A single mum from Kent has shared how a chilling realisation about her son's screentime led her to reduce it for both her child and herself. Emily Sacker, 37, from Gillingham, realised something needed to change when her nine-year-old son groaned at the thought of leaving the house during the summer holidays.
Groaning at the thought of day trips
Emily said: "I just said to my son about some of the things we might do over the summer holidays, like our usual day trips out like the zoo, museum, those sorts of things, and most of it was met with a groan, because it meant having to leave the house and be away from the screen."
Like many parents, Emily found herself balancing the need for her children to be tech savvy with the risk of overusing screens, a common issue for adults too. New research from Virgin Media O2 found that more than half (56%) of children aged 8 to 16 say their parents' unintentional phone use causes them to miss important family moments, while 58% wish their parents were more present when they're together.
Breaking the cycle before secondary school
The nationwide study also found that parents are significantly more likely to fall into automatic scrolling habits, with 43% struggling to use their phones intentionally. Determined to break the cycle before her son started secondary school, Emily implemented a simple rule this summer: no screens first thing in the morning.
Now, mornings start at the kitchen table over breakfast, screen-free, letting 45 minutes pass before any devices are turned on. She has capped his gaming—mostly creative offline play on his Nintendo Switch or playing Minecraft—and firmly put her foot down on social media and online gaming.
Immediate results
Emily claimed the results were almost immediate. She said: "It's been so much better for my mental health not to start the day scrolling and comparing our family to everyone else's 'perfect' lives on social media. And for my son, I'm getting a solid answer out of him the first time I speak, instead of that dazed, distracted look. When my son comes up to me and asks me a question, I'm not saying 'in a minute I'm just finishing this'. I'd hate to think of him looking back on his childhood and thinking all my mum was ever doing was on her phone."
As an ACE tutor working in an all-girls secondary school, Emily sees the harsh reality of screen use and social media every day. She said: "A good 75% of the issues we support the girls with are around social media and group chats. Seeing the effect all of that screen usage had on my 18-year-old daughter while raising her as a teenager made me think much harder about it. She became dependent on it very quickly, and it was quite a hard battle to face. I look back and think, I don't fancy doing round two with that again."
Advice for other parents
With 85% of children in the Virgin Media O2 study stating that family time is more enjoyable when everyone gives each other their full attention, Emily offered some guidance for parents wanting to make a change.
She said: "I would just say finding something that works for your family, because what works for mine might not necessarily work for families that have a larger number of children in the household. Knowing your children, knowing what boundaries to set for them, be realistic with your goals. I think if you're going to go from, you know, daily screen time to then all of a sudden we're not having any, I think that's going to be a really hard change to make and find the balance with. Be kind to yourself as a parent as well. Summer holidays are not easy. They can be quite hard at times. And with the daily, what are we doing today? So I think a healthy balance that works for your family, you know, is best."
Virgin Media O2's response
Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Virgin Media O2, said: "Summer holidays are a chance for families to spend quality time together, but we know modern family life is busy, and parents are often balancing work, childcare, and everything in between. Our research shows many are getting caught in unintentional phone habits without even realising it. This isn't simply about individual behaviour. Many of the digital services we use every day are designed to keep us engaged, making it easy to spend longer on our phones than we intended. Understanding those habits is the first step towards building a healthier relationship with technology. At Virgin Media O2, we believe our role goes beyond keeping people connected. That's why we're investing in long-term research, trusted partnerships and practical tools to help people better understand their digital habits and feel more informed, more confident and more in control of how they use technology."
