
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
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
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...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
19/03/2026
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, is pleased to announce the appointment of Rob Stanley as Regional Sales Manager - UK & Northern Euro...
19/03/2026
The recently announced joint venture between Accedo One and Magine Pro has been officially launched as Leyra. The new company will combine the two complementary...
19/03/2026
Budapest, Hungary, March 2026 - Demand for traditional matrix switching remains strong across live events, rental and staging markets. With a reputation for rel...
19/03/2026
DPA Microphones adds to its CORE microphone selection with the 4097 CORE Micro Shotgun, which delivers a new level of clarity, headroom and sonic transparency...
19/03/2026
Starfish Technologies will present the latest releases of its TS Splicer (Win) and TS Splicer (K8) at NAB Show 2026, together with a new Monitoring Dashboard de...
19/03/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming solutions, has announced that TrueVisions NOW, a leading streaming platform in Thailand, and part of the TrueVis...
19/03/2026
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced significant enhancements to its XOS Advanced Media Processor that lower the cost of broadcast distribution while enablin...
19/03/2026
Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufacturer of award-winning signal processing products, and a founding partner in the openGear initiative has announ...
19/03/2026
Magewell a developer of innovative, high-performance video I/O and IP workflow solutions will be at the 2026 NAB Show on booth C6113. In addition to several...
19/03/2026
Triveni Digital, a trusted leader in ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 service delivery, data broadcasting and quality assurance solutions, today announced it will showcase...
19/03/2026
2026 NAB Show Exhibitor Preview
April 19 22
Las Vegas
Booth N.1328
Summary:
At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, Imagine Communications will showcase the lat...
19/03/2026
Broadcast playout leader highlights innovation and industry collaboration
Pebble, the leading automation, content management and integrated channel specialist...
19/03/2026
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking technologies, is highlighting remarkable advances in performance at NAB Show (booth N1...
19/03/2026
Intinor will showcase several new developments to the Direkt platform at NAB 2026, including enhanced SRT monitoring, expanded HDR transport capabilities and su...
19/03/2026
Broadcasters are rebuilding live operations workflows around IP delivery as satellite and dedicated fibre distribution decline, according to new research from C...
19/03/2026
Berklee Popular Music Institute's 24th Showcase Channels '80s Prom Nosta...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
How Chris Bolte Builds the Sound of PlayStation Games Chris Bolte '16 is a technical sound designer at Sucker Punch Productions, where he helps create the...
19/03/2026
Other Voices presents a legendary night of music as Foo Fighters bring their stadium anthems to St James' Church, An Daingean. The surprise performance teas...
19/03/2026
***Issued by RT on behalf of RTS Ireland Awards / Gradaim RTS 2026...
19/03/2026
It's a double feature on GFN Thursday. This week, GeForce NOW offers smoother sights in virtual reality (VR) and a sprawling new land to conquer.
Streaming...
18/03/2026
Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4.
Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...
18/03/2026
SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...
18/03/2026
The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...
18/03/2026
(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...
18/03/2026
Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville
Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...
18/03/2026
Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded
Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...
18/03/2026
Mix-reference plug-in overhauled
iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...
18/03/2026
Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives
Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...
18/03/2026
Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture
18 March, 2026
Media releases
New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...
18/03/2026
Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...
18/03/2026
London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...
18/03/2026
SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations
Brie Clayton March 18, 2026
0 Comments
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...
18/03/2026
Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K
Brie Clayton March 18, 2026
0 Comments
LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...
18/03/2026
Brainstorm transforms productivity and sustainability with Suite 7 at NAB Show 2...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...