Supporting family life after lockdown

As the world came to a halt last March, we felt a sizable shift in their reliance upon and use of technology, which became a lifeline to keep us connected to the outside world.

Our new report - From Survive to Thrive: Digital family life after lockdown - provides a unique view into how families’ relationship with technology has evolved from the pre-pandemic world, through various periods of lockdown and into “a new way of living virtually”.

The vital role of tech during lockdown

A key take out from the study is that parents have recognised the true benefits of connected technology through each successive period of lockdown and more than half (56 per cent) believe their children’s online world had a positive impact on their life since the pandemic began.

Eight out of 10 (80 per cent) agreed technology was a good tool for online learning and 78 per cent can see the positive impact on their children’s ability to socialise, stay connected and be entertained. It is indeed hard to imagine what would have happened without technology and where families would be now.

Though a positive story exists, with more time in front of a screen, parents are increasingly concerned about their children encountering harm online and have noticed an increase in online activities particularly live streaming and spending money online.

As a result, parents are now demanding more support as we transition out of lockdown and adjust to a new way of living virtually. Most need advice on how to rebalance the amount of screen time their children have as more than half of parents (53 per cent) agree that their child has become too reliant on online technology.

Children with vulnerabilities disproportionately affected

A recurring theme throughout the report is the overwhelming insight that children with some form of vulnerability have been disproportionately affected by the impact of Covid-19 in relation to technology use and its effects.

Parents of children with vulnerabilities reported a 40 per cent increase in their vulnerable child’s experience of peer pressure to do things online they wouldn’t normally do (from 10 per cent to 14 per cent), a 50 per cent increase in fraud and identity theft (from five per cent to 10 per cent) and a 37 per cent (from eight per cent to 11 per cent) increase in suffering damage to their reputation due to their online activity.

In addition, nearly a quarter (23 per cent) report that their child was bullied online in the last year, compared to 10 per cent of non-vulnerable children.

Like all children, those with vulnerabilities often rely on the internet to connect, have fun and escape the labels and issues they encounter offline - they now need our support to enable them to have a safer online experience and to thrive in the digital world as the physical world opens up again for us all.

It’s now more important than ever that children and young people with vulnerabilities are routinely asked about their online lives by their parents, carers and professionals.

Covid has changed the way we all live. We are proud of the work Internet Matters has done to create a wealth of advice and resources for families to support their child’s wellbeing and safety online.

Carolyn Bunting is chief executive of Internet Matters. For more information and resources on keeping children and young people safe online, visit internetmatters.org