More Than A Quarter Of Teens Self Harming

29 August 2018, 11:15

More than 1500 girls and over 600 boys aged 14 are estimated to have self-harmed in Birmingham over a 12 month period.

The numbers, which come from The Children's Society, say nationally a quarter of girls aged 14 self harmed during this time.

Rob Willoughby from the charity spoke to Capital.

 Nearly a quarter of said they'd heard jokes or comments about other people's bodies or looks, and there were even jokes about people' sexual activity.

It found that this made girls feel much worse and less happy about their appearance, but less so for boys.

The numbers come from a report which surveyed 11,000 children and the reasons behind the unhappiness which increases the risk of children self-harming.

It also found that gender stereotypes can harm both boys and girls as there's pressure to live up to these standards.

They say happiness with relationships with friends and family has the biggest influence on overall wellbeing.

(Image: PA)