Kids glued to TikTok this summer? Here’s how to make their screen time actually count
From football tips with Millie Bright to cabbage-powered science experiments, a new in-app skills can help teens explore new skills — for free
If the summer holidays already feel long and expensive, you're far from alone. A new survey of UK parents reveals that 87% feel stressed when planning summer activities for their teens, and that families are facing childcare costs of up to £1000 per child this summer.
And that’s without factoring in the stress of trying to get teens off their screens and doing something meaningful.
But here's a surprising twist: 9 in 10 British teens are already using social media to learn something new. And TikTok’s just launched a new initiative to tap into that — and, potentially, take a little pressure off parents too.
What is #SummerSkills?
#SummerSkills is a new in-app campaign running on TikTok throughout the school holidays. The idea is to encourage teens to turn passive scrolling into hands-on learning by following themed content weeks on everything from science to poetry, football to well-being. It’s free, designed to be engaging, and aims to help teens pick up real-life skills they can try away from their screens.
Each week brings a different theme, and a different set of experts, creators and organisations leading tutorials and TikTok LIVEs. Teens can drop into the series whenever they like, follow creators that interest them, and explore topics like:
- Sports Week (From 23 July): Chelsea FC Women’s captain and England Lioness Millie Bright shares defensive football tips, fitness recovery advice and the mindset that helped her rise through grassroots sport to the world stage.
- STEM Week (From 4 August): Popular science creator Big Manny demos how to test the pH of everyday items using just red cabbage and boiling water. Teens can also watch a TikTok LIVE with a CERN particle physicist.
- Literature Week (From 11 August): Spoken-word poet @chloecarterwith2rs invites teens to write a poem to their future selves. The Royal Shakespeare Company is also involved, offering creative writing sessions and a special TikTok LIVE from the Gillian Lynne Theatre.
- Music Week (From 18 August): Emerging artists will talk teens through the basics of songwriting and how to find their sound.
- Well-being Week (From 25 August): Therapist @fahima.therapy introduces teens to emotion wheels, sensory calming tools, and techniques for managing stress and anxiety.
Why this might actually work
Despite TikTok’s reputation for dance trends and memes, research shows it’s increasingly used as a discovery and learning tool by young people.
According to Research Without Barriers, 44% of teens use TikTok to explore new interests, and 40% use it to find how-to tutorials, whether that’s learning a football skill, improving their drawing, or even understanding GCSE science topics.
The campaign plays into this trend, but with a clearer structure and a more educational angle. And because the content is in the same style, tone and format teens are already consuming, they’re more likely to engage than they would with a traditional course or summer school.
Millie Bright, who kicked off the campaign this week with an in-person football masterclass, said:
Anybody can learn a new skill as long as they are curious, so grab your friends and family, and challenge them to try something different — you might just surprise yourself
But what about screen time?
Most parents want their teens to do less scrolling over the summer, not more. But TikTok says the goal of #SummerSkills isn’t more time online, it’s better use of the time they already spend there.
While it’s still screen-based, the focus of #SummerSkills is on giving teens a reason to step away and try something, whether that’s dribbling a football, writing a few verses, or experimenting in the kitchen with household science.
How to get your teen involved
If your teen already spends time on TikTok, here’s how to steer them towards something constructive this summer:
- Search #SummerSkills or #LearnOnTikTok in the app
- Follow @TikTok_UK to see weekly updates
- Tune into TikTok LIVEs with creators each week
- Encourage them to try the activity in real life
Whether you’re looking for ways to make screen time feel more worthwhile, or you’re just hoping to stretch your weekly budget a little further, #SummerSkills offers a surprisingly useful solution — and one that teens might actually enjoy.
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Authors
Ruairidh is the Digital Lead on MadeForMums. He works with a team of fantastically talented content creators and subject-matter experts on MadeForMums.