# UNESCO’s “Growing up in a connected world”: A family guide

UNESCO is releasing a new feed focussing on digital connection and growth, built and put together in a family friendly manner so that families can become more digitally adept and connected in safe and meaningful ways. Digital technologies have become a very integral part of our everyday lives, affecting adults and especially children. Artificial intelligence, smartphones, and social media have however provided new tools for creativity, communication, and education- their rapid growth have also brought on new challenges for parents and educators. Families have been increasingly exploring how to handle things like screen-time, social media use, and online safety.

Widespread social media exposure from a young age has raised concerns about potential negative cognitive effects on children; UNESCO points to recent studies linking sleep loss in children to increased screen time. Obstacles like these can leave parents, caregivers, and educators feeling unprepared to guide children through this increasingly complex media environment while still respecting children's privacy, rights, and independence.

[![](https://kleinsites-media.s3.amazonaws.com/sites/53/2026/10/13114154/image-2.png)](https://kleinsites-media.s3.amazonaws.com/sites/53/2026/10/13114154/image-2.png)In an effort to address these challenges, this new UNESCO guide aims to equip parents with media and information literacy skills that can help them support children as they navigate the current digital world. The guide uses a combination of scientific research, educational expertise, and the real experiences of parents and children to provide practical and useful guidance for families facing the realities of today’s ever-changing digital technology.

One of the guide’s biggest focusses is identifying an appropriate and healthy balance when considering screen time. The guide encourages families to view technology use from a broader perspective, rather than just positives and negatives. It highlights that families should consider how media is worked into the overall well-being of children’s lives. Moreover, the guide points families to helpful tips when confronting harmful or negative content online, providing tips to help children adopt strategies to avoid this kind of content. The crucix of these pointers provided, is essentially the development of media and information literacy, as well as critical thinking skills. Not only do children need to have rules in place surrounding the time they spend online; rather they also need to be able to identify potential dangerous content, obtain the ability to question content, evaluate said content, and continuously make rational decisions.

Parents, guardians, and educators can encourage and support media literacy skills in children by having conversations about media and technology, and continue to set positive examples through their own media usage habits. Through trust building, communicating, providing healthy examples, and continuing to encourage critical thinking, children can become more responsible, comfortable, and confident users of media.

The guide fundamentally highlights that supporting children in the digital age is a shared responsibility. Families, teachers, and communities all play a major role in aiding young people to benefit from technology and increasingly reduce potential risks. Through the development of prominent media and information literacy skills and fostering open conversations about digital enviornments, adults can help better prepare children to contribute to a much safer, more inclusive, and more informed digital world. UNESCO writes in the guide, "By empowering parents to support their children in an ever-changing digital environment, we can build stronger, more resilient families capable of facing the challenges of the digital age, and thereby strengthen the freedoms that form the foundation of our societies".

To learn more and engage with the full guide, click [here](https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000398455/PDF/398455eng.pdf.multi)!

[![](https://kleinsites-media.s3.amazonaws.com/sites/53/2026/10/13114233/image-3.png)](https://kleinsites-media.s3.amazonaws.com/sites/53/2026/10/13114233/image-3.png)