Atkinson, director of children's services in Gateshead, said that young people are too often portrayed negatively by the media and need to be given more of a meaningful voice.
"The young people in my borough are concerned with things such as climate change, pressures at school and particularly how they will make it in life during a recession," she said. "We need to have a national discussion about these things as well."
Atkinson said she was not concerned that English law prohibits the commissioner from taking up cases of individual children, unlike commissioners in other British nations. "I'm not sure being a campaign voice of individual cases is such a good use of the role," she said. "The commissioner needs to exert influence on issues that are of collective concern to children and young people rather than being sucked in to the campaigns of individual children".
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