Digital Wellbeing

Digital wellbeing means feeling in control of your digital life. At Virgin Media O2, we’ve developed this manifesto to demonstrate how we help you to use technology on your own terms.

We want you to have the power to decide how, when and where technology fits into your everyday life. By being transparent and thoughtful in the decisions we make, we aim to deliver experiences that support your wellbeing – both online and offline.

Being connected and spending time online is at the centre of our digital society – in how we work, learn and socialise. For over 20 years, we’ve connected the UK with the best and fastest technology available, tackling data poverty and closing the digital divide between urban and rural areas.

But getting people online isn’t the end of the story – or where our work stops. An internet connection is more than just wires and cables. It’s a window to the world. As a mobile and broadband provider, our commitment – while enabling you to get online – is to make your wellbeing our priority. That’s why we work hard to reduce harm occurring on our network and give parents practical tools and advice to help keep their kids safe online.

We understand that life online can sometimes feel overwhelming. We’ve seen how online platforms have evolved over the years and how that’s impacting people as they use our services and experiences.

The constant flow of notifications, nudges, personalised feeds and gamified interactions designed to hold our attention is contributing to major changes in people’s emotions and behaviour. The rise of generative AI, while undoubtedly beneficial in a number of ways, is also normalising fake and misleading content, making it even harder to tell facts from fiction and increasing potential for harm. These factors and so much more are reinforcing a harmful digital culture that discourages critical thinking, leading to passive and compulsive engagement, and impacts the wellbeing of our communities.

The burden and responsibility to navigate the online landscape is loaded on individuals, families, teachers and communities. But it’s not a level playing field. Our aim is to support people of all ages who use our services, so they can have a healthy relationship and positive experience with technology.

Be a trusted partner for customers of all ages to navigate and support a healthy relationship with technology.

1. Your digital wellbeing is rooted in our respect for your fundamental rights

2. We make responsible technology decisions to support your digital wellbeing

3. We provide clarity and empower you with choices for your life online 

4. We invest in both online and offline time

5. We help you have conversations with others on digital wellbeing

We respect your rights and freedoms, in particular your data protection and privacy rights and your freedom to express yourself, as essential to your digital experience. We build our digital wellbeing approach alongside our commitment to uphold and respect internationally recognised human rights and apply the latest learning from the digital rights movement to shape our products and services.

Action:

• We implement data protection and privacy by design – by building privacy considerations into the design of our systems and services from the very beginning.

• We take a proactive and intelligent approach to cybersecurity to protect your experience and prevent online risks.

• We block harmful sites on our network when there’s a legal basis to do so to protect our customers.

Find out more:

• Human Rights statement

• Modern slavery statement

• Virgin Media’s and O2’s privacy policies

• Fraud, scams and unwanted call protection on O2

• Fraud and Security Hub on Virgin Media

• We’re a member of the Internet Watch Foundation

The benefits of digital technologies are also giving rise to new challenges for individuals and society. We know that the choices we make today as a business can enhance or undermine wellbeing for years to come. So, we take steps to identify, prevent and mitigate potential negative impacts by using our position as an industry leader to develop innovative technical solutions.

Action:

• We make design choices in our apps and websites that combat compulsive use.

• As one of the UK’s largest advertisers, we know that digital advertising underpins much of the internet economy and take our responsibility seriously. We explore innovative ways to connect and communicate, and scrutinise the platforms where we advertise to make sure they meet our standards for brand safety and transparency.

• We recognise both the innovative potential of AI, as well as the complexity and responsibility of use. We view AI as an evolving toolset that requires evaluation for it to meet our values and your needs.

Find out more:

• We’re a member of the Conscious Advertising Network (CAN) and adhere to The CAN Guiding Principles

• We’re also a member of the Responsible Media Forum

We invest in digital wellbeing to give you the tools and support you need to make those small changes that’ll develop into long‑term healthy online habits. We consider the most vulnerable people first when we design digital wellbeing solutions within our network and services.

Action:

• We’re establishing ourselves as a leader in data protection and privacy in the UK, with an approach grounded in accountability, fairness and trust, giving you clear information to help you make informed choices about your online life.

• We offer a range of devices and products to suit your tech preferences.

• We provide free network filtering by age group, and help you apply settings on devices and platforms for the best experience.

Find out more:

• O2 - Keeping Kids Safe Online

• Age restricted content and age verification

• What is Virgin Media Essential Security? | Virgin Media O2

• O2 Extra – McAfee protection bundle

• Mobile Phone Deals | Compare Our Best Phone Contracts

• Virgin Media Advanced security

Balancing online and offline time is key to digital wellbeing. We support you to get more from your connectivity, while investing in shared offline experiences – so you can do more of what you love.

Action:

• We invest in our mobile and broadband networks to ensure reliable connectivity for our customers when they need it.

• We reward our customers with live music, sport and family-oriented experiences, away from screens, through Priority from O2.

Find out more:

• Our investment in the UK network:  Virgin Media O2 to supercharge network reliability with £700m Mobile Transformation Plan

Virgin Media O2’s sponsorships:

• England Rugby | Sponsorship | O2

• The O2 | Sponsorship

• Our venues | Sponsorship | O2

• FanFair Alliance

• Putting fans first: why we need to shake up the ticket resale market, and our response to the UK Government’s consultation - Virgin Media O2

Our mission is to help power the digital wellbeing movement. Our campaigns and investment in communities aim to drive digital literacy and digital wellbeing for all. We invest in research so our actions are backed by evidence and make a difference in the everyday lives of people of all ages.

Action:

• We fund evidence-led, publicly available research to drive the conversation and necessary action to improve society’s digital wellbeing and digital literacy, while helping tackle the roots of compulsive digital use.

• We work with the government and expert organisations in communities across the UK to improve digital, AI and media literacy and digital wellbeing.

Find out more:

• We’re a member of the Digital Inclusion All Party Parliamentary Group.

• A research initiative with the University of Cambridge.

• We’re a founding member of parental online safety organisation, Internet Matters.

• Find The Right Words - Virgin Media O2.

• Our partnership with the UK government to support parent and children’s media literacy.