Daily roundup 17 February: Happiness, cannabis, and children's mental health

Eight-year-olds in England are not as happy as children in countries like Poland, Turkey and Estonia, an international survey by Children’s World has claimed. The Guardian reports that England ranked in 13th place out of 16 countries when looking into children’s life satisfactions, with school and body image noted as trouble areas.


A primary school in Greater Manchester has sent out a letter to parents after receiving reports that people have been smoking cannabis when dropping off or collecting their children. The BBC reports that St John’s Primary School in Radcliffe described the situation as a serious safeguarding concern and the police have been made aware.


The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton has called for the “taboo” of mental health to be broken. The Daily Mail reports that Kate said for too long parents have been embarrassed to admit children need help and it is time for the perception of mental illness to change.


Nearly 200 children in Coventry are at risk of being sexually exploited according to statistics revealed in the Coventry Telegraph. A 22 per cent rise in cases of child exploitation (CSE) in the West Midlands has been attributed to a greater public awareness about the signs of CSE.


Charities and pressure groups have called on the Scottish government to make smacking children illegal. The Scotsman reports that the appeal came after children’s minister Aileen Campbell spoke out against the practice of smacking but stated that there were no plans to change the law. Smacking children is legal in Scotland provided it is deemed “reasonable chastisement”.