Digital wellbeing on a budget

Due to financial pressure, parents in families where children receive free school meals struggle to access digital devices. Some say they cannot afford to buy or replace these devices.

However, these families still see the value in connected devices. 34% say they cut down on other expenses so they can afford online subscriptions and accounts.

Children who receive free school meals are more likely to take part in high-risk activities online. Additionally, they use social media more actively, posting and commenting more than those who do not receive free school meals.

74% of children who receive free school meals report experiencing at least one online harm, which is greater than those who don’t receive free school meals.

In terms of wellbeing, these children also experience more negative impacts on their wellbeing from being online. This includes feeling sad online or worrying about their appearance.

However, 59% still say that spending time online makes them feel happy.

Parents of children who receive free school meals are less likely to talk about an experienced online harm than other parents. In general, they are more likely to set up parental controls in response to an issue compared to other parents.

Parents of children who receive free school meals are more likely to seek out information about their child’s online safety than other parents (61% vs 44%).

The places they look for this information include the child’s school, friendship networks and other parents. In all of these examples, parents of children who receive free school meals are more likely to reach out to these sources.