Youngsters under pressure – Children’s Laureate

CHARLIE And Lola creator Lauren Child warned that young people are under huge pressure as she was announced as the new Children’s Laureate.

The best-selling author and illustrator, who was crowned the 10th Waterstones Children’s Laureate at a ceremony in Hull, said children were grappling with everything from social media to the recent terrorist attacks.

Ms Child, whose Charlie And Lola books were turned into a hit TV series, told the Press Association: “There are so many pressures on children. School is a pressure, their futures are a pressure.

“They’re always hearing such gloomy things, from what’s going on recently (with the terrorist attacks) to house prices and there’s all the social media.

“Social media at its best is a wonderful thing, it’s about connections and communication, but it’s also a real pressure.”

The author, also known for her Clarice Bean picture books and Ruby Redfort novels, said children’s lives had become “very structured” with little room for the creativity “vital” for them “to be able to explore the world”.

“If we allowed our children a little bit more time to dream and stare into space they make connections and that’s how you have ideas and great ideas,” she said.

“We have ideas by allowing our brains to elope sometimes. Ideas come from everywhere.”

She said adults had to talk to children about the recent terrorist attacks in Manchester and London to stop what they will hear or read about anyway becoming a “monster” in their minds.