Express & Star

It's up to us to help protect our youngsters

Jade Secker is senior community fundraiser at The Haven in Wolverhampton. She shares her thoughts on how we can better help our young people...

Published
Research shows 1 in 4 girls aged 14 are self harming

I was having an 11 o’clock scroll through Twitter and was knocked sideways to read some research recently published by the Children’s Society that revealed that 1 in 4 girls aged 14 are self harming.

A mental health crisis that is affecting at least one young person we all know seemed to be thrown in as an off the cuff statement on social media, fed to me amongst those needing to share pictures of their food masterpieces and those sharing their ‘post gym selfies’.

Without needing to even read the article, to me it was clear that this newsfeed alone was most likely a very accurate depiction of one of the largest contributing factors to why this was happening to the young people in our society.

Having then read multiple articles and some of the research itself, it became clear that I was right. Young people have claimed they simply don’t feel good enough. They don’t feel pretty enough, clever enough or are constantly comparing themselves to unrealistic lives that are unachievable and mostly paid for by companies plugging products.

The research stated that from the study conducted they estimate that 110,000 children aged 14 may have self harmed: 76,000 girls and 33,000 boys. This is nothing other than horrific and I cannot comprehend why more isn’t being done to support those who are turning to a form of abuse as a coping method.

The world today is ever changing and our lives are almost focused on what we see through a screen. It’s a window into stranger’s lives or more so, the lives they choose to portray, it becomes subconsciously how we judge people, and sadly, also how we judge ourselves.

You only have to open your own social media to see it. Scroll after scroll you’re either greeted with pictures from exotic locations that are worlds away from where you are, and ‘lucky girl’ posts filled with an array of materialistic items that for some reason carry value and status in modern society. Why? Why is this how we are living? I find it hard enough to digest all of this and not drive myself into a bout of depression as a 27 year old; imagine having to take all of this in as a teenager; already over pressurised with exams, body changes and the complexities of adolescence? I’m grateful that social media didn’t exist to the level it does now when I myself was at that vulnerable age.

Of course, it isn’t the only contribution to this horrific statistic, there are many life experiences that can lead to self-harm as a coping strategy. However, I would love to be a part of a movement that brings about change and a real opportunity of support for young people to reduce these figures as much as possible in any way we can.

Though funding is tight, I believe all schools should have an on-site counsellor for all kinds of mental health support. Or perhaps a starting point would be to put on regular workshops in schools, building self-esteem, talking about healthy relationships and helping young people to digest social media in a healthy way; intervening before they reach the point of crisis.

Definitely food for thought at least.