Community
I want all children to have access to enriching activities and to feel safe both online and offline.
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 also spoke about the impact the online world had on their wellbeing and how much time they were spending online. They want to be able to have the same protections in a virtual world and navigate social media in a way that did not make them feel vulnerable for their safety or conscious of their own image.
I don’t feel I was informed of my online safety from a young age and that it was considered a priority. Technology and social media are constantly developing, so why aren’t our laws and protections for children on these platforms updating with it?
Girl, 14,
The Big Ask.
My work so far…
Strip Searching
In response to the shocking testimony of Child Q in March 2022, I have used my powers to obtain and publish police data on strip searching of children.
My latest repot provides a complete picture, for the first time ever, of how strip searches are conducted by police across England and Wales over five and a half years (2018 to June 2023) – including new data for 2022 to 2023.
My new analysis confirms that the issues are not confined to London – indeed, there are indications that outside of London the issues are even more deeply entrenched. It’s vital that improvements continue at pace, with fewer searches carried out, better data recording and improved practice.
My previous two reports in this area first focused on strip searches under stop and search conducted by the Metropolitan Police Service, published in 2022, followed by a national-level report across England and Wales, published in 2023. Both highlighted systematic problems with the compliance with the Codes of Practice in how strip searches of children were being carried out, and evidence of ethnic disproportionality.
I continue to engage with the Metropolitan Police and police forces all over England and Wales to ensure children are safe when they interact with the police.
Online Safety
I was asked by the Government to explore how the online world can be made safer, both through the Online Safety Bill and before it becomes law. I delivered a set of recommendations to strengthen the Online Safety Bill based on the views put forward by young children in focus groups and workshops. Four of which were accepted by the Government in their rewrite of the Bill in March 2022.
My office has worked with children and young people to publish a guide for parents – “The things I wish my parents had known” – which covered issues including pornography consumption, intimate image sharing and sexualised bullying.
I have also gathered testimony from 2,005 children aged 8-17 and their parents about their experiences of the online world. This survey showed that children are being exposed to various forms of harmful content online and that platforms are failing to take appropriate action.
Pornography
I have grown increasingly concerned about the normalisation of sexual violence in online pornography, and the role that this plays in shaping children’s understanding of sex and relationships.
In January, I published “A lot of it is actually just abuse” which set out findings from a survey of over a thousand 16-21-year-olds and focus groups with teenagers.
The survey established that the average age of first exposure to pornography is now just 13 years old, with substantial proportions of young people surveyed having seen it at a much younger age. Qualitative research carried out with teenagers found that pornography exposure is related to the age at which teenagers are given their own phone.
Youth Justice
In March 2023, I published an Annex to my independent Family Review which sets out to understand family life from the perspective of the 490 children living in criminal justice settings, placed under custodial sentence or remand, in England and Wales.
Specifically, the report seeks to understand how children in the secure estate are supported to maintain meaningful relationships with their families and wider social networks, through physical, phone and video contact with the outside community.
Victims Bill
I spoke at the Justice Select Committee’s scrutiny session on the Victims’ Bill about the importance of putting children at the heart of the legislation and shaping protections around child victims’ specific needs following domestic, sexual or serious violence.
I have been vocal about the importance of having a strong Victims’ Bill which fully reflects child victims’ voices and recognise that children’s needs are distinct from adults. I published.
I am pleased that the Bill will include children born as the result of rape within the definition of a victim, as well as children who have witnessed domestic abuse.
