In the News

Government's mental health plans to leave hundreds of thousands of children without needed support, MPs warn

The Department for Education today (8 May) updated their “Supporting Mental Health in Schools and Colleges” survey and case studies with schools on activities to support pupils’ mental health and wellbeing.

A mum has shared a warning to other parents about the dangers of “The Deodorant Challenge” after the new playground craze left her daughter with second-degree burns. The Independent reports.

Experts have suggested that to effectively support children’s mental health, there is an urgent and significant need for additional resources and provision in schools.

We’ve heard a lot in recent months about the dark side of social media: excessive use to the point of addiction, lack of privacy, and data capture without informed consent. But in all of this melee, now is the time to remember that the way we use social medial is up to us

There's a difference between technical access and reading access – too much online content is too difficult for pupils to read, writes Lord Jim Knight

The difference between bullying and banter has been talked about for decades. Where does playful ‘joshing’ turn into something hurtful and potentially bullying?

Mind has started working on children’s and young people’s mental health over the past few years, providing support and identifying the need to strengthen mental health services in schools.

Instagram is getting a makeover, with a slew of new features already being rolled out to the photo-sharing platform.

New NSPCC and O2 research has revealed that one in four young people have been contacted over social media by an adult they don’t know, with a third of these children aged under 13.

Fortnite automatically lets users speak to other gamers using built-in voice and text chat functions. This, claims the NSPCC, allows children to be contacted by anyone else playing the game.

The app aims to encourage good behaviour and to communicate with parents, with children awarded points for working hard and perseverance

The reasons behind the practice are complex and deeply rooted in culture and belief, but it is a clear human rights violation and a form of gender-based discrimination.

A new feature called "sleep mode" allows you to set boundaries for when your kids can and can’t use the chat app

Nationally, more than 6,000 such crimes were recorded by police in England and Wales from April 2013 to last December.

Mental health counselling for primary school pupils who need it could provide long-term benefits for the economy, a study by a charity has suggested.

The number of cases of peer-on-peer abuse in schools reported to a support charity has doubled in four years.

Snapchat has hit back at the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner for “spreading misinformation” about its privacy settings. Last week, Arfon Jones expressed his “horror” over the social media app’s mapping device, which he claimed shows exactly where a child is unless privacy settings are switched on.

WhatsApp is raising the minimum age limit of its users to 16 across Europe. Users of the popular instant messaging service currently have to be at least 13 years old, but the company is enforcing stricter rules ahead of the introduction of new data privacy rules in the EU next month.

An estimated 200,000 children in England living with alcohol-dependent parents are to be given faster access to mental health services and support for their families under government plans.