A new global guide for parenting in the digital age

Screens are part of family life now – homework happens on a laptop, bedtime gets pushed back by "just five more minutes," and most of us are still figuring it out as we go. A new guide from UNESCO and Réseau Canopé/CLEMI, Growing Up in a Connected World: A Family Guide for the Digital Age, is designed to help.

Built with input from 37 experts and professionals around the world, the guide brings together research, education expertise and real experiences from parents and children to tackle the questions caregivers ask most:

• How much screen time is too much, and how do we negotiate it rather than just ban it?
• How do we help children spot disinformation and think critically about what they see online?
• What do parents need to know about algorithms, AI companions and generative AI?
• How do we support a child through cyberbullying or an online safety scare?
• How do we rebuild connection when screens have pulled a family apart?

It closes with a practical chapter on what parents can do themselves – including ten things to know before giving a child their first smartphone, and how to support teenagers' growing independence online without losing trust along the way.

None of this is about fear or perfect parenting. The guide is upfront that parents everywhere feel underprepared for this, and that closing the digital divide matters too – not every family has reliable internet or devices to begin with.

That's a message that sits close to home for us. Hold My Hand's (NSAAC) priorities – brain power and early learning, and building identity, agency and connectedness for teenagers – depend on the adults around a child having the tools and confidence to walk alongside them, online included. This guide is a solid, practical resource for exactly that.