Anti-Bullying Week and The Big Ask
Today marks the beginning of Anti-Bullying Week in England and Wales. Our largest-ever survey of children The Big Ask showed us how deeply this generation of children care about issues of equality and fair treatment in their friendships, and within their communities. In our survey, 1 in 5 children selected ‘everyone being treated fairly’ as […]
Children’s mental health services 2022-23
Since I came into post in 2021, I have spoken to over a million children and young people across the country. The vast majority of children are happy, and feel supported by their family, school and wider community. However, there is a growing group of children who are struggling with their mental health. This generation […]
Auditory Verbal therapy: supporting deaf children to thrive at school and beyond
Anita Grover, Chief Executive at Auditory Verbal UK Meet 11-year-old Louis from Cambridge. His parents were first told he had hearing loss at 18 months old. They wanted to do everything they could to ensure he had the same opportunities in life as hearing children. Keen for Louis to learn to listen and talk, they […]
The Children’s Commissioner’s view on artificial intelligence (AI)
In recent years there has been a huge increase in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, both in terms of the number of products available on the market and their use by consumers. It is clear there are advantages to the use of AI, but there is still so much that is not yet […]
Children’s Commissioner’s Ambassadors Programme
As Children’s Commissioner for England I’m excited to introduce you to 16 really amazing young people from all over England who applied to be part of my Ambassadors Programme to work with me ahead of the next general election. My Ambassadors have been chosen for their personal experiences and for their passion to try to […]
Living with depression: A care leavers journey
Today is World Mental Health Day, which aims to increase public awareness about mental health issues. It is an opportunity to work on bringing positive change to the health of every young person, and to bring attention to the importance of seeking assistance when experiencing difficulties. Better support for mental health is one of the […]
Experiences of children with SEND
Earlier this year, I was commissioned by the Cabinet Office’s Disability Unit to explore the lives, experiences and needs of disabled children in England, to inform its Disability Action Plan. Since then, my team and I have spoken to children, young people, parents and practitioners across the country to understand the challenges disabled children face, […]
Annual report 2022-23
Introduction by Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England When I took up post as Children’s Commissioner, over two years ago now, I wanted to make sure that every child in England felt listened to. But more than that, I wanted the adults around them to mirror the ambition they have for themselves by […]
Visit to Jubilee Primary School
My office recently enjoyed a visit to Jubilee Primary School in London, to talk to a class of brilliant students about the big issues affecting their life and what solutions are needed to make things better. The children were really passionate about the topics discussed, and made a number of fantastic suggestions. My team began […]
Resources for children and young people: Annual round-up
Over the last year the Children’s Commissioner’s office has developed a range of resources and shared advice for children and young people: Jobs and skills Where can I go with maths? We have developed ‘Where can I go with maths?’, a resource that profiles role models who use maths or maths skills in their work […]
Community
In The Big Ask, children told me they want affordable, fun and sustaining activities in their local areas and that they wanted to be able to play, go outside, and see their friends. Around half (52%) of children aged 9 to 17 are happy with the choice of things to do in their local area. Children […]
The Children’s Commissioner’s priorities for online safety
This week the Children’s Office is recognising the importance of online safety for children and young people. In the first of a series of blogs, the Children’s Commissioner discusses why online safety is a major concern for her, and her work in her time as Commissioner to guarantee a safer digital world for all young […]
Archived Content
Anti-Bullying Week – The “B” word
As we come to the end of Anti-Bullying Week, our Children’s Writer Chris Thompson reflects on his visit to an anti-bullying workshop. With thanks to Kidscape for inviting us to attend and listen to the views and experiences of children who have been bullied. “There’s no quick fix. Today is the start of a journey.” […]
Rotherham drama students make a “Safe Place” from bullying
As part of Anti Bullying Week, we’ll be highlighting some of the activities happening up and down the country and speaking to children, young people and their families about how they’re taking part. A group of college students from Rotherham College have devised a play about bullying which they are performing to primary school children […]
Gaming the system
The overwhelming majority of children (93 percent) in the UK play video games. Yet despite its popularity, the culture of ‘gaming’- its rules and its rituals, the varying profiles of players, the risks they face – tends to be spoken of by adults, whether they be policymakers or parents, as if it were an alien […]
The state of child poverty and how we can tackle it
On the United Nations Day for Poverty Eradication we should never fail to be shocked that we are talking about child poverty when are one of the wealthiest countries on earth. Yet as all of us here know, the number of children living in poverty has been steadily increasing in recent years. There are around […]
The World Wide Web at 30: Re-imagining a web built for children
Between 9 – 10 May, the Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, hosted a conference on children’s digital rights at BBC Salford for ENOC – the network of Children’s Commissioners and Ombudsmen from all over Europe. Pupils from two local schools, Chorlton High School and Manchester Communication Academy, joined the conference for a session in […]
Children’s Commissioner publishes a statutory Duty of Care for online service providers
A couple of years ago, one of the biggest social media companies accused me in a meeting of ‘trying to shut down the internet’ after I dared to ask them to be more transparent and to take responsibility for the appalling content hosted on their platform. I wanted them to be an engaged player in […]
Online platforms must do more to tackle social media content which is harmful to children
The following letter, written by Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, has been sent to several of the leading social media organisations, including Facebook, which includes Instagram and WhatsApp, Snapchat, Youtube and Pinterest. The tragic suicide of Molly Russell and her father’s appalled response to the material she was viewing on social media before her […]
Children’s Commissioner launches social media giants’ terms and conditions ‘jargon-buster’ to give kids more power in digital world
Simplified versions of T&Cs for schools across England are designed to give children more power and information
Digital 5 A Day In The Classroom
Digital 5 A Day is a framework to help children get the most from their time online and to balance digital activity with overall wellbeing. Digital 5 A Day is a tool for parents, carers and others working with young people to use in framing discussion about social media use and broader digital citizenship. In this blog post teacher, Dave Presky, reflects on how Digital 5 A Day can be applied in the classroom.
Children left to fend for themselves in the digital world
Children’s Commissioner calls for a digital ombudsman to mediate for children over removal of content and more transparent corporate