Five-year-olds now self-harming, says shock ChildLine report
TRAGIC youngsters as young as 5 are crying out for help because they are self-harming.
They are turning to the charity hotline, ChildLine, to try to cope with their pain, its Welsh boss has revealed. Self-harming is usually reported among older teenagers but concerns are growing that it is becoming an increasing problem amongst even younger children.
Figures show a rise in the number of 10 to 14-year-old girls who self-harm.
Millions of pounds have been ploughed into improving mental health services, Wales-wide, according to the Welsh Government.
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Ann Pulling, ChildLine services manager for Wales, said youngsters were under pressure to look and act a certain way.
He said: "The majority of those who ring us are aged between 13 and 17, but we've had some as young as 5 — siblings or parents may make contact with us.
"It's not just girls but boys who find it hard to talk about it as there's a rise of 30 per cent in the number of boys who contact us about self-harm."
Self-harming can be caused by a variety of different reasons including bullying, abuse, or problems at home or school.
Pressure on young people can come from their peers and from families who expect them to do well.
Findings from King's College London uncovered that children bullied during their early years were three-times more likely to self-harm when they hit adolescence than their class mates.
Ms Pulling said bullying problems were being made far worse by technology.
"For girls, there's that pressure that comes from boyfriends sometimes to engage in sexual activity or maybe they would be pressured to send an explicit photo and then regret it," she said.
And she said youngsters became so unhappy, they turned their emotional pain into self-harm. "Bullying never stops now. With social media, it doesn't stop at the school gate any more," she added.
Comments
by Julesbreadbox
Tuesday, February 05 2013, 10:32PM
“Shocking.
Absolutely shocking.
And the most shocking bit of all is that many parents won't even notice(or care?).
Can there be anything more heart wrenching than a child crying out for help?
All this talk about immigration, equal rights and gay marriage and....you name it.
These poor children may never reach adulthood because of their desperation.
We should ask ourselves whether we have our heads in the wrong place.
These children need attention, respect and real help.
If we want to secure a positive future for Britain, these children are who we all have to concentrate on!”