“The use of screen time and social media by children and young people has rarely been out of the headlines in recent years.” These might be our words – after all, we’ve said and written such countless times since beginning our blog – but on this occasion, they’re not. On this occasion, these words are...Read More

Since social media became so prevalent, young people’s mental health problems have risen sharply. How sharply? Six-fold, according to a major new study that has just been published. This latest research, which is outlined in the journal Psychological Medicine, tracked trends from 1995 to 2014 and discovered that the number of children and young people...Read More

Time spent reading posts on social media can leave users feeling worse about themselves. – So says Facebook. Letting children use iPhones can lead to an addiction that has negative consequences. -So believe two major investors in Apple, the smartphone manufacturer. Spending too much time online can expose children to ‘significant emotional risk’. -So claims...Read More

So first the good news . . . Bullying – in the traditional sense, at least – is said to no longer be quite the problem it once was in schools in England. This is a conclusion based upon research and figures that the Department for Education has released in recent days to coincide with...Read More

Steve Jobs – the Universal Studios biopic that is scheduled to be released in the UK this week – looks to be a fascinating film and one that we’re looking forward to watching. The most interesting aspect might not be the movie itself, however, but rather an enlightening interview that Kate Winslet, who stars alongside...Read More

There’s a viral photograph that is doing the rounds on Facebook just now . . . It shows a group of teenagers, presumably pictured on a school trip, at an art gallery. Hanging on the walls, all around them, are beautiful paintings in ornate frames. No-one is looking at the art, however, because EVERYONE in...Read More

Could YOUR child climb a tree? Many, we contend, would have no idea how, while others, it’s fair to say, would have little or no inclination. Give them an Xbox (or something similar) and it’d be a different matter . . . That children have, in general terms, become so detached from the great outdoors...Read More

This week – November 17th to 21st 2014 – is Anti-Bullying Week. Bullying in all forms is something that, both as professionals and parents, we feel VERY strongly about. In this, we are far from alone. The internet, so often at the root of the problems that children and teenagers experience, is awash with resources,...Read More

It has been described as a ‘hidden epidemic’. It is time to bring it into the open. The ‘it’ in question is the impact that social media, video games, image sharing platforms and digital communications in other forms are having on children and adolescents and, in particular, their mental health. Think for a moment about...Read More

How often? For how long? These are questions we pose having just read a report from Public Health England suggesting that spending too much time online can lead to certain mental health issues. Young people – children and teenagers – are at the greatest risk. This is a problem that not enough people – in...Read More