A survey conducted by the UK’s largest online childcare platform has found that bullying is parents’ biggest concern for 2019. Of more than 5,000 parents surveyed, 56% said that they are most worried about bullying at school, followed by other issues such as obesity, gaming addiction, and internet safety. The findings also covered issues including mental health and budget cuts to children’s services.
Research from the UK’s largest online platform for childcare providers, parents, schools, and tutors has revealed the top concerns parents have for their children in 2019.
A survey of more than 5,000 Childcare.co.uk members found that parents are most worried about school bullying above other concerns, including childhood obesity, gaming addiction, internet safety and mental health problems.
The poll asked 5,350 parents and guardians of children aged from three to 12-years-old what they are worried about as parents in 2019.
The full survey results can be found here: www.childcare.co.uk/blog/bullying-2019
The top five concerns for parents in the UK are:
- Bullying at school
- Childhood obesity
- Gaming addiction
- Anxiety and depression
- Internet safety
Of those questioned in the survey, more than half (56%) of parents and guardians said that they are worried about their child being bullied at school. A report by YMCA* England & Wales found that 55% of young people have been bullied about the way they look, with two fifths of those experiencing this bullying at least once per week.
Obesity is the second most common concern according to 40% of parents, while over a third of those surveyed (34%) were concerned about their child developing an addiction to gaming.
Mental health issues such as anxiety and depression were the fourth most common worry for 31% of parents, and 27% selected safety online as a concern.
The findings also show that 18% of parents are concerned about the impact of budget cuts to children’s services, as a report** by the Local Government Association revealed that overall, councils are facing a £3.1 billion funding gap for children’s services by 2025.
Childcare.co.uk is a platform which allows parents to search for and connect with babysitters, childminders, nannies, nurseries, private tutors and schools and also allows childcare providers to advertise their services. The site has more than 1.8 million users nationwide and is the largest online community for parents in the UK having launched in 2009.
Richard Conway, the founder of Childcare.co.uk, said:
“As a parent myself, I’m certainly in agreement with many of our members. Parents worry – it’s natural to have concerns, and these will change over time as your child grows up.
“It’s interesting to see that bullying is the biggest issue for parents. We know that bullying can have a devastating impact on a child’s self-confidence. With so many parents highlighting this as their main concern, we hope that schools across the UK take note and ensure that they are doing everything they can to help children feel safe in the classroom.”
