Should we ban social media for under 16s? Why are so many young people not in education, employment or training? Is misogyny online driving young men to commit the most awful crimes – and what is the criminal justice response?
Childhood has changed rapidly, and not necessarily for the better. But you don’t need me to tell you that. The Mumsnet community is grappling with the same questions, the same doubts about childhood.
Mental health referrals have increased by around half a million, more children are spending long periods of time online, and a growing number require additional support at school.
The Government is trying to keep up. The decisions it makes in the coming months and years on social media or SEND will shape what it’s like to grow up in England for years to come.
I need your help to make sure they get it right.
It is five years since I was appointed Children’s Commissioner. I’ve learnt a huge amount. Above all, I believe that good policy comes when we speak to children, ask them what they want, and act on it.
It’s been by listening to children - all children - that we have seen changes in the rules about children in care having contact with their siblings, have a victims code that for the first time will acknowledge the needs of children or a child poverty strategy.
I’ve been working for parents, too. I know from speaking to parents how concerned many of you are about screen time. It’s why when the Government asked me to chair their group on 0-5 screen time the first thing I did was ensure my staff interviewed parents about what they would find helpful. It’s by listening to people, ensuring that policy is rooted in the everyday reality of life, that we get it right.
Let me give you a topical example. The Government’s advisor Alan Milburn is warning that one in six young people will not be in education, employment or training within five years unless urgent action is taken.
Amid a sea of shocking data one stat stands out. Some 84% of those not in education, training, or employment said they want a job or training.
I’ve spoken to hundreds of thousands of children, they are ambitious, their priority is getting good jobs. But careers and post 16 support ranked among lowest concerns by school leaders in School Census. This is a gap we need to close.
I know that this is impacting parents, too. An adult told my last survey:
“My son is NEET and invisible to the world, he will not leave the house. He is not alone. There are a growing number of young men like this who feel purposeless, alienated, hopeless and as a result they simply hide away...”
No parent should feel so hopeless. No child should be written off.
It is time for change. But any response must start with talking to young people.
I’ve surveyed children twice before, and those responses have been at the core of my work throughout my time as Children’s Commissioner. It is their voice that I take into ministerial meetings, their views I represent when I speak at Select Committees.
That is why I’ve launched The Big Future, my third and final major survey of children. I want to hear from a million young people. Over the coming months, I will travel the length of England, to encourage children to have they say, wherever they are – from schools and youth groups to hospitals and prisons. I began that work in Cumbria, at Hadrian’s Wall. I will take this conversation all the way to Land’s End.
But I need your help. I would be grateful for your support in completing the survey with your children, and sharing it with the schools, parents and carers across your networks. Mumsnet users were enormously helpful in my previous survey, and I am calling for your help once again.
We make better decisions when we listen to children about the new and emerging challenges in their lives: the things that worry them, the things they love, the ways they have fun, and the changes they want for a better future. And we can’t do it without you, the parents and carers.
You can complete the survey here: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/thebigfuture