Daily roundup 11 November: Teenage smoking, Rotherham abuse, and child health

The number of young people taking up smoking has dropped significantly in the past 20 years because of strengthening controls on tobacco use, according to a new report. Researchers at Glasgow University found a 50 per cent drop in the numbers of 15-year-olds who tried smoking for the first time between 1990 and 2012 throughout the UK. But teenagers from less wealthy backgrounds were still more than twice as likely to experiment with smoking, and more likely to become daily smokers, than those whose parents were better off, reports the Times.


The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating claims that South Yorkshire Police ripped up files relating to a child sex abuse victim in Rotherham. The BBC reports that the IPCC will also look into a claim that police prevented another victim from being examined after she was abused.


Supposedly healthy supermarket smoothies and juices aimed at children can contain up to eight teaspoons of sugar - more than one-and-a-half times as much as in Coca-Cola, according to a survey carried out for a health campaign group. A quarter of the products tested had at least six teaspoons for every 200ml glass, the maximum adult daily intake recommended by the World Health Organisation, the research found. The group told the Guardian that the drinks were a “major and unnecessary” source of sugars and calories were contributing to record levels of tooth decay, obesity and type 2 diabetes in children.