How did families talk about well-being?

We asked families about how they understood the idea of 'well-being'. Families expressed a wide range of perspectives, which is unsurprising given that diverse experiences, practices, beliefs, values and histories play a role in how people understand the world around them. One of the ideas that became important to us during the research was that well-being can be understand in different ways. In particular, the ways in which people seek and experience well-being in their lives are frequently differentiated in terms of being hedonic (seeking enjoyment, pleasure and comfort) or eudaimonic (functions that enable self-growth and self- actualisation). In our research, families highlighted different ways in which both hedonic and eudaimonic dimensions of well-being were perceived to be important for children.

Across the four countries, parents and carers very often talked about well-being as holistic, emphasising physical and mental aspects. A balanced lifestyle with time for many different experiences and activities was frequently highlighted as being important for children's well-being. Parents and carers often associated well-being with feelings of fulfilment. However, fulfilment was also understood in different ways, with some people highlighting hedonic components, such as enjoyment and comfort, and others foregrounding eudaimonic components, such as a sense of purpose, mastery and self-actualisation. Agency was also often perceived to be connected to well-being. Parents and carers expressed different perceptions of agency that aligned with both hedonic and eudaimonic dimensions. 

Well-being was frequently perceived to be relational. For some parents and carers, this was expressed in terms of how a sense of belonging might contribute to feelings of comfort, safety and happiness. Other parents and carers perceived the connection between relationality and well-being to be more of a reciprocal process in which interdependence and mutual affirmation were highlighted. 

All parents and carers perceived hedonic components such as feelings of enjoyment and comfort to be important components of children's well-being. A smaller number of parents and carers also identified eudaimonic components such as resilience and perseverance as important. In some cases, parents and carers perceived there to be potential conflicts between hedonic and eudaimonic dimensions of well-being.

What sort of things were affecting children's well-being during the study?

A range of issues were impacting upon children’s well-being during the course of the study. Issues relating to children’s bodies and sense of self included changes in identity and self-image as children got older or experienced transitions in their lives. Physical injuries, illness, long-term health issues and diagnoses also impacted on children's well-being. 

In terms of relationships, many children were navigating a range of issues associated with friendship and peer group dynamics, sibling relationships, relationships with parents and carers, and with teachers and other authority figures. Some children were also experiencing bereavement following the death of a family member or a pet. 

Issues relating to environments also played a role. Physical safety and access to secure outside play space was an issue for some families. Meanwhile, parents’ workloads and other commitments created time pressures within some households, while some children were experiencing changes in their lives, following parental divorce and separation. Issues relating to school routines, cultures and expectations impacted upon some children’s well-being. Transitions to new countries, homes and schools had both positive and negative impacts on children’s well-being. 

How did families understand the relationship between children's digital play and their well-being?

Parents and carers expressed complex views. In some cases, parents and carers perceived some digital play experiences to be valuable for well-being, and others less so. Parents and carers frequently perceived there to be a positive association between digital play and children’s feelings of enjoyment, happiness, joy, relaxation and calmness. Some parents and carers connected digital play with feelings of frustration; however, this was not always viewed in a negative light but rather as an opportunity to build dispositions such as resilience and perseverance. 

Parents and carers often felt that digital play enabled their children to experience feelings of autonomy and competence. Many parents and carers talked about ways in which digital play enabled their children to explore and build a sense of identity. However, in a smaller number of cases  parents and carers had some concerns about the impact of social media upon children’s identity construction. A few parents and carers spoke of their concerns about the risk of gaming addiction whilst also perceiving their child’s digital play to be a calming or enjoyable experience. 

Parents and carers identified several ways in which digital play supported children’s well-being in terms of relationships. Some parents and carers said that digital play enabled their children to connect with family and friends in physical spaces. Parents and carers also talked about affordances for social connections in digital or online spaces. In terms of environments, parents and carers often perceived that digital play enabled their children to establish a common point of reference with peers and Siblings, and hence to experience a sense of belonging. 

Some parents expressed concerns about safety in online environments and many of them had implemented security measures to mediate against these risks. In other cases, parents and carers said that digital play made a positive contribution to well-being because it provided a safe context for playing with friends compared to unsupervised play outside on the street and in other public spaces. 

The image on this page is representative of a particular family in our dataset. The illustration was created for our project by Alexandra Francis, an independent illustrator, designer, and animator based in Manchester (UK). Find out more about her work at https://alexandrafrancis.com/.