One in four 14-year-old girls self-harm

Wednesday, 29 August 2018 07:00

Nearly a quarter of girls aged 14 (22%) said they had self-harmed in just a year according to a new report by The Children’s Society.

One in six (16%) of more than 11,000 children surveyed reported self-harming at this age, including nearly one in 10 boys (9%).

The self-harm statistics follow new analysis included in the charity’s annual Good Childhood Report, which examines the state of children’s well-being in the UK. The report looks at the reasons behind the unhappiness which increases the risk of children self-harming.

Based on these figures, The Children’s Society estimates that across West Yorkshire 2,820 girls and 1,190 boys aged 14 may have self-harmed during the same 12-month period.

Matthew Reed, Chief Executive at The Children’s Society, said: “It is deeply worrying that so many children are unhappy to the extent that they are self-harming.

“Worries about how they look are a big issue, especially for girls, but this report shows other factors such as how they feel about their sexuality and gender stereotypes may be linked to their unhappiness.”

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