Balancing screen time and quality family time can be a daily challenge with the increasing use of devices by children for various activities like learning, gaming, and staying connected. As a result, determining a reasonable amount of screen time has become more complex.
To address this issue, a campaign called The Family Chat is being conducted throughout 2026 in collaboration with Tesco Mobile. The campaign aims to promote open discussions within families about online safety. Author and podcaster Giovanna Fletcher is engaging with parents and children to discuss challenges they encounter, how they are managing them, and how Tesco Mobile’s online safety resources can be beneficial.
Among these resources is a downloadable family pledge that facilitates setting commitments on healthy screen time practices and ensuring children’s online safety. Giovanna emphasizes the importance of regularly reviewing screen time rules within her own family, highlighting the need to prevent phone usage from becoming the primary activity, especially for younger children.
In another family’s scenario, the Karley family, consisting of Anna, Emmanuel, and their three teenagers, relies on phones for connectivity, schoolwork, and managing their busy schedules. To approach screen time discussions positively, they participated in the Team Mum v Team Dad Online Safety Challenge, completing tasks without phone usage.
Following the challenge, the Karleys committed to implementing their learnings by filling out Tesco Mobile’s family pledge, focusing on screen time, privacy, and sharing. They plan to utilize the expert advice and resources from Tesco Mobile’s Online Safety Hub to strike a balance between digital exposure and real-world interactions. Implementing a phones-down rule at 9.30 pm, they aim to enhance family time through shared activities like quizzes.
The family pledge includes guidelines to identify potentially misleading online content, such as sensational headlines, suspicious websites, and emotionally manipulative stories. It also encourages fact-checking through trusted sources and verifying social media accounts for authenticity. Additionally, engaging in fact-checking activities as a family can help promote digital literacy and critical thinking skills.