James Esses

It is hard not to be increasingly concerned about the safeguarding of children at Childline, an arm of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). I believe that young, vulnerable and impressionable children are being exposed to worrying material, grounded in ideology, on the charity's website. Childline runs a message board which children can use to talk to each other about issues they are struggling with. The intention is for it to act as a form of peer support. But there appears to be inadequate safeguarding in place on its site.    I looked at a random sample of messages in the ‘Gender Identity’ section of Childline’s message boards and was appalled by what I discovered.

One afternoon in May 2021, as I was sat at my desk, an email notification from my university course appeared on my screen. ‘Termination of Contract’ was the subject line.   I crumbled into pieces on the floor. I was fortunate to be at my mother’s house at the time and she comforted me. But the truth was that I was inconsolable. I had devoted four years of my life towards training to become a psychotherapist. I had spent tens of thousands of pounds in the process. In one email, my hard work and future aspirations had come crashing down.  The question going round and round inside my head was: ‘Why?’ It soon became clear. The truth is that this happened to me because I hold gender critical views. I believe that biological sex is binary and immutable.

When Channel 4’s new programme Naked Education – in which adults strip naked in front of children – was launched, it promised viewers it would be ‘all about body positivity’, and that it had a mission to ‘champion our differences and break down stereotypes’.   In the very first episode one of the participants, Martha, stated: ‘you have to accept yourself before you can love yourself’. Self-acceptance, from a therapeutic perspective, is extremely important.  Unfortunately, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the show, which is aimed at children, has already shown its inconsistent ideology. Entire segments are dedicated to individuals who seemingly did everything they could to change their bodies.

TikTok is perpetuating significant harm to the welfare and wellbeing of young children. This week, it was announced by the UK’s data protection authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), that they were handing down a £12.7 million fine to TikTok for significant breaches of data protection law. It is one of the largest fines to have ever been imposed by the body. The fact that there are children aged 13 and under may have been exposed to this material is beyond terrifying Having conducted a thorough investigation into TikTok, the ICO found that in 2020, up to 1.4 million UK children under the age of 13 were accessing and using its platform.   The ICO found that personal data belonging to these children was used without parental consent.

The hyper-sexualisation of children’s shows in the name of ‘diversity and inclusion’ continues to grip the United Kingdom.  The latest incarnation to emerge is the ‘Caba Baba Rave’ – a ‘cabaret sensory rave for parents and their babies 0-2 years’ – which has been performing in London and was due to appear in Waterloo on 11 March.    It recently came to light that the show, which promised to provide a ‘little slice of afternoon delight’, was packed full of half-naked drag acts, wearing bondage gear, thongs and nipple tassels in front of children. The performers often name themselves after lewd sex acts. Nothing is left to the imagination.

On Sunday 22 January 2023, Darren Moore was found dead. Moore was a long-standing and well-known drag artist in Cardiff where he lived.   He was also a convicted child rapist.   The fact that news outlets had the ability to report on the colour of Moore’s wig but not on the atrocious crimes he had previously committed is worrying But this chilling fact has been almost entirely ignored by the mainstream media as they report his death. Instead, the commentary and news coverage has been hugely positive about Moore’s life. At times, the coverage has bordered on gushing, with article after article going into great detail about the warm tributes to Moore pouring in from the local community.

Childline has acted as a haven for struggling children for over 35 years. In 2006, it became part of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), to further its child safeguarding mission.  However, in recent years Childline has chosen ideology over safeguarding. I should know; I used to work there.   I was a volunteer counsellor at Childline between 2015 and 2020. In my time there, I spent thousands of hours counselling children through a variety of issues. Supporting the welfare and wellbeing of children was extremely fulfilling.  Over time, I began to notice a change in the presentation of children coming through to speak to me.