UK Government announces a new national campaign to help parents 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 scrolling social media for support.
However, new research from King's College London and the King's Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People has found that 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 roll out of 30 hours government-funded childcare last month, over half a million children will now benefit 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.
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 roll out beginning next year.
"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."
Professor Stephen Scott, Professor Emeritus at King's College London and the King's Maudsley Partnership
Professor Stephen Scott, Professor Emeritus at King's College London, part of the King's Maudsley Partnership said, "Our evidence review found 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."
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.
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."
Hazards of Online Advice for Parents of Young Children: A Scoping Review is available to read here.
A copy of the attitudinal survey of parents and expectant parents, commissioned by the Department of Health & Social Care and Department for Education, can be found here.
