series of annual reports on children’s digital wellbeing. The series takes responses from around 1000 families across the UK to help us evaluate and track the impact of technology on kids.

We break down wellbeing into the 4 categories outlined below.

Physical wellbeing

This category looks at health, development of physical abilities, physical safety while using technology and level of access to supportive or accessibility tech.

Social wellbeing

Social wellbeing refers to participation in the wider community, active citizenship, working with others and healthy interaction with other communities. Additionally, it looks at an individual’s online personae, their ability to manage risks of grooming or exploitation, relationships online and off, and communcation.

Emotional wellbeing

This category focuses on healthy emotional development. It includes a child’s ability to cope with stress and setbacks as well as their development of values and beliefs. Additional aspects include feelings of purpose, autonomy and success.

Developmental wellbeing

Finally, developmental wellbeing explores cognitive abilities, achievement in education, financial management and personal growth.

The Year 3 report highlights the following findings.

1. There’s cause for optimism

Compared to previous years, children’s developmental, emotional and social experiences have improved. Children are more confident and independent and see greater inspiration from the digital space. Additionally, digital spaces make children feel like they’re part of a community.

2. Families are more connected

Data shows greater involvement and oversight from parents. Additionally, parents report more conversations around children’s digital lives. This includes asking children to share what they do on their devices as well as children going to their parents after potentially harmful experiences.

3. Children still experience significant downsides

Children still worry about and experience a range of issues. For example, there is an increase for some children, especially older girls, receiving contact from strangers, and some children feel lonelier. Both parents and children also worry about the impacts of screen time.

4. Parents continue to face challenges

Parents struggle to keep up with constantly changing tech and interests. Additionally, they face increased anxiety about their children being online.

Furthermore, parents feel the impacts of digital use taking attention away from family time.

These findings are significant but also complex. As such, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to keep children safe from online harms.

We believe the following actions, however, could support stakeholders as they create safer environments.

Use a family-centred approach

Most children tell us that their parents are the first place they go for support. Moreover, parents often know their children best, including what is and isn’t appropriate or them online. As such, policymakers need to focus more on the significance of the relationships between these relationships.

Reduce children’s experiences of harm online

Two-thirds of children report experiencing harms online, therefore pointing to a need for focus and determination from all of us, including tech companies, Government and regulators, parents and teachers.

Additionally, while a focus on the most serious harms is important, we also need to tackle everyday harms that can have a significant overall impact on children’s wellbeing.

Understand the importance of media literacy

One of the best ways of reaching parents and children about online safety is through schools. However, not every school benefits from the expertise, curriculum and resources needed for quality online safety education.

Government, and the Department for Education in particular, need to ensure all children leave school with the skills needed to flourish and function in a digital world.