Helpline warns of sickening trend of children filming attacks on other children
- The National Bullying Helpline has told of an “escalating problem of children filming violence against children then uploading to social media”.
- An attack in Rochdale happened before Easter, where one 13-year-old girl was recorded while being dragged to the ground and kicked in the head.
- The video was then uploaded to social media platforms where it appeared roughly two dozen other children were gathered around the attack.
- Many of the children seemed to know that the attack was planned, with the victim also finding out through social media.
- Christine Pratt, founder of the National Bullying Helpline says they hear of situations like these most week with mostly parents calling to report that they are struggling to persuade the school to take it seriously.
- The attack is now being investigated by the police.
- For more please visit the Sky News website.
New research finds specialists believe social media harms children’s mental health
- Beauty brand Dove has conducted new research for its ‘Dove Self-Esteem Project’.
- It found that eight in 10 youth mental health specialists say social media is fuelling a mental health crisis.
- They found that 50% of children say the ‘toxic beauty culture’ on social media makes them and their friends feel anxious.
- Suzanne Alderson, founder of Parenting Mental Health charity advises parents to “have those open conversations and if you think your child is at risk, report it.”
- For more please visit the Independent’s website.
Dota 2 streamer gets banned from Twitch
- Popular Dota 2 streamer Mason Venne was recently banned on the streaming platform,
- The exact reason as to why he was banned is unknown, but fans have speculated it was due to his behaviour on his last stream.
- It is not Mason’s first ban on the platform, cumulating in 6 bans for the streamer.
- Speculation on subreddit forums speculated that the ban may have been due to his discussion of topics that could be considered racist, sexist or offensive.
- For more please visit the AFK Gaming website.
Parents not reporting missing children due to low trust in police, report warns
- The Metropolitan Police force have been told that low trust and confidence in police may mean that some parents are reluctant to report their children as missing and would instead search themselves instead.
- Baroness Casey’s review warned that the Met is “still not gripping child protection”.
- A new City Hall report highlights fears that these failings are hampering the search for missing children.
- Families often “face frustrating delays and inaccurate information when reporting missing incidents to the Met” as a result of inconsistent responses across different areas of London.
- 9,370 children were reporting missing to the Met in 2022-23 and the Charity ‘Missing People’ believe the true number is estimated to be higher.
- The report also highlighted that children may be exploited into criminal activity and are not viewed as victims but instead are criminalised and opportunities to understand what happened and prevent future disappearances “are often missed.”
- Despite making up 17% of the population, black children accounted for 43% of missing reports in 2022-23.
- The Met have stated they recognise the issues in the report and will work to address the recommendation.
- For more on this story, please visit the Independent’s website.
