All parents want their children to feel safe and healthy—to get the right amount of sleep and to eat nutritious food. In fact, it has recently been reported in the journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health that children who eat their five a day have the best mental health, so it’s more important than ever to carry on encouraging children to eat their dreaded greens. However, the stresses of lockdown, home education and general uncertainty pertaining to the future may mean that children may have developed unhealthy habits over the past year, which can be a great source of worry to many parents.

In a new landmark study by the UK’s most trusted tutoring platform, MyTutor reveals parents’ topline worries for their child’s health this year. The research has revealed that 40% of parents right now are worried that their child is eating poorly as a result of the pandemic. The stress of being socially isolated, learning from home and fearing the spread of the coronavirus has meant that many teens are reaching for junk food and fast food to comfort their nerves, causing further concern for their mental and physical health as a result. Further to these worries, 34% of parents revealed that their child isn’t happy within themselves, with 31% concerned they’re not doing enough exercise, and 8% worried they spend too much time sleeping.

To try and help alleviate some of these worries, a parent from the survey mentioned how replacing some of their teen’s screen time with walks at the weekend helped them both enjoy fresh air and exercise while bringing them closer together. Movement throughout the day encourages better sleep— something we all could use more of.

Key statistics:

40% (4,582,000) of parents worry about whether their child is eating the right things
34% (3,848,000) of parents worry that their child isn’t happy in themselves
31% (3,561,000) of parents worry that their child is not doing enough exercise
8% (960,000) of parents worry that their child spends too much time sleeping

Bertie Hubbard, co-founder and CEO of MyTutor, discusses parental worries as the new academic year begins:
“The impact of the pandemic on UK families has been immense – from education to the mental and physical health of our children and teens. It’s natural for parents to worry about their child, but it’s helpful to remember that everyone is in the same boat, and as the new academic term kicks off, every student has the chance to catch up on lost learning and achieve the best grades they’re capable of. Getting 1-1 support from a tutor can help ease parental worry and teen stress over a whole host of issues. The focus of 1-1 tuition from a subject and curriculum expert means teens can focus on filling in learning gaps. Our tutors are all university students and recent grads, so they double up as role models, offering teens much-needed reassurance and a boost in confidence – 88% students say that lessons made them feel more confident.”

Coinciding with a national TV campaign MyTutor is driving to highlight parental worries post pandemic, today’s research serves as an annual study that will be revisited with a view to supporting parents nationwide.

Today’s research runs alongside a national TV and radio campaign MyTutor is running to highlight how every parent worries about their child and will be run on an annual basis.