'I left the No 10 roundtable with a sense of optimism.’
Last week The Children's Society was invited to 10 Downing Street for a roundtable meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Keir Starmer, to discuss the recent Netflix series Adolescence. Since its release, the show has sparked a national conversation, spotlighting the complex, often hidden realities teenagers face today. Nerys Anthony, our Executive Director of Youth Impact, who attended, reflects on the meeting - and what we need to do to help teenagers navigate an ever-changing digital world.
Nerys at number 10
A week ago, my colleague Sarah and I were invited to 10 Downing Street, to attend a rapidly convened meeting chaired by the Prime Minister. The focus of the discussion was Netflix’s series Adolescence, a show that has gripped the nation—raising awareness, bringing shock, anxiety over what teenagers are experiencing today, online and offline, illustrating some of the issues we see at The Children’s Society, whilst also raising unanswered questions and ongoing challenges for us all to overcome.
At The Children’s Society, we’ve long been advocates for young people, shining a light on their needs and amplifying their voices. Our work revolves around supporting young people in a myriad of ways—both directly in their local settings and through our research and policy advocacy at a national level. We tirelessly champion their wellbeing striving to ensure their voices remain central to decisions that affect them. Our mission is clear: to improve young people’s wellbeing through the creation of change at every level—individually, locally, and nationally.
Reflecting on The Children’s Society’s role
While Adolescence delves into some disturbing themes, we welcome the attention it has brought to young people’s lives. Being invited to Downing Street to contribute to this important conversation was an honour and important recognition of the need for Government to engage with a range of different stakeholders with varied insights to provide to this issue. The discussion was wide-ranging, and I left with a sense of optimism. It was clear that the government is eager to join up thinking and actions while being open to solutions from the charity sector. Male violence against women and girls was a strong theme during the discussion, with commitment shared to reduce and prevent this. For some, Adolescence served as a wake-up call—a powerful demonstration of how storytelling can drive action.
Reflecting on The Children’s Society’s role, I’m reminded of the principles at the heart of our work.
Our staff and volunteers build trusted, positive relationships with children, working in partnership with others to ensure cohesive, joined-up responses. Safeguarding is embedded into everything we do, with the child’s best interests coming first. We resist blaming or labelling young people, choosing instead to work with them, listen to their voices, and adapt our responses to their unique needs. Our bespoke approach recognises that one size does not fit all.
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Young people
The issues raised in Adolescence resonate deeply with the work we do. For instance, we focus on fostering positive masculinity in boys and young men, challenging harmful stereotypes, siloed thinking, and discriminatory behaviours. Creating safe spaces in real-world settings is also essential, helping young people navigate and make sense of what they encounter online. This may mean different things for different young people. At The Children's Society, we have multiple early support hubs located across the country - including our Time for young people support spaces - as well as other youth hubs tailored to the needs of communities. It is all of our responsibility to continue to evolve these spaces, and advocate for funding to make many more readily available.
The Children’s Society’s own research has consistently shown a troubling year-on-year decline in children’s wellbeing. Our research also shows specific trends in girls wellbeing, which challenges us to better understand the role that perceptions and feelings of safety have in girls' wellbeing, and the role that we all have as a society to address this. Addressing this means fostering a sense of belonging, nurturing positive relationships, and ensuring young people feel safe and heard. We want them to know they can talk to us about anything, without fear of judgment.
Could we do more?
The series has also sparked internal conversations within our organisation: Could we do more? Could we do better? For me, continuing to build a robust evidence base for the impact of our work is a priority. Demonstrating the difference we make not only strengthens support for our work but also deepens understanding of the complexities of teenage life in today’s UK.
Ultimately, there’s not one quick fix. Forcing children to abandon their phones or watching a non-educational programme at school in isolation won’t yield the outcomes some might hope for. Instead, adults must connect to young people to understand their worlds—meeting them where they are, learning about their mental health and wellbeing, and standing alongside them.
When adults listen and create safe contexts, teenagers will open up and share their experiences.
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