We must protect young people from online harms | Letters

The disturbing account from a 15‑year‑old girl describing the misogyny she faces online (I am a 15-year-old girl. Let me show you the vile misogyny that confronts me on social media every day, 23 February) will come as no surprise to those of us working to safeguard young people’s mental health. The scale of harmful content in online worlds is deeply concerning. The author has been brave in shining a light on her experiences, and many young people today are exposed to misogyny and hatred in ways that are difficult for those who are not digital natives to fully understand.Yet it is also important to recognise that the online world is not wholly negative, since for many young people it offers connection, solidarity, creativity and meaningful support

Assisted dying bill not at ‘end of the road’, peer says as time runs short

A former Labour minister has insisted the assisted dying bill has not reached “the end of the road”, as the legislation appears likely to run out of time after organised filibustering.Charlie Falconer, who has been trying to steer the bill through the House of Lords, spoke after it was confirmed that the government would not be giving the bill further debate time in the Lords, where there are less than six days of debate left.Labour’s chief whip in the Lords, Roy Kennedy, told a parliamentary committee this week that the government would not give the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill more time before the end of the parliamentary session in May, when any legislation not yet passed automatically falls. Multiple extra days of debate have already been added in the Lords.Lord Falconer and others including Esther Rantzen, one of the bill’s highest-profile supporters, have been scathing of how opponents in the Lords have acted

Record number of rough sleepers in England last year, official figures show

Record numbers of people slept rough on the streets of England last year, according to the latest official statistics.An estimated 4,793 people spent the night in tents, doorways and parks on a single night in autumn 2025, up 3% year on year, and overtaking the previous peak of 4,751 in 2017, though charities believe these figures underestimate the scale of the nation’s homelessness crisis.2025 was the fourth year in a row that rough sleeping numbers have risen. The figures also show that the number of children in homeless families living in temporary accommodation increased to the highest levels on record, up 12,020 in a year to 175,990.Charities said the recent upward trend in rough sleeping and temporary housing was unlikely to be reversed without government action to tackle the impact of high private sector rents and build more social housing

Jersey approves bill to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults

Jersey’s parliament has given final approval to a bill to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults who live on the island.Members of the States Assembly voted by 32 to 16 on Thursday in favour of the bill, which will now need royal assent before it becomes law.A private member’s bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales is being scrutinised by the House of Lords, with some campaigners accusing peers of obstructing its passage.The bill, introduced by the Labour MP Kim Leadbeater in October 2024, would allow adults with a prognosis of six months or fewer to live to have the option of an assisted death.It can become law only if both Houses of Parliament agree on its final wording

Mumsnet calls for under-16s social media ban with cigarette-style health warnings

Mumsnet has launched a campaign to introduce a ban on social media for under-16s featuring health warnings in the style of those on cigarette packets.The deliberately provocative national advertising campaign calls for all social media to be banned for children under the age of 16. The images on billboards and social media make a number of stark statements related to health.They claim that “three hours or more social media a day makes teens more likely to self-harm”, that teen phone addiction doubles the risk of anxiety, that social media use can increase the risk of eating disorders in young people and that addictive social media use in teens is linked to higher risk of suicidal behaviour.The ads request that people email their MP and “demand an under-16s social media ban”

Cruel comments, racism and cover-ups: key findings from England’s maternity care report

A damning report published as a result of an investigation into England’s maternity care found instances of NHS Trusts covering up their failings and falsifying records to bereaved families, among a catalogue of several failings.Some of the most shocking examples given in the interim report included bereaved mothers facing cruel comments from maternity staff, shocking incidents of racism and discrimination, cover-ups and a lack of accountability from NHS trusts, alongside glaring structural and staffing issues within maternity wards.The report highlighted “unacceptable” instances occurring where staff made cruel or insensitive comments to families when they were most vulnerable, including after baby loss.In one example, a doula, supporting a bereaved mother who had waited a few hours after her waters broke before attending the ward, said the consultant “barked” at them.“They said, ‘Well, why didn’t you come sooner? Are you stupid?’”, the doula said