Parents supported to navigate early years misinformation online
Government kicks off a new national campaign to help parents cut through the bombardment of sometimes unreliable advice and false expectations online.
Life for overwhelmed parents is set to get that bit easier as the government kicks off a new national campaign to help them cut through the bombardment of sometimes unreliable advice and false expectations online.
From Instagram gurus to TikTok tips, turning to online communities is an understandable trend among parents of young children - with new research revealing a third (33%) now scroll social media for support.
However, the vast majority (68%) are battling with conflicting advice that they struggle to trust, causing 7 in 10 (69%) to feel overwhelmed by the amount of information available.
Contributing to this confusion are viral posts that push unverified ‘miracle’ fixes or hacks, with short-form videos from sources offering no evidence to back their claims, often doing more harm than good.
As part of its Plan for Change, the government is driving national renewal by tackling inequality and unlocking opportunity across the country.
Following the rollout of 30 hours government-funded childcare last month, over half a million children are now benefitting from the expertise of this country’s early years professionals, and now, the new Best Start in Life campaign will build on this progress by bringing together trusted NHS and government-backed guidance to help parents with everything from feeding time and sleeping to speech and language, child development, and finding local childcare and family support.
Launching today, a powerful new film featuring expert child psychologist Professor Sam Wass, and new collaboration with Hasbro’s Peppa Pig builds on the government’s package of support. The film points to the importance of reading, chatting, and playing with little ones to help prepare them for school, and helpful content from the Peppa Pig family will feature on the Muddy Puddle Parenting channel.
This comes alongside investment to ensure every family can access in-person support too, as 65 previously unfunded local areas from Devon to Stockton-on-Tees have this week received their share of a £12 million development grant to begin building their Best Start Family Hub offer – ahead of rollout beginning next year.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:
The path to opportunity for every child begins in the early years, and ensuring children are ready to learn and thrive when they start school is vital - yet new parents face an overwhelming amount of conflicting online information.
That’s why we’re cutting through the noise with our new nationwide campaign, giving parents an evidence-backed alternative to the barrage of unchecked and sometimes unreliable advice.Through our Best Start website, Family Hubs or funded childcare, our Plan for Change is making support from trusted professionals available wherever parents turn – giving every child the best possible start in life.
Claire, Parent of four-year-old Alice said:
Since Alice was born, a range of resources have helped me at every stage of my journey as a parent. From guidance on feeding, to funded childcare hours for her nursery, this support has helped ensure that Alice is thriving and allowed me to juggle work and family life – which is particularly important to me as a single mother.
Being a parent comes with plenty of questions, and it can be hard to know where to look for answers, so having access to advice you can trust in one place will make it a lot easier for parents to support their children in reaching their potential.
With celebrity endorsement from the likes of Oti Mabuse, Billie Shepherd and The Kabs Family, and the backing of experts including Professor Sam Wass, the campaign will reach parents across TV, radio and social media, as well as in Family Hubs, GP surgeries, libraries and early years settings.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:
In between sleepless nights, potty training and weaning their children, it’s no wonder so many knackered parents feel they need to turn to unverified social media posts for advice about their child’s health and development.
But it’s vital they get reliable information – and that’s why this Best Start in Life campaign is so important, and the health benefits are so clear. When parents get the right advice on things like nutrition, sleep and development, children arrive at school ready to learn, with stronger immune systems and better mental health that can last a lifetime.
As a child who grew up in poverty, I know how critical it is for parents to have access to evidence-based, expert advice exactly when and where they need it, and this campaign is providing exactly that.
Professor Stephen Scott, Professor Emeritus at King’s College London, and the King’s Maudsley Partnership said:
A new evidence review conducted and published by King’s College London, part of the King’s Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People, has found that analysis from shows that many parents are negatively impacted by the breadth of information available and the weak credibility of some sources can affect their confidence and even prevent them from making key parenting decisions.
To help tackle the consequences of ‘information overwhelm’, it’s important for parents to have easily accessible, trusted resources to help cut through online noise and misinformation.
As part of its Plan for Change commitment to get tens of thousands more children school ready each year, the government has vowed to join-up and roll out vital services.
That includes thousands of school-based nurseries, Best Start Family Hubs in every local area, free breakfast clubs in every school and backing for the Holiday Activities and Food Programme for another three years.
The £12 million Best Start Family Hubs development grant distributed this week builds on existing efforts to break down barriers, supporting areas to identify an appropriate site to reach disadvantaged families and prepare to deliver evidence-based programmes and support.
The grant comes on top of an over £500 million investment to create up to 1,000 hubs across the country, rolling out from April 2026.
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