NSPCC’s Childline reports 45% rise in number of boys suffering online sexual abuse

  • The number of boys contacting Childline to disclose they have been the victim of online sexual abuse has risen by 45%.
  • Figures released by the NSPCC’s charity hotline show that it delivered 362 counselling sessions between April 2021 and March 2022, compared to 249 the previous year.
  • There was also a 20% increase in the number of sessions involving 11-year-olds and under, reporting physical, sexual abuse and exploitation.
  • For more on this, please visit the Sky News website.

Hive temporarily shuts down as hackers could access people’s private messages

  • Twitter’s new alternative Hive Social has reached over a million users in the last week.
  • The platform has temporarily shut down its servers due to concerns that its vulnerabilities may allow potential hackers access to all data, including users’ private messages.
  • The software bugs could also reportedly allow potential hackers to overwrite and edit data such as posts of other users.
  • Hive tweeted on Thursday to alert users that they would have to turn off their servers for a couple of days to fix the issue.
  • For more on this story, please visit the Independent’s website.

Research suggests children often present when victims strangled

  • Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) research six months on from changes in the law, indicates how children and young people have been exposed to such violence.
  • This research suggests that children were present when victims including their own mothers were strangled in more than a third of cases.
  • According to the findings, a child was present in 38% of cases and some were in the same room or subjected to abuse while the attack was taking place.
  • For more on this story please visit the Independent’s website.

7 in 10 parents view offspring as ‘mini-educators’

  • In a report produced by Birds Eye, more than seven in 10 parents consider their children ‘mini educators’ at home regarding issues such as littering, use of plastics and food consumption.
  • The report suggests that primary schools are influential on issues such as what can be done about climate change.
  • 33% of children surveyed revealed they would consider disposing of recyclables incorrectly an illegal offence and 61% have told an adult off for not recycling something they should have.
  • A YouGov study also revealed insights into children’s thoughts on eating meat; over a third of children have asked an adult for a meal without meat. 45% wanted adults to listen to them more about what food they want to consume.
  • For more on this, please visit the Independent’s website.


GCSE pupils to have extra help with exams next year

  • Exam students will not have to memorise formulae and equations for some GCSE subjects next year, such as maths, physics and combined science, and will be provided with a sheet containing this information.
  • The exams regulator Ofqual said the move would offer the support students needed “as we move towards normality.”
  • The students “will have faced significant disruption to their education due to Covid-19” and it would be a challenge to “get through all of the specification”, one teacher said.
  • For more on this change, please go to the BBC website.