This Spotlight Report on Parents and Carers is based on the data from the broader research study entitled Growing up Online: Children’s online activities, harm and safety in Northern Ireland – an Evidence Report (Purdy et al., 2023), funded by the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI) and conducted by a team from the Centre for Research in Educational Underachievement at Stranmillis University College, Belfast.

The spotlight report provides additional focus and analysis of the data relating specifically to parents and carers, including levels of parental engagement, guidance and support (as perceived by their children), as well as insights from parents and carers themselves, and teachers and other professionals through focus group interviews.

This qualitative evidence highlights the challenges facing parents and carers who acknowledged the many benefits of online technology, but also reported feeling very conflicted in light of their awareness of the negative impact of excessive screen time and the potential dangers their children were being exposed online. Conclusions are drawn in terms of the importance of parents and carers taking an active interest in their children’s online lives, in establishing and maintaining positive, open relationships with their children, and in setting positive examples as digital role models.