Parents struggle with children’s digital, mental health needs: Survey
A 2025 survey found many parents lack confidence in understanding and responding to their children’s digital habits and mental health needs. Only 17% of parents saw a direct link between their children’s mental health struggles and cyber or online causes.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
A 2025 survey found many parents struggle to understand and address their children’s digital habits and mental health needs. TOUCH Community Services launched DigitallyUs@Marine Parade, Singapore’s first integrated centre offering digital wellness and mental health support for youths and families.
Imagine you're playing a game or scrolling through social media, but you're feeling overwhelmed and stressed. That's what's happening to many young people in Singapore. A new centre called DigitallyUs is trying to help parents and youth understand and address these issues by providing a safe and supportive space for them to learn and grow.
Analysis
Understanding the Gap in Parental Confidence
A 2025 survey of over 300 parents in Singapore found that many lack confidence in understanding and responding to their children’s digital habits and mental health needs. While almost three in five parents said their children had experienced mental health struggles in the past year, only 17% of this group saw a moderate to direct link between these struggles and cyber or online causes. This highlights a significant gap in parental understanding and support for their children’s digital well-being.
The Launch of DigitallyUs@Marine Parade
To address this gap, TOUCH Community Services launched DigitallyUs@Marine Parade, Singapore’s first integrated centre offering digital wellness and mental health support for youths and families. The centre includes four components: outreach and advocacy, MINDCove, targeted intervention and counselling programmes, and Connection Cove. MINDCove is an immersive, sensory-based learning space where youth step into guided scenarios that reflect real digital situations, such as cyberbullying. This allows them to learn to recognise their thoughts and emotions and practise how to regulate their responses in the moment.
The Importance of Digital Wellness
Wendy Tan, deputy director of TOUCH Cyber Wellness, noted that gaming and social media may help young people cope with stress, loneliness, or anxiety, but they can also affect mood, relationships, and well-being. She highlighted the need for parents to understand what their children are facing online and the kind of pressures they are undergoing. The new centre aims to engage more than 16,000 young people and parents over the next three years through school programmes, parent education, early intervention, counselling, and ongoing community support.
The Impact of DigitallyUs
The launch of DigitallyUs@Marine Parade has the potential to make a significant impact on the digital well-being of Singapore’s youth. By providing a comprehensive and integrated approach to digital wellness and mental health support, the centre can help parents and youth develop healthier digital habits and improve their mental health outcomes.
Key points
- A 2025 survey found many parents lack confidence in understanding and responding to their children’s digital habits and mental health needs.
- Only 17% of parents saw a direct link between their children’s mental health struggles and cyber or online causes.
- TOUCH Community Services launched DigitallyUs@Marine Parade, Singapore’s first integrated centre offering digital wellness and mental health support for youths and families.
- The centre includes four components: outreach and advocacy, MINDCove, targeted intervention and counselling programmes, and Connection Cove.
If DigitallyUs@Marine Parade is successful, it could lead to a significant reduction in the number of young people experiencing mental health struggles related to digital use. This could also lead to improved relationships between parents and youth, as well as better overall well-being for the community.
However, there are also potential risks associated with the launch of DigitallyUs@Marine Parade. For example, the centre may not be able to reach all of the young people who need its services, or it may not be able to provide the level of support that is needed. Additionally, there may be concerns about the centre's ability to address the root causes of digital-related mental health struggles, rather than just treating the symptoms.
