Daily roundup 5 October: Bullying, autism, and Rotherham charges

Anxiety and depression caused by childhood bullying decreases over time, a study suggests. The BBC reports that a University College London study of 11,000 twins found that anxiety problems were still present two years on, but had disappeared after five years. The study found that children do recover from the damaging effects that bullying can cause.


Taking multivitamins in early pregnancy may reduce the risk of children developing autism, research has found. The Daily Mail reports that experts from universities and hospitals in Bristol, Philadelphia, and Stockholm have found that children whose mothers had taken the vitamins were around half as likely to develop autism as those whose mothers took none.


Police have charged 12 more men as part of an investigation into historical child sexual exploitation in Rotherham. The Independent reports that the men, aged between 33 and 38, face accusations of rape and indecent assault related to eight girls under the age of 16, over a five-year period between 1998 and 2003. This brings the number charged under the National Crime Agency's Operation Stovewood to 21.


Schoolchildren would be happy if social media did not exist as more than half have experienced abuse or had their confidence knocked by websites, a study has found. The Telegraph reports that said Charlotte Robertson, co-founder of Digital Awareness UK, said young people are "starting to acknowledge that this isn't helping and is starting to impact their health and wellbeing".


A fire crew has been suspended from community work after a firefighter wrapped two children in cling film. The BBC reports that Essex Fire Service is investigating after it was alerted to photographs of the incident.