Balancing screen time and quality family moments can be a daily challenge for many households. With children increasingly using devices for various activities like learning, socializing, gaming, and streaming, determining a reasonable screen time limit can be tricky.
As the Easter break approaches, finding a compromise that satisfies everyone becomes crucial. In 2026, we are partnering with Tesco Mobile for The Family Chat campaign, promoting open conversations at home regarding online safety.
Renowned author and podcaster, Giovanna Fletcher, is engaging with parents and children to discuss challenges they encounter, how they are addressing them, and how Tesco Mobile’s online safety tools can be beneficial. These tools include a downloadable family pledge for establishing healthy screen time practices and ensuring kids’ online safety.
Giovanna emphasizes the importance of not letting phone use become the primary activity, especially for younger children. While she and her husband currently manage well, she acknowledges the need for regular review as their children grow older and interests evolve.
For the Karley family – Anna, Emmanuel, and their three teenagers – phones play a vital role in staying connected, managing schoolwork, and coping with their busy schedules. Seeking a fun approach to discussing screen time, the Karleys participated in the Team Mum v Team Dad Online Safety Challenge, where they completed various tasks without using their phones.
After completing challenges like ranking screen activities against off-screen ones, the family committed to implementing their learnings by completing Tesco Mobile’s family pledge. They aim to strike a balance between digital engagement and real-world connections by utilizing expert advice from Tesco Mobile’s Online Safety Hub.
To kickstart their efforts, Anna and Emmanuel established a phones-down rule at 9.30 pm to allocate more family time for activities like shared quizzes. They are determined to adhere to the family pledge, posted on their fridge, as a collaborative effort to establish new rules and enhance family connections.
In addition to these efforts, it is essential to be cautious of certain aspects in online content, such as sensational headlines, suspicious websites, and the importance of fact-checking information. Parents can also guide their children in verifying social media accounts and engaging in fact-checking activities together.