A Parents’ Guide to Digital Play

Join us in exploring digital play for kids, and what you can do to feel empowered when it comes to keeping everyone safe and happy online.

Happy kids = happy parents, right? To ensure your kids thrive online, we’re going to help you get to grips with digital play – a whole, wonderful world to explore together.

Today’s childhood experiences look a little different to those of our own. Namely, they now include exploring digital spaces. And while the online world undoubtedly offers endless play possibilities, it might also come with some worries for parents. That’s why we’ve put together this guide on how to make your kids’ experiences of the digital landscape as positive and safe as can be.

Hey grown-ups! We know you’re super-duper busy, so check out our speedy summary below, or skip further down the page to read about cyberbullying in more detail.

• Digital play has endless opportunities for fun, but it doesn’t come without its worries for parents and caregivers.
• While digital play nurtures creativity in what can be an integrated, collaborative environment, it can also be a solitary, sedentary experience that carries risks of sharing personal information online.
• Our brilliant Build & Talk series is designed to help spark conversations about digital play in a fun and interactive way (if we do say so ourselves...).
• You can further support your kids by having open family conversations around digital play, including making agreements on when and how it’s appropriate to engage in digital play.

Keeping up with the kids

Just like traditional play, digital play has seemingly endless opportunities for fun – from coloring in sparkly unicorns and earning points through puzzles, to bringing your imagination to life through an online story generator. It all stimulates that magical kid superpower… imagination!

And while we might not care to admit it, when it comes to technology, sometimes (okay, okay, a lot of the time) we’re the ones learning from our kids – the ‘digital natives’ in our lives. And while most parents might be happy to let their kids take the lead on the latest dance trends or must-have games, there’s one area parents are nervous to relinquish control of, and that’s online play.

At the risk of sounding like ‘the fun police’, we’re here to show you that there is a way for kids to enjoy digital play safely and prove that you can have important conversations with them around this topic in a friendly, upbeat way. First, let’s chat about the benefits vs. the risks...

The benefits of digital play

It might not come as a surprise to you that here at the LEGO Group, we believe in the power of play, in all its forms! Thankfully, we’re not the only ones (that might be a bit lonely); 93% of you told us in our LEGO® Play Well Study 2022 that play – including digital play – helps your kids develop their creativity, as well as a whole host of other benefits. Here are some of our favorite plus points for digital play, as well as a couple of pointers for things to look out for when it comes to keeping kids safe and savvy.

Creativity: Whether you’ve got a wallflower or a star of the show, there are creative ways to play online for every child (even every mood, because as parents know, no two days are ever the same!). From coloring and storytelling to learning to sing and dance, there are endless adventures to enjoy online.

Collaboration: Digital play doesn’t have to be a one-player game. Whether they let you in on the action, or instead take off with pals or siblings, having fun in the digital space can help to forge and foster friendships as well as encourage collaborative problem-solving skills.

Integrated play: In news that will shock absolutely no one reading this, kids love to tap, tap, tap to try things out online. That doesn’t have to mean that their play is one-dimensional, though (which, frankly, would be rather boring). There are plenty of ways little ones can combine forces to play across both the physical world and the digital space at the same time, stretching their imaginations even further.

The risks of digital play

Sharing personal information: If grown-ups struggle to know what not to share online, imagine how challenging it is for our kids! That’s why talking to them about what is and isn’t safe to share online is so important.

Psst – check out this handy activity pack to help you spark conversations on this very topic!

Sedentary play: While we might all long for five minutes’ peace, for the most part, we really want to keep those busy little bodies active and alert. Lots of games online involve sitting still, so think about introducing breaks or finding games that combine online play with movement, for a better balance.

Practical pointers for staying safe online

Build & Talk: Allow us to introduce you to the LEGO Build & Talk series. Suuuuure, we might be a little biased, but seriously, this handy collection of stories helps parents turn online safety chats into fun, playful activities. You quite literally build and talk (see what we did there?) your way through different scenarios in the ‘digital forest’, learning about topics such as cyberbullying, screen time and more, as you go.

Know your settings: We’ve all been there – the bill comes through from the app store, and suddenly your bank account is £25 lighter and you’re the proud owner of forty golden nuggets. Make sure you’re checking the settings on your devices to manage everything from content filters and location services through to money matters and password-protected apps.

Psst – check out this useful activity pack that’ll help you explore online security with your child!

Accessibility: You might want to implement rules about how, when and for how long your kids can engage in digital play. If that’s the case, try coming to an agreement together, chatting about the whys and hows, before getting the agreement recorded and displayed somewhere the whole family can see it – that could be on a poster, or built out of LEGO bricks!

Educational fun vs. downtime: Our devices can be powerful learning tools as well as limitless playthings, and it’s nice to know the difference. Chat with your kids about how they use their phones, tablets or computers for active learning, downtime, and the benefits of both – this will give them a sense of independence and self-awareness around their digital playtime.

Screen time: There are lots of thoughts and theories around limiting screen time for kids, but what is perhaps more important to consider is the activity they’re engaging in, rather than the hours they spend doing it. Binging videos for three hours might not be the most beneficial use of online time, but connecting with family who live far away, or activities that help support kids’ learning or literacy – whether they realize it or not – might be! When you notice your kids engaging in an activity you don’t consider to be so beneficial, encourage them to switch to an activity that you feel is (that you also know they enjoy!) – it’s a win-win.

You might not be able to shield your child from every bump and bruise, but we hope we’ve helped kick-start a safe space to talk about – and practice – experiencing fun family play online!