TikTOk

The National Online Safety organisation has produced a guide for parents to video-sharing social media site TikTok. The hugely popular app has almost a billion monthly active users worldwide and is rated 12+ but with required supervision for anyone under the age of 18.

Edible drugs

The Metropolitan Police Safer Schools Team has written to parents and carers in West London to warn against the dangers of edible drugs. They suggest monitoring food packaging at home and warn against the danger of taking a larger dose than intended due to the unpredictable nature of consuming edibles. The full letter from the Met Police Safer Schools Team can be found here and further information is also available  on the Talk To Frank website. 

Covid-19

The Covid-19 global pandemic has had a major impact on young people - both in terms of their education and wellbeing. As a school we are increasing our counselling provision and will ensure that our first priority when students and staff return to school is to make sure everyone is comfortable and confident being back in the school environment.

West London NHS Trust CAMHS has a useful Instagram account with suggestions for looking after our mental health, particularly in light of Covid-19.

We also recommend families look at our website pages on mental health and links to external organisations that can provide additional support and advice. There has also been research suggesting that teenagers' anxiety levels dropped during lockdown as this BBC website article reported. We are aware that the pressures of school and exams have not gone away and will be supporting all of our students to re-establish good habits and build confidence as the academic year progresses.

Support for separated parents with child arrangements

It is important for children whose parents have separated to be supported in establishing future living arrangements. The government has created a website for parents with advice for managing this process and supporting children - visit https://helpwithchildarrangements.service.justice.gov.uk/ 

Ealing SCP on tackling knife crime

The Ealing Safeguarding Children Partnership has written to parents in Ealing about tackling knife crime. They provided the following links to organisations that can help answer questions or suggest strategies regarding knife crime:

• http://noknivesbetterlives.com offers guidance on how to raise this issue and talk to your child.
• https://www.fearless.org/en allows young people to report information about crime 100% anonymously.
• https://www.met.police.uk/StopKnifeCrime provides police guidance on knife crime.
• http://ealingnewsextra.co.uk/features/knife/ has details of knife surrender bins and locations.

Loot boxes and gambling

There has been a lot in the press recently regarding online videogames and whether loot boxes – a ‘lucky dip’ where gamers spend real money to buy additional content for games – encourage gambling in young people. The BBC website reported a call from MPs to ban loot boxes in online gaming and then followed this up with a report from Belgium where loot boxes have already been banned. The Eurogamer website also reported that the Children’s Commissioner have called on loot boxes to be banned.

Loot boxes and similar in-game paid content is now used across mobile, tablet and console gaming and parents are strongly encouraged to keep an eye on their children’s gaming and any online spending.

Knife crime

Knife crime is a huge concern in London and other major cities as this BBC report on the rise in knife crime emphasises. The statistics featured in the BBC report demonstrate that the majority of perpetrators and victims are young people so it is very important to be vigilant.

The Home Office has produced this guide to talking to your child about knife crime while the Parentinfo website has guidance on knife crime and talking to your child about gangs.

County lines

There has been an increased focus both in the media and from government regarding the criminal gang involvement known as county lines. The Children’s Commissioner estimates there are at least 46,000 children in England who are involved in gang activity and it is estimated that around 4,000 teenagers in London alone are being exploited through child criminal exploitation.

The Children’s Society website has this guide to county lines and the signs associated with criminal exploitation. The National Crime Agency also has information online regarding this current issue. The Guardian website ran a feature interviewing victims of county lines with the headline ‘They start as friends but end up as bullies’.

mental health

Mental health is an increasingly high-profile topic in society and the media - particularly with exams season. The Mental Health Foundation offer a series of publications on how to look after your mental health that are available to download for free. These include 'How to overcome fear and anxiety', 'How to sleep better' and 'How to manage and reduce stress'. You can also visit our Safeguarding page focusing on mental health for further tips and links.

online safety

Media attention in recent weeks has focused on e-safety and electronic devices. The BBC reported an NSPCC call for immediate action on online safety while last year a similar article reported a study suggesting children don't feel safe online. Online video streaming site YouTube has also apologised recently after disturbing videos appeared in its kids' app. You can find more guidance on e-safety, including top tips from Greenford High School Cybermentors, on our E-Safety page.

Alongside safety online, there has been a lot of media attention recently regarding appropriate screen time for young people. This opinion piece on the Guardian website by Jean Twenge, a Psychology Professor at San Diego university, suggests 90 minutes a day should be the limit. She also offers links to a multitude of academic studies that have explored this topic further. The British Psychological Society, meanwhile, is calling for more evidence on appropriate levels of screen time for young people and offers a range of recommendations for parents and carers. These include: 

• Minimise screen use before bedtime
• Encourage children to engage in a variety of activities away from screens
• Parents/carers should discuss the different aspects of digital media with their children and encourage positive media use
• Spend time online together to help young children get the most from educational content

Source: British Psychological Society, January 2018

young people and anxiety

There has been a lot in the news recently regarding young people and anxiety, depression and mental health. This BBC article highlighted concerns with access to mental health services while a study in September suggested a quarter of teenage girls experience the symptoms of depression. The Evening Standard reported this study alongside a guide to parents in helping a teenager with depression or anxiety. 

The charity Young Minds has more information about anxiety including symptoms and how it can be treated. You can also find further information on stress, anxiety and depression on the NHS website.