Navigating the Digital Jungle: Teens and Sexual Health Online
You know you thought having the ‘Birds & Bees’ talk was difficult? – try having it these days as digital tech has transformed sexual culture. Helping teenagers to cope with this, as they mature, is not only a task for schools or parents. It really needs to be addressed by big tech & governments too. […]
Pocket Money Gender Gap: Boys Get 12% More – so what are kids learning about money from YOU?
I’m talking about the new survey about Pocket Money on Sky News today. Children are getting an average of £6.55 a week in pocket money but the gap is widening between the earnings of boys and girls. The Halifax survey of nearly 1,800 children aged eight to 15 and their parents found that they now […]
Handling ‘The News’ With Children.
I’ve recently had two children referred to me who have a fear of being shot by a terrorist after watching the news about the terrible attack on Ukraine The problem with 24/7 News coverage is that it blows out of proportion the amount of bad things that can happen and children are very sensitive […]
Make it Count: A Guide for Parents and Carers on Children’s Mental Health
A rather grim & growing report from Sky News has suggested that COVID-19 has created a crisis for ‘years to come’ – as lockdowns have put children under ‘unprecedented’ levels of distress Sky News is given unique access to a child and adolescent mental health trust to see first hand the crises children are facing. […]
Parents should be encouraging their children to spend more time online so that they can "save the country", the former head of GCHQ has said.
What do you make of this? Let your kids spend more time online to ‘save the country’, says ex-GCHQ chief Britain lacks cyber skills and is “desperately” short of computer scientists and engineers, warns a former cyberespionage chief. Mr Hannigan, who stood down as the director of Britain’s electronic surveillance agency in January, was responding […]
Join me on Sky News at 9.15 today discussing parents facing fines for running car engines outside schools.
Join me on Sky News at 9.15 today discussing parents facing fines for running car engines outside schools. What are your thoughts?
As a long awaited new Anti-Grooming Law takes effect. Here’s what you should know. ‘Grooming. What it is, signs and how to protect your children.
I’m speaking on Sky News today after 12 midday about the new law that comes into immediate effect around protecting children from grooming. I live only a few miles away from where Caterham schoolboy Breck Bednar, was murdered by a man he met online. So, what is grooming. Grooming is when someone builds an […]
SHOCKING ! Almost half of six-year-olds go online in their bedrooms – and a third use messaging services like WhatsApp, a study has revealed.
I was interviewed on Sky News and BBC Three Counties Radio today as it is Internet Safety Day about a survey of 1,500 parents by Internet Matters showing that six-year-olds are now as digitally-advanced as 10-year-olds were three years ago. As many as 48% use the internet for general browsing compared with 46 per cent of […]
Why it’s SO important to read regularly with your kids & why little & often is the secret.
I’m joining a discussion live on Sky News tomorrow at 9.30 about the importance of reading. As a former Deputy Head teacher and Reception Class teacher I’ve taught hundreds of children to read. It’s a really important life skill. It empowers a child with so many life skills from […]
After the terrorist attacks – what to say to your kids.
Violence, such as the terrorist attacks in Paris on the innocent people on Friday night, can leave lasting impressions on children, even if they only witness it through news reports and social media. But you as parents can help your children process these and other senseless tragedies. It’s important to talk about terrible events, and […]
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin. A new study from Harvard University in the USA reveals that children benefit more from their father reading them bedtime stories
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin. A new study from Harvard University in the USA reveals that children benefit more from their father reading them bedtime stories.e Dads, the research revealed, spark more “imaginative discussions” and are more instrumental to their children’s language development because of the way they read to their kids. […]
Extra screen time ‘hits GCSE grades’ according to a new survey
I’m on Sky News today talking about a new study conducted by a Cambridge University that suggested that an extra hour a day of television, internet or computer game time in Year 10 is linked to poorer grades at GCSE. Read more here -> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-34139196
Children in England are unhappier with their lives than those in 13 other countries
I’m appearing on Sky News today discussing this: Children in England are unhappier with their lives than those in 13 other countries including Israel and South Africa, with only South Korea lagging behind according to a comprehensive international piece of research based on a survey of 53,000 children aged 10 and 12 in England, […]
But, Mum, everyone at school has a mobile phone. Literally everyone. Except for me
I have recently been creating a One Page Profile with a lovely 10 year old who is nagging and nagging and nagging her parents for a mobile phone ! I don’t know what you think but I was recently on Sky News discussing 5 year olds who have their own mobile phones ! Now I love […]
Is your child frightened of being kidnapped after watching the News about Madeleine McCann ?
I’ve recently had two children referred to me who have a fear of being abducted or kidnapped after reading and hearing the news about Madeleine McCann. The problem with 24/7 News coverage is that it blows out of proportion the amount of bad things that can happen and children are very sensitive and can become […]