Short answer: An employee wellbeing programme needs digital parenting because most working parents worry about what their children meet online, and almost nobody helps them act on that worry. Ofcom’s research shows only three in ten parents think the benefits of social media, messaging and video apps outweigh the risks for their child. Most programmes cover money, sleep and mental health. Very few cover the decisions parents face about technology every evening.
In short:
- Only three in ten parents think the benefits of social media and messaging apps outweigh the risks for their child (Ofcom, 2025).
- Three quarters of parents worry about their child seeing unsuitable or sexual content online.
- Half of parents of 10 to 12 year olds would let their child onto social media before the minimum age of 13, often without guidance.
- Schools teach children about online safety. Parents, who set the rules at home, get no class of their own.
- Digital parenting fits into any employee wellbeing programme as a session, a recording and a yearly return visit.
How many working parents worry about their children online?
Ofcom, the UK’s communications watchdog, surveys children and parents every year. Its 2025 report on children and parents gives a clear picture of the worry parents carry.
| What Ofcom found | What it means for your employee wellbeing programme |
|---|---|
| 91% of children own a mobile phone by the age of 11 | Almost every parent of a child aged 11 or over in your workforce is managing a phone |
| Only 3 in 10 parents think the benefits of social media, messaging and video apps outweigh the risks | Most parents are uneasy about apps their children already use |
| 76% of parents worry about their child seeing unsuitable content online, and 74% about sexual content | The worry is serious, not a passing concern |
| 72% worry their child cannot tell what is real from what is fake online | Parents need help with AI-made images and false information, not only with screen time |
| 39% find it hard to control their child’s screen time | Rules at home are a daily struggle for a large share of parents |
Every one of those parents also has a job. Many of them work for you.
Why does digital parenting belong in an employee wellbeing programme?
The CIPD’s factsheet on wellbeing at work describes wellbeing as built into how an organisation runs, around what people actually need. The Ofcom figures show what a large group of employees needs: help with the technology in their children’s lives.
Most programmes leave that out. An assistance line helps once something has gone badly wrong. Flexible hours give a parent time, but not knowledge. A talk on sleep or money does not touch a child’s phone. So the worry Ofcom measures stays with parents, and they bring it to work with them.
Why can’t parents just work it out themselves?
Most parents try. Three things get in the way.
Parents make the big decisions alone. Ofcom found that half of parents of 10 to 12 year olds would let their child have a social media profile before the minimum age of 13. Parents are deciding for themselves when a child is ready, usually with no expert guidance.
Nobody teaches the parents. Ofcom found that 92% of children aged 8 to 17 remember at least one lesson at school about staying safe online. Parents get no matching lesson, even though they set the rules at home.
Worry does not turn into action. Ofcom’s October 2026 gaming research found that 64% of parents whose children game online worry about them talking to strangers. Only 43% set any rules about who their child plays with.
Parents do not need more warnings. They need someone to show them the settings, explain what is actually risky, and give them the words to use with their child. That is what digital parenting covers.
How does digital parenting fit into an employee wellbeing programme?
It slots in alongside what you already run.
- A session for parents and carers. One hour, with plenty of time for questions, including anonymous ones.
- A recording on the intranet. Shift workers, part-time staff and anyone on the school run can watch later.
- A yearly return visit. The apps and games children use change every year, so the advice needs to keep up. September works well, because most children get their first phone around the move to secondary school.
- An open question in the staff survey. Ask what is on people’s minds outside work, and count how often children and screens come up.
An employee wellbeing programme that brings digital parenting back once a year keeps the advice current. A single talk ages quickly.
Our post on supporting working parents looks at the other measures parents rely on, and why none of them cover the screen.
Book a session for your programme
Our training programmes bring digital parenting into your employee wellbeing programme. They cover the apps and games children use this year, how to handle the first phone, and what a parent can do when something goes wrong online. Kids n Clicks also offers ongoing support for organisations that want more than one session a year.
The session teaches the technology, not parenting theory. Parents already love their children. What often goes missing is a clear read of what is actually happening on the phones, the apps and the accounts, and that is the gap this session fills. It is a specialist session, delivered online or in person, to a whole workforce or to a parents’ network.
If you lead people, wellbeing or inclusion in your organisation, connect with Parven on LinkedIn or explore our training programmes to book a session for your team.
Parven Kaur is a digital parenting and online safety expert, and the founder of Kids n Clicks. She works with employers to support working parents and carers on the technology side of family life. She won the Scottish Cyber Security Award, and she sits on the National Board of Advisors for Barnardo’s Scotland.
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