Empty Nesters: New research from Sky Mobile reveals almost half of parents (47%) are starting to fret about the prospect of having an empty nest
Call Frequency: Majority of parents (94%) want calls at least weekly
Checking-in: Being too busy with coursework (46%) and not having any updates (23%) amongst the top excuses for students not contacting home
Roll over data: Sky Mobile makes it easier for families to stay connected, with customers able to roll their spare data each month and share it with others
New research from Sky Mobile, voted Best Pay Monthly and Best Value Pay Monthly network by Uswitch, has revealed with students going back to university this September, almost half (47%) of British parents are starting to fret about having an empty nest with 41% admitting that they would like their kids to contact home more frequently.
The study of 2,000 British parents and students found that most parents (94%) are not quite ready for the months of peace and quiet ahead, with parents expecting daily calls from their kids (32%), weekly check-ins (31%) or contact at least three-five times a week (21%).
Sky Mobile has teamed up with actress and presenter, Sheree Murphy, whose daughter, Ruby is off to university this month to share some of her own anecdotes of having an empty nest.
Sheree Murphy, actress and presenter, said, I've always known this moment was coming, but nothing could have prepared me for Ruby heading off to university. As a parent, it's a rollercoaster of emotions. I'm so excited for her and her new adventures, but I'm definitely one of those parents who expects regular video call and thanks to Sky Mobile, Ruby has no excuse as I'll be sharing my data with her for whenever she runs out!
Touching base
When it comes to some of the reasons why students plan to contact home, keeping in touch with family (66%), having a general catch-up (65%) or getting life advice (31%) come up top. Whilst almost a quarter (24%) will call home to check on the family pet and nearly one-in-five to ask for money (17%).
And, if parents are wondering why their children aren't getting in touch more, being too busy with coursework (46%), not having any news to share (23%) and socialising with friends (22%) are amongst the top excuses for children not checking-in.
Delving deeper, the research reveals that most students plan to call their parents (62%), video call (46%) or chat to them via social messaging apps (46%) but almost one in five students say they can't keep in touch as they're low on data or minutes (16%) - with this figure rising to just under one in four (23%) for first year students needing a boost in mobile data or minutes.
Top reasons for contacting home
Top excuses for not contacting home
To check-in on family - 66%
Too busy with coursework - 46%
To have a general catch-up - 65%
Being stressed and don't want to worry parents with problems - 26%
To get life advice - 31%
Don't have any updates - 23%
Being homesick - 28%
Too busy socialising - 22%
For mental health support - 27%
Forgetting - 17%
Contacting tactics
Some of the ways parents plan to hear from their kids more often include organising a visit (31%), inviting them to family events (28%) and sending them a present to let them know they're being thought of (26%). With almost one in ten also planning to send guilt inducing messages to encourage their children to phone home more. Even with these tactics, it's surprising to see that only one fifth (20%) will follow their children on social media.
But not all parents are disheartened over their nests being empty, nearly two-fifths (39%) plan on using their spare time to go on holiday or take up a hobby (35%) and just over a third are excited at the prospect of buying less food (34%).
Paul Sweeney, Managing Director of Sky Mobile said:
Its an exciting time for new and returning students but contacting home may not always be top priority. With Sky Mobile, it's easy for parents to roll their spare data and share it with their kids for an extra data boost, helping families to stay connected.
Unlike other network providers, Sky Mobile lets you keep all their data for up to three years. Every month any spare data rolls into your Piggybank ready for you to use later or share with family. Spare data can be shared with up to 7 SIMs on the account or can be exchanged for rewards, like accessories or money off a new phone.
For more details on Sky Mobile visit sky.com/mobile.
Note to editors:
Research conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Sky Mobile. Total sample size was 2,000 18+ UK respondents of parents and students. Survey conducted online between Wednesday 8th - Monday 12th September 2021.
Sky Mobile benefits at a glance:
Roll - Every month your spare data rolls into your Sky Piggybank ready for you to use later or to share with your family
Watch - Unlimited streaming of Sky apps so you can enjoy live sports, the best shows and kids' favourites without using your data
Text to Switch - Simply text PAC to 65075 to get your switching code. We'll take care of the rest
Swap - Upgrade to a shiny new phone anytime you like and save money when you swap your old one
Mix - Change data plans whenever you like
Piggybank - Share spare data in your Sky Piggybank with up to seven SIMs on your account or exchange it for rewards
For more details on Sky Mobile visit sky.com/mobile.
For further information, please contact the Red Sky Mobile team via skymobileteam@redconsultancy.com or the Sky Mobile team directly via: gemma.ratton@sky.uk / jillian.reilly@sky.uk
About Sky
Sky is Europe's leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of Comcast Corporation. Across six countries, we connect our 23.4 million customers to the best entertainment, sports, news and arts including our ow
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
08/05/2026
One-button synth generates random four-track ideas
Cyma Forma and French artist Bambounou have announced RND synth, a compact hardware synthesizer built aro...
08/05/2026
Portable four-layer granular and sampling instrument
Tasty Chips have announced the GR-2, a new granular synthesizer and sampling instrument that combines e...
08/05/2026
Video Show Report
Video of SUPERBOOTH 26: Polyend Drums
Polyends big announcement for Superbooth 2026 is the Drums, a new drum machine that features both ...
08/05/2026
Deal agreed as NI enters new chapter
Native Instruments CEO Nick Williams has announced that a definitive agreement has been signed for the company to be ac...
08/05/2026
Video Show Report
Video of SUPERBOOTH 26: Erica Bullfrog Drums
The Bullfrog Drums is the latest collaboration between Erica Synths and Richie Hawtin, and ...
08/05/2026
In our latest blog, Tim Pearson reflects on the recent launch of Play Snooker, the new digital home of snooker by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker A...
08/05/2026
Pete reunites with Dogs Trust for a fourth series and a two-part overseas special
London, Friday 8th May 2026: The award winning factual entertainment series P...
08/05/2026
Wuppertal May 8, 2026
Riedel to Support Glasgow 2026 as Official Connectivity Integration Provider Riedel Communications today announced its return as a spons...
08/05/2026
ICG is excited to share news of our official launch in Northern Ireland, marking a significant milestone in the agency's growth.
Led by Digital Marketing M...
08/05/2026
Over the past ten years, Thames Water, in partnership with Arqiva, has installed more than 1.2 million smart meters, creating one of the most extensive advanced...
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
January 8, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), a leader in high-performance, on-s...
07/05/2026
February 9, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning pioneer i...
07/05/2026
March 20, 2024
NAB 2024, Las Vegas - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-awa...
07/05/2026
April 1, 2025
CINEMACON, APRIL 1, 2025 - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming syste...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), an Academy and Emmy Award-winning de...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront participated in the ICTA Barcelona Cinema Technology Summit on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Held at The Phenomena Experience, the event feat...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Passion and dedication will take you places. Come with us on a short trip to the heart of India, where Annapurna Studios is living-up to the inspi...
07/05/2026
July 3, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
September 1, 2025
IBC 2025, Amsterdam - Colorfront (colorfront.com) - the Acade...
07/05/2026
April 17, 2026
LOS ANGELES - April 17, 2026 - Colorfront today announced Colorf...
07/05/2026
April 23, 2026
NAB 2026, Las Vegas - the Academy and Emmy Award-winning develop...
07/05/2026
Comscore to Announce First Quarter 2026 Financial ResultsRESTON, Va., May 7, 2026 - Comscore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), a trusted partner for planning, transacting a...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky continues Sphere Abacus partnership with The Death of S...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky Confirms Saturday Night Live UK will return this September for Series Two
Saturday Night Live UK will return for a second series, as S...
07/05/2026
Save 20% on the Sky Glass Gen 2 and Sky Glass Air TVsThursday 7 May 2026
How to watch the World Cup on Sky Glass
Tune into the World Cup on the BBC and ITV vi...
07/05/2026
Production sound mixer Dirk Sciarrotta has mixed Family Feud for 28 seasons. Thats up to 200 syndicated episodes per year, plus primetime celebrity specials - a...
07/05/2026
As audience expectations have evolved, Owen has stopped trying to hide microphones or excuse amplification. Instead, he treats sound as a fully immersive part o...
07/05/2026
Well known Irish faces pushed to the edge in new series of
Uncharted with Ray G...
07/05/2026
RT will premiere A Traveller Family, a compelling new documentary exploring the...
06/05/2026
New pricing tiers for vocal/dialogue restoration tool
NoiseWorks Audio's AI-powered vocal and dialogue processing plug-in is now available in three diff...
06/05/2026
Popular mixing & routing software overhauled
Following a recent public beta test, RME have launched the final release version of the powerful mixing and rou...
Empty Nesters: New research from Sky Mobile reveals almost half of parents (47%) are starting to fret about the prospect of having an empty nest
