New technology could leave children lonely, according to the Children’s Commissioner for England.

Maggie Atkinson questioned if activities and video games left children with “nobody close to them”. She also said parents needed to allow young people to take risks, in a speech organised by the children’s charity Barnardo’s in London.

The commissioner asked if pupils were in danger of becoming too regimented by school life.

Ms Atkinson suggested that after-school activities, new technology and video games could alienate young people.

“Are we meant to provide them with an activity to fill very waking hour and a room full of technology, but nobody close to them who has the time either to talk to them, or to fathom life out with them?” she said. She also asked whether children were becoming “little bundles trained in a mechanistic model of education” as opposed to rounded human beings.

Ms Atkinson compared her childhood, 45 years ago, to children’s experiences today, claiming “too many” modern children did not leave their back gardens, whereas she used to play a mile from home unsupervised. Over-protective parents, she said, would do better to teach “independence, choice-making and resilience” in their children.

Source: BBC Family News

Chris, Web Designer at Input Youth

The number of young people admitted to hospital after cutting themselves deliberately is up by more than 50% in five years, according to new figures.

There were 2,727 admissions in the UK for self-harm with a sharp object among under-25′s in 2008/09, compared with 1,758 in 2004/05. “We are sure this is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Professor Keith Hawton at Oxford University. “Pressures have increased and there’s much more expected of young people. Another factor could be publicity,” said Prof Hawton. “It’s being discussed more in the media and by that I include the internet.”

One in five school children with a history of self-harming questioned by researchers at Oxford and Stirling Universities said they first learnt about it after seeing or reading something online, second only to hearing about it from friends.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists says it is now “seriously concerned” about the growing number of websites which glamorise the problem or show gory images of cuts and scars. “The kinds of things we are worried about are the graphic videos of self-harm (injuries) that are posted to sites like YouTube,” said Dr Margaret Murphy, chair of the College’s child and adolescent section.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists is now calling for website owners and moderators to remove material which might promote or trigger self-harm and to link directly to sites which offer professional support.

Tens of thousands of videos dealing with self harm and cutting have been uploaded to sites like YouTube.

The rise in hospital admissions shows rates of self-harm are going up The most common form is cutting, followed by overdosing, burning and strangulation

Anonymous surveys show one in 10 young people have tried to hurt themselves at some point. Most common reasons are family difficulties followed by body image and work or school pressure. Most young people who self-harm say they do it to cope with their emotions, not as a plea for help or a failed suicide attempt.

Some offer genuine help and advice but a growing number feature graphic photos and moving images of cuts and scars often along with background music and personal comments. The most popular videos have been viewed more than 300,000 times and generate dozens of comments each day.

Chris, Web Designer at Input Youth

The Government has launched a new mobile phone application aimed at making it easier for jobseekers to look for work.

The idea is that people will be able to enter their location or job types and then see exactly where vacancies are being offered.

Employment minister Jim Knight said: “In this digital age being online is not a luxury, it is a basic right. Evidence shows that access to the internet improves exam grades, earning potential and can save up to £600 on family bills”

“I am committed to getting people online, improving the customer experience and saving money through a better, more efficient use of technology. Giving people access to the internet in jobcentres and expanding the tools available through the introduction of the app are just two elements of this work.”

Around 13% of vacancies – a total of 350,000 – advertised through Jobcentre Plus each year only accept electronic applications, meaning that people missed out if they were not online, said the minister.

Chris, Web Designer at Input Youth

Video games, mobile phones and TV are keeping children up at night, answers to a BBC questionnaire suggest.

Newsround sent a questionnaire to 1,000 children aged between nine and 11 at schools across the UK.

Most said they went to bed at 2130, but a quarter said bedtime was 2200 or later and half said they were not getting enough sleep and wanted more. Health experts have linked a lack of sleep to problems with concentration, behaviour and school work.

About half the children asked said they were staying up to play on computer games or their mobile phones or to watch television. More than half of the children taking part said they had a television in their bedroom. Lewis, who is 10 and from Liverpool, told Newsround he shares his bedroom and there are a lot of distractions at bedtime. “I play on my games. It takes me until 10 o’clock to go to sleep. I am tired in the morning,” he said. For children aged 10, experts recommend at least 10 hours of sleep a night.

Of the children who filled in the questionnaire, 314 out of 1,083 said they went to bed at 2130, 272 said 2100. A total of 277 said they stayed up until 2200 or later. Scientists have linked a lack of sleep with lower energy levels and sleep-deprived children can be irritable or behave badly.

A recent study by academics in Finland suggested a good night’s sleep could reduce hyperactivity and bad behaviour among children. They said adequate sleep could improve behaviour in healthy children and reduce symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Source: BBC Newsline

Chris, Web Designer at Input Youth