GENERATION ANXIETY
59% rise in teens having panic attacks
ANXIETY in children and teenagers has increased 59% in two years, NSPCC figures have revealed.
The charity delivered 13,746 counselling sessions about anxiety last year, the equivalent of 38 a day.
In more than 3,000 of the sessions children suffered panic attacks, which made them feel trapped, faint and strug- gling to breathe. The statistics show the importance of Childline, the NSPCC’s counselling service, helping youngsters with issues including sexual abuse, neglect, bullying and mental health.
It is one reason The Mirror’s Christmas Appeal is in aid of the NSPCC as 20 calls and online chats an hour go answered by Childline volunteers due to a lack of staff and funding.
The charity also runs a helpline which helps parents, professionals and anyone worried about a child in the UK.
Counsellors responded to almost 55,000 contacts from adults last year.
The NSPCC’s fight against abuse includes campaigns such as the Underwear Rule and Share Aware.
The Underwear Rule sets out simple guidelines to help children understand no one had the right to ask them to take their underwear off. It also tells children that “no means no” and to speak out if they have secrets that upset them.
Share Aware aims to keep children safe online by asking them to share what they are doing with their parents, and making sure homes have parental controls on computers and devices.
The charity has also runs a Child Protection Consultancy service aiming to make organisations safer for children.