These ‘Sacrifice Scorecards’ Tell Us A Lot About How Parents Are Being Failed

Posted on 30/04/2026 by Boris Clair

What have you given up since becoming a parent?

It might be precious time spent with your newborn – the UK’s paternity leave is the worst in Europe forcing many dads back to work before they’re ready. It might be career progression, a pay rise or even your job (85% of women leave the full-time workforce within three years of having their first child).

It might be your savings or any extra income you are forced to make in order to pay for full-time childcare, which can range from £60 to £100 per day (government help with these costs is applicable to some, not all).

A new study on fatherhood from Equimundo, which polled 8,000 parents and caregivers across 16 countries, found fathers value care more than ever – but are increasingly stretched to breaking point.

The study found parents don’t have the time, resources, or support to care for their families without constant strain, which it dubbed a “crisis”.

Savings (and safety nets) are drained, hours are cut to work around the school day (four out of five parents said their employer won’t allow flexible working), job security hangs in the balance, and study and leisure time quietly disappears.

The sacrifices parents make

The report’s “sacrifice scorecard” asked the world’s mums and dads what they have had to give up in order to care for their loved ones.

It found parents are making six to eight separate sacrifices to provide care for their children.

One in four had to refinance their homes to pay for care services, one in three turned down a professional advancement to provide care, almost two-thirds worked overtime to bring home extra pay, and half took on a second or third job to increase their income.

It’s no wonder then that three in four dads, and four in five mums, are losing sleep over their financial future.

The report highlighted how these sacrifices can also fuel increased anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and higher alcohol consumption. It noted fathers have higher odds than mothers of falling into the high-distress group, with younger dads most at risk.

Its authors summarised that fathers want to be present and active in the daily lives of their children, but are held back by norms and policies that haven’t caught up – and it’s placing great strain on families.

Elliott Rae, founder of Parenting Out Loud and Equal Parenting Week, said the sacrifices dads are having to make, per the new research, tell “a new version of the same story that we have heard” from mums over the years.

“This isn’t about competition between the sexes; it’s about recognising that both parents are continually having to make sacrifices because of societal structures that make parenting in the UK akin to the ‘wipe out’ obstacle course tryouts,” he said.

“Unequal parenting leave means that mums are set up as the primary carer and dads are set up as the chief provider, and both parents then struggle to excel in each other’s lanes.

“We need to set parents up as equals from the get-go by levelling up paternity leave, and then we need to instil flexible working practices that allow mothers to work to their full potential instead of making themselves smaller in order to ‘have it all’ and dads to be able to be the present dads that they want to be.”

Gary Barker, president and CEO of Equimundo, responded that while “men are doing more of the care work and finding meaning and happiness in doing so”, families everywhere “face enormous challenges to provide basic care”.

He called on men to “demand and advocate for the care services we all need”.

Lee Chambers, founder of Male Allies UK, wants to see changes to policies that better support parents.

“The problem is we’re asking dads to be providers first and then telling them they need to do 50:50 childcare too. They want to do it, they want to be there, but there’s still a huge pressure to work like you don’t have kids,” he said.

“The reality is something has to give and without policies in place to support dads to be dads, they end up taking a hit as a family, both financially and mentally.

“We need to create balance – put structures in place that enable mums to work without getting paid less than dads for doing so, and we need to enable dads to be dads by giving them time off to bond and care for their children.

“We need to close the gaps if we want any hope of reaching equality at work and home.”

I Lost My Daughter To Cancer. 4 Well-Meaning Words Left Me Feeling More Alone In My Grief

Posted on 18/04/2026 by Boris Clair

When we hear about the death of a child or young adult, we are unsettled, unmoored. Such deaths are out of the natural order. And if it could happen to your child, it could happen to mine. Life is never safe once you have children.

When my daughter died of cancer at age 40, some people remained silent, distancing themselves, as if the death of a child might be bad luck, contagious. Other well-intentioned people hesitated, retreated, reaching for a safe landing.

“There are no words.”

“Your loss is unimaginable.”

“I can’t imagine what you are going through.”

Why is it so easy to find words for joyous occasions – births, graduations, weddings – yet we lose language when seeking words to console and comfort the bereaved? Death humbles us, revealing the empty spaces in language.

I understand. I do. My daughter’s death left me without words. It is incomprehensible to lose a child. Grief isn’t one emotion; it is a tsunami of sadness, anger, shock, pain, helplessness and deep yearning. Perhaps reaching for the shorthand, “There are no words,” is an easier way to say: There will never be words large enough to express this sadness.

After Alex died, I fell into many empty spaces in language, especially the space where I had no name for myself, a parent who has lost her child. Names exist for a child who has lost a parent (orphan), or for a woman who loses her partner (widow), but what do we call an orphaned parent?

Recently, though, I stumbled upon vilomah – a Sanskrit word that means “against the natural order.” The word vilomah embraces the primal injustice of outliving one’s child, inverting the generational order, an upside-down world. Parents expect to predecease their children, not bury them. To be a vilomah is to become an unwanted messenger from a distant point of human existence.

Bereaved parents – vilomahs – aren’t surprised when we learn the word bereavement has its roots in Old English, meaning to deprive, rob, take away. The future tense has been rearranged: Our children have been deprived of their hopes and dreams – their future – and we, their parents, are robbed of our future with them.

The author (right) with her daughter Alex at a family party.

But placeholders such as “there are no words” close off conversations when they most need to begin, forcing a parent who has lost so much to find words to comfort the speaker. Bereaved parents need their friends and families to be safekeepers, using specific words to describe our beautiful children, reminding us that our children live on in their memories.

I needed words of comfort to bring her back – stories about her light and love, her acts of kindness and courage. I needed to hear people say her name – Alex – and surround me with words of love.

Here’s what I want to say to everyone: be brave. There are no perfect words to comfort the bereaved, no comfortable words for something so uncomfortable. You can’t fix my loss, but you can hold in your hearts everything about Alex that made her specific and human – her love for birthdays and balloons, pandas and popsicles, dresses with pockets, Japanese art and fashion design, running marathons and then ultramarathons, making everything look so easy.

You can reminisce joyfully about photos of Alex at the finish line of her 100-mile runs, beaming with a thumbs-up, or about the ways in which she celebrated life’s small pleasures and brought family along for the celebration. Her beautiful curls and welcoming smile that felt like a hug, or the big-hearted gifts she gave – she was a spectacular gift-giver.

Or her love for s’mores and ice cream cake, sushi and dumplings, for growing dahlias and daisies, for the multitudes she contained. These loving, specific words capture the light Alex carried, the vividness with which she lived her life.

When someone says, “There are no words,” I hear “That’s all there is to say,” and when they say, “Your loss is unimaginable,” I hear “I will not try to imagine your loss.” These expressions allow speakers to retreat, staying emotionally adjacent to the bereaved parent’s loss, leaving us isolated, sealed off, deprived of moments of true connection.

When friends and family tell an Alex story or ask for one, they open the uncomfortable spaces in language and let my daughter live on in words.

Bereaved parents live with the geography of our grief, becoming familiar with its peaks and valleys, its edges. Our grief doesn’t disappear; its tail is long. No worries if you didn’t bring the casserole or cannoli; there is plenty of time to offer comfort to a bereaved parent and honour a child’s memory.

I am grateful to the many friends who continue to lift up Alex’s name and carry grief with me – like the neighbour who cooked Alex’s favourite dumplings each month for an entire year, leaving them on our front porch with a simple one-word note reading “love”. For the friends who plant dahlias to honour Alex, or wear dresses with pockets remembering her, and the friends who are listening presences, lingering in the backyard to talk about Alex.

And I am always grateful to the wonderful friends and family who put April 2, Alex’s birthday, and July 15, the day she died, on their calendars, knowing these are both rough days for me and important days to honour Alex’s memory.

A Jewish proverb reminds us of why we need to try to fill the empty spaces in language: “One dies twice – the first time when a body stops breathing; the second time when a name is no longer spoken.”

To a bereaved parent, silence feels like forgetting. Whenever someone speaks the name of my beloved child and asks about her, her life story is kept alive.

If you know a bereaved parent, reach out with loving words and gestures, show up and help carry their grief – and do it again. And again. Become safekeepers of memory – tell a story; ask for a story. Help a bereaved parent find the spaces where their beloved child continues to live.

There are always words.

Do you have a compelling personal story you’d like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we’re looking for here and send us a pitch at pitch@huffpost.com.

Help and support:

Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI – this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.

When’s It OK For Kids To Play Out Alone? An Expert Shares 4 Questions To Answer

Posted on 16/04/2026 by Boris Clair

Gaining independence is a crucial part of growing up – but at what point are kids ready to go it alone and play outside without you watching their every move?

In contrast to those who won’t let their kids go anywhere alone, there are a number of parents who are taking a more laidback approach and parenting “like it’s the 90s”, giving their kids the freedom to play out unsupervised.

I can see the appeal. We lived in a quiet cul-de-sac growing up and I was allowed to play out with our neighbours’ kids – we knew we had to stay in the street, or in one another’s homes. As we got older, we were allowed to venture a bit further afield. It gave my parents a break, and it made me feel like I was capable and trusted.

Nowadays I live on a relatively quiet street on the outskirts of a major city. There’s not much traffic, we’re near a park, but I’m not sure at what point I’d feel comfortable letting my kids go it alone (admittedly they’re both way too young, but it’s something I’ll have to consider in the years to come!).

Gail Sayles, a Childline practitioner, suggests there isn’t really an age when kids are ready for that next level of independence. Instead, it depends on the child and the situation.

“What matters most is whether your child feels ready, and whether you feel confident letting them take that step. If either of you isn’t quite there yet, that’s a sign they may need a bit more time,” she tells HuffPost UK.

What are the signs they’re ready?

Obviously, babies, toddlers and very young children should never be left alone because they can’t keep themselves safe.

The law doesn’t specify an age when parents can leave a child on their own, but it’s an offence to leave a child alone if it places them at risk.

Sayles notes parents are in the “best position” to judge whether their child is ready to head outdoors on their own, “because you know how they usually behave when you’re not with them”.

It can help to ask yourself a few practical questions to help make this decision:

Can they remember important information like their name and address?
Do they stick to agreed timings?
Do they behave responsibly when you’re not with them?
Would they know what to do if plans changed unexpectedly?

The expert advises parents to talk through different scenarios with their child – for example, what they’d do if they hurt themselves or felt uncomfortable. “These conversations can be reassuring for both of you and help build confidence,” she says.

And if you’re unsure whether they’re ready for this next step, you can always start small. Let them play in a nearby area, go out for a short period of time, or spend time with certain friends you trust – this can be a good way to see how they manage, adds Sayles, while still keeping things safe.

What to tell your child before they venture out alone

If you’ve decided your child is ready to go it alone, there are a few important things to address first.

They should be able to share their full name and address and have access to phone numbers for at least two trusted adults.

They should also know what to do in an emergency, including where they could go for help – for example, a shop, library or approaching a police officer or shop staff.

It’s also crucial they feel confident crossing roads safely and know that they should never go anywhere with anyone, even someone they know, without checking with a parent or carer first.

My child’s not ready. What do I tell them?

If you don’t feel your child is ready to venture out alone, Action For Children suggests explaining which skills you’d want them to have first, and then making a plan together to help them learn those skills – that way, they won’t feel like you’re simply shutting them down.

You’ll Definitely Want To Ask Your Kid This Question When They Next Say ‘I’m Bored’

Posted on 12/04/2026 by Boris Clair

If there’s one statement parents have probably heard a lot these past two weeks, it’s “I’m bored” – usually with the added request of “will you play with me?” tagged onto the end.

But often we’re working, or trying to catch up on an admin list that’s as long as our arm (and the rest), or doing chores, so it’s not always possible to down tools and get stuck in.

While turning the TV on or handing over an iPad can feel like a simple fix (hey, we’ve all been there), experts are increasingly nudging parents to try and reduce kids’ screen time where possible.

So, if your children say they’re bored, how’s best to respond?

**Get them thinking about what they want to learn**

Yes, there’s the age-old classic of: “Great, grab the vacuum!”

But children’s author Ty Allan Jackson suggests you could say something along the lines of: “Wow. That’s awesome. What a great opportunity for you to be creative.”

And then he suggests you ask them a simple question: “What is something you wish you knew how to do?”

In a reel on Instagram, the TedX Presenter said: “That question will get them thinking and give you directions on how to entertain them, or better yet, on how they can entertain themselves.”

Of course, there’s every possibility they’ll respond with a shrug or an “I don’t know.”

But some parents have found it successful. One user, known as @mom.outofoffice, said she tried the ‘Wow method’ with her daughter and, admittedly, the first time she asked the question her daughter “just stared” at her.

“But then she said she wanted to learn how to use the coffee machine. We tried it together, and soon she was making it by herself,” said the parent. “Before I knew it… she had turned our kitchen into a full-on coffee shop. And wow… it became one of her favourite ways to play.”

Boredom is good for kids (yes, really)

Neuroscientist Alicia Walf, a researcher in the Department of Cognitive Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, told Forbes boredom is critical for brain health, noting it can improve social connections and foster creativity, too.

According to psychiatrist and author Dr Carl Marci, letting your kids figure out how to keep boredom at bay could be far more beneficial than stepping in for them.

When his children tell him he’s bored, he’ll urge them to go and figure out how to deal with it – but without technology or something connected to the internet.

“They get mad at me,” Dr Marci previously told HuffPost UK, “but after a few minutes, they start to creatively solve their problems or distract themselves with social interaction or play.”

Bring on the summer holidays…

‘Bank Account Cleared By A Threenager’: Don’t Make This Expensive Mistake When Handing Kids Your Phone

Posted on 09/04/2026 by Boris Clair

Parents have opened up about the dangers of leaving kids to their own devices on their devices, after a viral post showed how easily a child was able to spend their parents’ money while using their iPad.

In January, parenting influencers Cole and Abbie shared their son had been on a secret shopping spree on their iPad, paying for a load of Apple services. “I didn’t think it was possible without my Face ID but here we are. Massive lesson learnt,” wrote the influencers at the time.

They weren’t the only ones to fall victim to it, either.

In response to Cole and Abbie’s misfortune, one commenter said: “It’s a parental right of passage to have your bank account cleared by a threenager. Mine did it on Amazon through the Alexa buying fart sounds.”

Another said: “My son wanted a rabbit so, while playing games on my phone, went on to Amazon and brought a hutch for £150, didn’t realised till it turned up at my door… and his answer was ‘can I have my rabbit now?’.”

“Been there done that!” added another parent, noting their child had purchased 100 fidget toys and 100 lip balms. Eek.

With kids still off school, experts from Protect Your Bubble are urging parents to check one particular setting on their devices to stop their bank accounts from accidentally being emptied.

James Brown, director at Protect Your Bubble, said: “It’s easy to assume that payments need passwords or additional approval; however, many devices and accounts allow instant spending once a card is saved to the account.”

He continued: “From a child’s perspective, it doesn’t feel like spending real money; however, for parents, it can mean hundreds, or even thousands, disappearing before they notice.”

How to stop kids from spending all your money online

First of all, turn off one-touch payments on devices and require approval for every purchase. “This single change can stop accidental spending instantly, and it takes less than two minutes to set up,” Brown said.

Households using Apple devices with Family Sharing set up should also turn on Ask to Buy, which blocks all purchases until they are approved.

Games consoles are also an easy way to wrack up debt. Brown noted they are “often overlooked, despite being one of the biggest risks”.

“Saved card details on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo accounts can lead to purchases stacking up quickly,” he noted.

The expert recommends removing saved payment cards from accounts and setting monthly spending limits in console settings. You can also enable PINs or passwords for purchases.

“Consoles are where costs could spiral fastest,” he ended. “Prevention is far easier than trying to recover the money afterwards, and this is one of the most important tech checks parents can make this winter.”

UK’s Paternity Leave Changed This Week, But Dads Say It ‘Doesn’t Go Far Enough’

Posted on 08/04/2026 by Boris Clair

Dads-to-be now have the right to paternity leave from the first day in a new job, rather than having to wait six months to be eligible.

The change means that from 6 April, new dads can take two weeks of paternity leave from day one of a new job – however, this will not be paid leave unless they’ve worked for their employer for more than 26 weeks.

Dads can receive £194 per week or 90% of pay (whichever is lower).

But campaigners are saying the change “doesn’t go far enough” to improve the UK’s measly paternity leave offering, which has been slammed as the worst in Europe.

Ultimately, many want to see dads’ leave extended from the current offering of two weeks, to six weeks, as default.

Elliott Rae, founder of Parenting Out Loud and Equal Parenting Week, said the latest changes to paternity leave are “much needed”, but dads “should have been entitled” to it already.

“Paternity leave in the UK is dire and fixing something that should never have been an issue in the first place doesn’t go far enough,” he said.

“We need to start changing the way we think about families and valuing the roles of dads and partners more. Dads want to step up, and it’s high time we let them.”

Prior to the new changes, some dads were forced to take annual leave rather than paternity leave because their partners became pregnant shortly after they started a new role.

Oliver, from Gloucester, was one of them. He began a new role while his wife was pregnant. “Paternity leave entitlement should always have been in place from day one, regardless of whether you’ve switched roles,” he said.

“During the early days of parenting, having annual leave to use for illness or child care is vital, so using up a big chunk of your entitlement, or not being able to take time off at all, isn’t fair.

“We now need to use this momentum to drive forward more change and more rights for dads. We need to stop policy getting in the way of parenting.”

Hundreds of dads and partners plan to join a ‘Push for Paternity’ pram march on Saturday 2 May, in London, Leeds and Manchester, calling for a fairer paternity leave system.

Joeli Brearley, founder of Growth Spurt, added: “We should be embarrassed by how far behind the rest of Europe we are on parental support. We offer the worst paternity leave in Europe, one of the weakest maternity pay systems, virtually no meaningful support for parents of children with SEND, and a childcare system that quietly forces parents out of work and back to the kitchen sink.

“These changes are a step in the right direction. But let’s be honest, we are still at the foothills of a very steep climb if we want to properly support working families.”

As A Psychologist, I See Where Parents Of Neurodivergent Toddlers Are Let Down

Posted on 31/03/2026 by Boris Clair

As a psychologist working with children and families, I often meet parents at a moment of both clarity and uncertainty.

They may have started to notice that their toddler experiences the world a little differently. Perhaps their child becomes overwhelmed in busy environments, struggles with communication or finds social interaction more difficult than other children their age.

For many families, recognising neurodivergence brings a sense of relief. But it is usually followed by a daunting question: how do we get the right support for our child?

In the UK, that journey can be particularly complex during the early years.

According to the Department for Education, around 1.6 million pupils in England are identified as having special educational needs, representing roughly 18% of the school population. Yet families with preschool children often face long waiting lists for assessments and limited access to early support.

This delay matters. Early childhood is a critical period for brain development. Evidence shows that early support programmes for neurodivergent children, particularly those on the autism spectrum, can significantly improve communication, social skills and everyday functioning.

When support arrives early, it does not change who a child is, nor should it. What it can do is help children develop strategies that make learning and taking part in daily life much more manageable.

The early years can be very difficult for families

The period after recognising that a child may be neurodivergent can be one of the most stressful times for parents.

Families are often required to navigate complex systems across health, education and social care, while also supporting their child’s day-to-day needs.

Research has shown that parents of neurodivergent children report significantly higher levels of stress during the early stages of seeking support, particularly when services are delayed or fragmented.

In practice, many parents become the main coordinator of their child’s support: they research therapies, push for assessments and adapt their home routines to help their child manage emotions and sensory challenges.

Yet this expertise is not always recognised by the professionals they encounter.

Challenging outdated advice

In my clinical work, I still hear well-intentioned but outdated advice offered to parents of neurodivergent toddlers. Comments such as “they will grow out of it” or “they simply need firmer discipline” reflect a misunderstanding of how neurodivergent children develop.

Research increasingly shows that behaviours often described as disruptive are more accurately understood as a child trying to express sensory, emotional or communication needs.

When a child struggles to join in with group activities or becomes overwhelmed in a busy environment, it is rarely deliberate defiance. It is often a sign that the environment does not yet suit the way their brain works.

A more helpful approach shifts the focus away from controlling the behaviour and towards understanding what is behind it.

What early years settings could do differently

Nurseries and early years settings are well placed to support neurodivergent children before formal schooling begins.

However, according to the Department for Education, many staff feel underprepared to recognise and respond to the different ways children develop and learn.

Inclusion means more than simply allowing neurodivergent children into mainstream settings. It means adapting those environments with calmer spaces, flexible routines, visual aids and genuine collaboration with families.

When these changes are made, the benefits extend to all children. Every young learner does better in an environment that feels predictable and safe.

One young child I worked with struggled to join in at nursery and was frequently described as disruptive. Staff were unsure how best to respond.

After introducing a simple visual timetable and a quiet space where the child could go when feeling overwhelmed, the difference in their participation was remarkable.

What changed was not the child but the environment. This reflects a broader principle: when we adjust our surroundings to meet a child’s needs, their ability to engage often grows considerably.

Dr Marguerita Magennis is a psychologist, educational consultant, counsellor and psychology tutor at FindTutors.

Could More Parents Get ‘Free’ Hours? The Government Is Looking Into UK’s Childcare System

Posted on 24/03/2026 by Boris Clair

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has revealed she’s reviewing the free childcare eligibility thresholds impacting parents in England.

Under the current system, working parents are entitled to 30 hours of free childcare a week (for 38 weeks a year) after their child turns nine months old, up until they start school.

However if both parents earn less than £195 per week, or one parent earns more than £100,000 per year, this support isn’t available.

Phillipson told The Times: “We are going to continue to look at eligibility through the childcare review that we’re undertaking, and it does need to be simpler for parents.”

How does the current threshold work?

There is a lower and higher threshold, which means thousands of parents aren’t able to access support.

People who are aged 21 or over need to be earning more than £195.36 per week to be eligible for the free childcare offering. This drops to £160 per week for 18-20 year-olds and £120.80 per week for under-18s or apprentices.

Coram Family and Childcare’s latest annual Childcare Survey found families who are not eligible for the free hours – because they are not in work, do not earn enough or do not meet other criteria – have to pay an average of £189 per week for a part-time nursery place for a child under two.

It warned there is a risk that disadvantaged children are being priced out of accessing the same early years education as those in working families.

Lydia Hodges, from Coram, said the government’s childcare expansion is a “welcome support” for working families, but added there’s a “stark divide” between those eligible for support, and those who are not.

She said: “The focus on children being ‘school ready’ is gathering pace, but we have to ask a question about how much more difficult this will be to achieve for disadvantaged children in England, when they will now get only a third of the government-funded early education that children with working parents get, by the time they start school.”

There is also a higher threshold where one parent earning over £100,000 means couples aren’t able to access 30 free hours to pay for childcare either.

This means two parents could hypothetically earn £99,999 and receive 30 hours of free childcare a week; while another couple could have one person earning £101,000 and the other earning £5,000, and they would lose out.

As a result, parents have refused pay rises and bonuses, The Times reported, as the free childcare offering is better value.

All parents are able to access 15 free hours of childcare when their child turns three years old, regardless of income.

When will the changes be made?

We know both the lower and higher thresholds are under review between now and the next general election, which will be August 2029 at the latest.

Any changes that will be made are not imminent and form part of the government’s early years strategy.

Ultimately, Phillipson is keen to make the free childcare offering “more straightforward” for parents and the childcare sector, while also “getting the best possible outcomes from the money that’s being invested”.

HuffPost UK has contacted the government about when the outcome of the review is likely to be shared and will update the piece when we hear back.

Parents And Experts Tackle The Tricky Topic Of Banning Under-16s From Using Social Media

Posted on 20/01/2026 by Boris Clair

After Australia made moves to ban under-16s from using social media, both the UK and France are considering a similar move.

The UK government has now launched a consultation on children’s use of technology, including social media, and said it’s seeking views from parents, young people and civil society – with a response expected this summer.

Over the weekend, more than 60 Labour MPs wrote to prime minister Keir Starmer urging him to back a ban, while members of the House of Lords are set to vote on a cross-party amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill this week to raise the age of social media access to 16.

Esther Ghey, the mum of Brianna Ghey who was murdered by two teenagers, has lent her support to the amendment, saying it is a “vital step in better protecting children online”.

What do parents and experts think of a social media ban for young people?

In December 2025, a YouGov poll of 5,000 people found 39% of respondents “strongly supported” and 35% “somewhat supported” a ban on under-16s having social media accounts. In contrast, just 15% “somewhat opposed” and 4% “strongly opposed” it.

A separate survey by The Good Growth Foundation found 66% of respondents backed a social media ban for young people, while a petition calling for a ban on social media access for under-16s has been circulating in parent Whatsapp groups – at the time of writing, it had 65,000 signatures.

Dr Tracy King, is a chartered clinical psychologist who has a 13-year-old autistic daughter. She told HuffPost UK that from a parental and professional perspective, she supports stronger regulation and safeguards, but she is cautious of an outright ban.

“Social media can expose teenagers to real risks, including comparison culture, grooming, algorithm-driven distress, and constant nervous system activation,” she said.

“I see this particularly affecting neurodivergent young people, who may be more vulnerable to social overwhelm, rejection sensitivity, and online manipulation.

“At the same time, for many autistic teenagers, social media can provide connection, identity exploration, and a sense of belonging that is harder to access offline.”

The psychologist suggested a blanket ban risks “removing one of the few spaces where some young people feel socially competent or understood, without addressing the underlying issues of platform design, moderation, and digital literacy”.

What she wants most is not just restriction, but protection paired with education and realistic, age-appropriate boundaries. “That education has to extend to parents, as I see many who have no idea of online risks happening behind the bedroom door,” she added.

Lucy Whitehouse, who has a three-year-old and is CEO of sex education charity Fumble, noted that pressure should be put on social media platforms to “clean up their act”, rather than banning young people.

“Social media has a lot of negative content, but it is also the place that young people go to in lieu of any inclusive and accessible sex education at school to find answers to the questions that they have and to connect and to learn,” she added.

One month after the ban in Australia took effect there was mixed reaction from teens, according to CNBC – while some expressed relief at being free of the distraction, others admitted to finding ways to circumvent the ban.

Lee Chambers, founder of Male Allies who has three children aged 13, 11 and two, believes this would happen in the UK too: “If you ban social media, young people will find another way in.”

He also noted that it’s hard to know where a line is drawn in terms of what constitutes ‘social media’.

“Roblox is a social platform where a lot of negative content is being shared. Will the government ban this, too? What about Whatspp? When does the banning stop?” he asked.

“What we need to do is to put real regulation and rules around these platforms that the social media giants must adhere to.”

He added that young people need help navigating the online world – “it’s not something that we can just switch off, it’s everywhere, and with AI things are only going to get worse”.

The government is said to also be looking at options including implementing phone curfews to avoid excessive use and restricting potentially addictive design features such as ‘streaks’ and ‘infinite scrolling’.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: “Through the Online Safety Act, this government has already taken clear, concrete steps to deliver a safer online world for our children and young people.

“These laws were never meant to be the end point, and we know parents still have serious concerns. That is why I am prepared to take further action.”

Since the Online Safety Act came into play, children encountering age checks online has risen from 30% to 47% – and 58% of parents believe the measures are already improving children’s safety online.

Nova Eden, who has three children aged 14, 11 and six, and is one of the leading voices in the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign, added: “The harm being caused to young children is a public health emergency.

“There is an urgent need for UK leaders to step up and implement meaningful, accelerated change for the next generation. It is time to prioritise children’s mental health and wellbeing over the profits of Big Tech.”

‘Tis The Season To Share The Mental Load – Keeping Christmas Merry, Not Messy

Posted on 13/12/2025 by Boris Clair

Every parent knows that the merriment and magic-making surrounding Christmas requires time, energy, and often more capacity than any of us have.

Upended schedules, school plays, non-uniform days, PTA events, parties, end-of-year work deadlines, gift-giving, cooking, baking, entertaining – the mental load, which is hard enough to juggle at the best of times, gets thrown into a pressure cooker.

And if one of you assumes the other is happy to manage everything, it won’t take long to reach breaking point.

It’s no wonder the first working Monday of the new year is often referred to as “Divorce Day”, when the strain over the holidays gets too much, and old wounds and buried resentments resurface.

For most couples, divorce isn’t on the cards. But the holidays can still churn up emotions we’ve managed to bury for most of the year; resentment and frustration can boil over and explode during this intensified time.

If you find yourself feeling withdrawn, short-tempered, unsupported, unseen and unheard – you’re not alone.

Take a step back and think about this while wearing your professional hat: would you ever host a major event without a detailed plan? Would you ever launch a new product without a communications campaign? And would you ever do the whole thing alone?

Think of your household as a mini organisation, and December is your biggest annual event. You need to come together as a team to make it a success.

So, set a time to sit down with your spouse or partner (and the kids if they’re old enough), and use the following questions as a guide. The end result is (hopefully) a smoother, happier, argument-free holiday season.

How to start sharing the load over Christmas

With a shared calendar, review all necessary events: school plays, worship services, Christmas parties, family gatherings.
In work settings we use the word ‘objective’. For the family, let’s stick to priorities. Take a deep breath, and each share your top two priorities for the holiday. (Use this opportunity wisely! These should be selfish. Maybe you don’t want to do dishes for two hours on Christmas night, or you want several hours on Boxing Day to do shopping, or you want to attend your work party and stay late without guilt.) Name what is truly important to you and respect each other’s wishes. It might help to add WHY these are important: maybe they don’t want to do dishes, not because they are lazy, but because they love the end-of-the-day snuggles with kids by the tree. Maybe shopping on Boxing Day is the alone time needed to get through the remainder of the school holiday. Maybe the work party is a way to get on the boss’s good side going into the new year.
If your kids are old enough, ask them their priorities as well! If the kids are still little, agree on three priorities you know they love.
Look at everyone’s priorities collectively and talk about how to keep those as the focus. Are any of them conflicting? Do you have the resources to make everything happen? If any priorities cannot be met, reset expectations now to prevent disappointment on Christmas morning. What are you going to let go of this year because it’s just too much?
Now it is time to make a mini action plan. Create a to-do list together, including everything that needs to happen to meet everyone’s expectations. Include deadlines, and decide who is taking responsibility for which task. Be careful to divide as evenly as possible (including all the gift lists) – one person should not be taking on 80% of the tasks. It’s good to discuss consequences too: what is going to happen if one of you drops the ball and doesn’t complete their list? What impact will that have on the family?
Finally, set follow-up meetings. Sit down together 1-2 times a week throughout the holidays to check in, troubleshoot, see where you might need additional help, and hold each other accountable.

It’s time to leave resentment in 2025 and let the holidays be the start of something new.

Rachel Childs is a parenting equity expert, founder of Parents That Work and co-host at Equal-ish, the parenting podcast.

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