Social media for family entertainment and play centres: a practical guide for 2026

Your customers are parents and carers, usually local, often deciding on the day. They want to know you are open, what it costs, whether it is busy and whether their children will be safe and happy.

Facebook reaches local parents and parenting groups and suits opening times, parties and holiday sessions. Instagram suits bright photos of the space, new attractions and stories on busy days. A Google Business Profile is where many visits start; Google says you can publish updates, offers and events there. TikTok can work for trampoline parks, bowling and arcades with older children and teenagers.

Source: Google Business Profile Help: Create & manage posts on your Business Profile, checked 15 October 2026

Plan around the school calendar. Term time needs posts for toddlers and quiet weekday sessions; school holidays need opening hours, booking reminders and anything that helps parents fill a day.

• Monday: this week's sessions and opening hours, with prices.
• Tuesday: toddler or SEN-friendly sessions, and who they are for.
• Wednesday: the party room and what is included, with full prices.
• Thursday: a staff member. Who keeps the space clean and safe.
• Friday: weekend availability and any busy times to avoid.
• Stories through the week: the space before opening, cleaning, new toys.
• Before school holidays: hours, booking dates and special sessions, posted early.

Photos of happy children are the most persuasive thing you can post and the most sensitive. Most posts can show the space, equipment and staff without any children at all.

When children do appear, follow safeguarding advice. The NSPCC says children should always be consulted about the use of their photo or video, that for under 16s you should also get parental consent, that names should not be supplied with images, and that location data should be removed before uploading. It suggests a written photography policy shared with families and staff. The ICO says posting to a public account goes beyond personal use, that the law asks for extra care with children's data, and recommends offering an opt-out.

1. Write a photography policy and show it at reception and on your website.
2. Use a written consent form, signed by a parent, for any child who will be identifiable.
3. Never post a child's name, school or age, and remove location data from files.
4. Check the background of every photo for other children before posting.
5. Ask parents not to post other families' children from your centre.
6. Remove a photo promptly if consent is withdrawn.

Sources: NSPCC Learning: Photography and sharing images, checked 15 October 2026; ICO: Taking photos in schools, checked 15 October 2026

Your posts will be seen by children as well as parents. The CAP Code says marketing must not include a direct appeal to children to buy a product or to persuade their parents to buy it for them, and must not encourage children to make a nuisance of themselves to parents. It also says children must not be shown in hazardous situations or behaving dangerously except to promote safety. Write captions for the adults who book, and show equipment being used as intended.

• Avoid captions like 'Tell your mum to bring you this weekend'.
• Do not post clips of children climbing outside nets or misusing equipment.
• Show safety features, staff supervision and cleaning routines.

Source: CAP Code (non-broadcast), Section 05: Children, checked 15 October 2026

Parents compare prices quickly, so be clear. The CMA says a social media post can be an invitation to purchase, that the total price should normally include mandatory charges such as per-transaction booking fees, and that a 'from' price is allowed only if it includes all mandatory charges. If adults or socks are charged for, say so.

Free party giveaways are popular. The ASA says significant conditions such as the closing date should be in the post, and that winners must be chosen at random with evidence kept. Meta's policies say entrants should not be required or encouraged to share or tag others to enter.

• Show the full price per child and per adult, and what a party includes.
• State the age range and height limits for each attraction.
• Include the closing date, prize and how the winner is picked in every giveaway post.

Sources: CMA: Providing clear and accurate information about prices (summary), checked 15 October 2026; ASA AdviceOnline: Promotional marketing, prize draws in social media, checked 15 October 2026; Meta: Pages, Groups and Events Policies (promotions), checked 15 October 2026

Reels of the soft play with a chart song behind them can be muted or removed. Meta's guidelines say commercial use of music needs the appropriate licence, and TikTok says businesses should use its Commercial Music Library. For reviews, ask every family the same way; Google's policy says merchants must not offer incentives for reviews or ask only happy customers. Answer complaints about cleanliness or safety quickly, politely and privately.

Disclosure: this guide is published by Zolyp, an AI social media manager. Zolyp plans a calendar around your content pillars, writes and designs each post, and schedules it to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. You start in review-everything mode, so nothing goes live without your approval. Zolyp does not see your consent records, so whoever approves the week should check every image of a child against them. Brand Brain can hold rules such as never naming children. Plans start at $29/mo. Everything in this guide works just as well done by hand.

• Week 1: list sessions, school holidays, parties and offers for the month.
• Week 2: photograph the space and staff before opening, with no children in shot.
• Week 3: post consented family photos and a party feature.
• Week 4: check which posts led to bookings and repeat them next month.

Sources: Meta: Music Guidelines, checked 15 October 2026; TikTok Ads help: Commercial Music Library, checked 15 October 2026; Maps User Generated Content Policy: Prohibited & restricted content, checked 15 October 2026