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The Guardian
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
London dominates England's social mobility league with top 20 places
The top 20 constituencies with the best social mobility in England are all in London, according to research from a leading education charity that underscores the stark regional divide in children's life chances. In a report published on Thursday, the Sutton Trust has put together an 'opportunity index' by analysing six measures of mobility. These include the share of children on free school meals who achieve passes in GCSE maths and English; who complete a degree by age 22; and who make it into the top 20% of earners by age 28. The trust finds that all of the top-scoring 20 constituencies on this index, and 42 of the top 50, are in London. The highest-ranked constituency outside the capital is Birmingham Perry Bar, in the West Midlands, in 23rd. The research shows the dramatic differences in children's prospects, depending on where in England they happen to be born. Children receiving free school meals in the best-performing constituency, the social security minister Stephen Timms's seat of East Ham, are a startling 30 percentage points more likely to achieve grade 5 in English and maths than their counterparts in the area at the bottom of the list, Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West, represented by Labour's Chi Onwura. As they go on through life, these same children are three times as likely to complete a degree if they came from Timms's east London seat than they are if they were born in Onwura's Newcastle seat. The latter is one of three of the 10 lowest-scoring constituencies in north-east England. Nick Harrison, the Sutton Trust's chief executive, said: 'This research paints a startling picture of inequality of opportunity across England. The life chances of disadvantaged young people remain strongly tied to where they grow up.' The report, which is based on data covering 10 million people over 25 years, also reveals big differences in the likelihood that children from low-income families leave the area they grew up in when they become adults. Despite the familiar narrative of young people moving to London to seek their fortune, the Sutton Trust finds that the capital is one of two regions, with the east of England, where the highest proportion of children on free school meals go on to move elsewhere, at 13%. That is more than twice the 6% in north-east England who do so. Anthony Breach, a research director at the Centre for Cities thinktank, said the Sutton Trust's research suggested that aside from London, many English cities are not offering the economic opportunities they could. 'It's striking that only London among our major cities consistently performs the role we'd expect of a big city – driving progression, opportunity and advancement for its residents. This aligns with the evidence that Britain's other big cities are underperforming,' he said. The Sutton Trust makes a series of policy recommendations for narrowing these regional gaps in social mobility, including incentivising the best teachers to work in disadvantaged schools, and improving financial help for children from low-income families who attend university. As negotiations between the Treasury and Whitehall departments intensify, the trust also calls on the government to make improving social mobility a guiding principle in the forthcoming spending review. 'Opportunities for social mobility will only be available nationwide if there is a more even spread of economic opportunities across the country,' the report says. 'This should be a sustained effort across government, potentially including greater devolution of powers and reforms to funding for local government, as well as greater investment in infrastructure regionally – including transport, and opportunities for education and training.' Priya Edwards, a senior policy and advocacy adviser at Save the Children UK, agreed that ministers should be prepared to commit significant resources to improving children's prospects. 'This report shows how children's life chances are sadly limited by both poverty and geography and it should serve as a wake-up call to the UK government,' she said. 'Ministers must act to level the playing field for all children, regardless of where they live. They should start by scrapping the two-child limit and benefit cap at the comprehensive spending review on 11 June, or in the forthcoming child poverty strategy.' A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'High and rising standards are at the heart of the government's mission to break down barriers to opportunity and ensure where you come from does not determine your future success. 'This government has inherited a system with baked-in inequalities, which we're tackling head-on through our plan for change by rolling out free breakfast clubs, improving mental health support, investing over £3bn to support those children who need it most and delivering a rich and broad curriculum so pupils are set up for life, work and the future.'
The National
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Extreme cases mask the fact that all ‘kidfluencing' is exploitative
The most common criticism of the show – and the pageant scene it portrayed – related to the sexualisation of its young stars, who were taught to preen and pose provocatively for an audience of adults. A spin-off series focusing on one of the girls was abruptly cancelled after her mother's relationships with two different child sex offenders were revealed. READ MORE: Elon Musk lookalike in Scotland goes viral in hilarious video Back then, it was easy to condemn the show, and the adults portrayed in it, as causing harm to their children. Few were swayed by arguments that the children enjoyed what they were doing, or that those viewing it through a sexual lens were the problem. The creators of Toddlers & Tiaras were not making a gritty expose – they were complicit in what many regarded as abuse. Unfortunately, compared to the Wild West of social media in 2025, those were simple times. Parents could push their kids onto the stage, and even TV, but there were limits – and child labour laws – to contend with if a family sought to turn its youngest members into cash cows. Last week – as YouTube celebrated its 20th birthday and YouTube Kids turned 10 – a Labour MP warned that parts of the 2023 Online Safety Act may already be 'obsolete or inadequate due to the lack of foresight and rigour of the last government' in relation to child 'influencers'. READ MORE: Second Kneecap clip assessed by police over alleged 'kill MP' call Reporting the concerns of Chi Onwurah, who chairs Westminster's science, technology and innovation committee, Sky News said that 'experts have raised concerns that there is a lack of legal provision for children who earn money through brand collaborations on social media, which has led to some advertising in their underwear.' That's an interesting sentence. A lack of regulation does not, in itself, lead to children appearing on social media in their underwear. That is the result of an adult – most likely a parent – filming the child in a state of undress and putting the content online. It's important not to shy away from the fact that it is parents who are using their children in this way, and indeed that fully dressed children cannot be protected by politicians if their parents are intent on exploiting them. The title of the recent Netflix series Bad Influence: The Dark Side Of Kidfluencing is similarly worth pondering, implying as it does that there is a light side of 'kidfluencing' that would not merit the scrutiny of documentary-makers. READ MORE: How is snapping photographs of the Pope's tomb 'paying respects'? It tells the story of a US child influencer and her mother who started out on the pageant circuit before switching to YouTube and building an extremely lucrative brand. Tiffany Smith progressed from filming her own daughter to creating content involving her friends, then other child performers seeking to boost their own online followings. It's not entirely clear which aspects of what happened next are the 'dark side' of the title. As the children's content started to bring in huge sums of money, the filming schedules became more demanding. Smith removed her daughter from school, and it was unclear what kind of education – if any – she continued to receive. As the children entered their teens, their videos began referencing crushes and kissing, and fake relationships were staged (albeit they were not always experienced as such by the children in question). Neither Smith nor her daughter agreed to be interviewed, so the story is largely told by the other 'kidfluencer' children (now nearly adults) and their parents. THEY tell increasingly disturbing stories about what Smith was doing, including allegations of sexual assault, psychological abuse and encouraging sexual predators to engage with the children's content. In 2022, YouTube removed Smith's ability to make money from videos posted to its site, on the grounds that she was 'facing multiple allegations of child abuse and exploitation'. But the channel itself was always a form of exploitation, as is every example of 'kidfluencing' and indeed the inclusion of children in content created by their parents. The question for legislators, creators and indeed ethically minded viewers of this content to consider is: where should lines be drawn? The parents featured in Bad Influence were clearly duped, but they are not innocent victims. The show does not delve too deeply into their complicity – if it had done so, presumably they would have been less inclined to take part. Tiffany Smith's daughter is still a social media influencer, and predictably at 17 has begun collaborating with OnlyFans 'models'. The Netflix series may serve to direct even more predatory adults towards her content, and further trap her in a 'career' she never chose. It may be some time before we learn how the creation of social media content featuring children has actually affected their development, their sense of self, and their relationships with others. But the more successful the child star, the more money can be made, and we cannot simply allow parents to decide how many takes, how many ads, how many videos are too many. The stakes are far too high.
Sky News
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Laws may need to be bolstered to crack down on exploitation of child 'influencers', senior MP suggests
Laws may need to be strengthened to crack down on the exploitation of child "influencers", a senior Labour MP has warned. Chi Onwurah, chair of the science, technology and innovation committee, said parts of the Online Safety Act - passed in October 2023 - may already be "obsolete or inadequate". Experts have raised concerns that there is a lack of provision in industry laws for children who earn money through brand collaborations on social media when compared to child actors and models. This has led to some children advertising in their underwear on social media, one expert has claimed. Those working in more traditional entertainment fields are safeguarded by performance laws, which strictly govern the hours a minor can work, the money they earn and who they are accompanied by. The Child Influencer Project, which has curated the world's first industry guidelines for the group, has warned of a "large gap in UK law" which is not sufficiently filled by new online safety legislation. The group's research found that child influencers could be exposed to as many as 20 different risks of harm, including to dignity, identity, family life, education, and their health and safety. Ms Onwurah told Sky News there needs to be a "much clearer understanding of the nature of child influencers 'work' and the legal and regulatory framework around it". She said: "The safety and welfare of children are at the heart of the Online Safety Act and rightly so. "However, as we know in a number of areas the act may already be obsolete or inadequate due to the lack of foresight and rigour of the last government." Victoria Collins, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for science, innovation and technology, agreed that regulations "need to keep pace with the times", with child influencers on social media "protected in the same way" as child actors or models. "Liberal Democrats would welcome steps to strengthen the Online Safety Act on this front," she added. 'Something has to be done' MPs warned in 2022 that the government should "urgently address the gap in UK child labour and performance regulation that is leaving child influencers without protection". They asked for new laws on working hours and conditions, a mandate for the protection of the child's earnings, a right to erasure and to bring child labour arrangements under the oversight of local authorities. However, Dr Francis Rees, the principal investigator for the Child Influencer Project, told Sky News that even after the implementation of the Online Safety Act, "there's still a lot wanting". "Something has to be done to make brands more aware of their own duty of care towards kids in this arena," she said. Dr Rees added that achieving performances from children on social media "can involve extremely coercive and disruptive practices". "We simply have to do more to protect these children who have very little say or understanding of what is really happening. Most are left without a voice and without a choice." What is a child influencer - and how are they at risk? A child influencer is a person under the age of 18 who makes money through social media, whether that is using their image alone or with their family. Dr Francis Rees, principal investigator for the Child Influencer Project, explains this is an 'escalation' from the sharing of digital images and performances of the child into 'some form of commercial gain or brand endorsement'. She said issues can emerge when young people work with brands - who do not have to comply with standard practise for a child influencer as they would with an in-house production. Dr Rees explains how, when working with a child model or actor, an advertising agency would have to make sure a performance license is in place, and make sure 'everything is in accordance with many layers of legislation and regulation around child protection'. But, outside of a professional environment, these safeguards are not in place. She notes that 30-second videos 'can take as long as three days to practice and rehearse'. And, Dr Rees suggests, this can have a strain on the parent-child relationship. 'It's just not as simple as taking a child on to a set and having them perform to a camera which professionals are involved in.' The researcher pointed to one particular instance, in which children were advertising an underwear brand on social media. She said: "The kids in the company's own marketing material or their own media campaigns are either pulling up the band of the underwear underneath their clothing, or they're holding the underwear up while they're fully clothed. "But whenever you look at any of the sponsored content produced by families with children - mum, dad, and child are in their underwear." Dr Rees said it is "night and day" in terms of how companies are behaving when they have responsibility for the material, versus "the lack of responsibility once they hand it over to parents with kids".
The Guardian
15-04-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Revealed: Chinese researchers can access half a million UK GP records
Researchers from China are to be allowed access to half a million UK GP records despite western intelligence agencies' fears about the authoritarian regime amassing health data, the Guardian can reveal. Preparations are under way to transfer the records to UK Biobank, a research hub that holds detailed medical information donated by 500,000 volunteers. One of the world's largest troves of health data, the facility makes its information available to universities, scientific institutes and private companies. A Guardian analysis shows one in five successful applications for access come from China. For the past year, health officials had been assessing whether extra safeguards were needed for patient records when added to the genomes, tissue samples and questionnaire responses held by UK Biobank. Personal details such as names and dates of birth are stripped from UK Biobank data before it is shared but experts say that in some cases individuals can still be identified. MI5, the UK Security Service, has warned that Chinese organisations and individuals granted access to UK data can be ordered by Chinese intelligence agencies 'to carry out work on their behalf'. But UK Biobank told the Guardian that the NHS unit responsible for health data had in recent weeks cleared it to grant Chinese researchers access to GP records. As Keir Starmer's ministers court Beijing in search of economic growth, the decision avoids crossing a rising superpower that has made biotech prowess a priority. UK-China relations already face tests over the fate of a Chinese-owned steel plant in Scunthorpe and plans for new rules on foreign interference campaigns. 'Security and privacy considerations are always taken into account when UK health data is used to drive forward our understanding of diseases and advance scientific research,' a government spokesperson said. Health data was 'only shared with legitimate researchers', they added. Chi Onwurah, a Labour MP who chairs parliament's science and technology committee, said: 'UK Biobank is an enormous success and global medical research is all the better for it.' But she added: 'We need a government-wide strategy that gives people confidence that they have control of their data, that their data is only ever shared securely and responsibly, and that reflects the realities of geopolitics and the potential for bad actors to use our data for ill.' Of the 1,375 successful applications for access to UK Biobank data, 265 came from China, or almost 20%, second only to the US, according to a Guardian analysis of its published records. Chinese scientists have used UK Biobank data to understand the effects of air pollution and to spot biological markers that could predict dementia. Last year, UK Biobank approved access for a research project on ageing by a unit of the Chinese genetics company BGI. The US, by contrast, has blacklisted BGI subsidiaries, barring Americans from exporting to them. Joe Biden's government justified the restrictions in 2023, saying it had information indicating that BGI units' 'collection and analysis of genetic data poses a significant risk of contributing to monitoring and surveillance by the government of China, which has been utilised in the repression of ethnic minorities in China'. It also claimed 'the actions of these entities concerning the collection and analysis of genetic data present a significant risk of diversion to China's military programs'. These were 'unsubstantiated allegations', a BGI representative said. 'We have never undertaken genetic surveillance of anybody. BGI does not engage in unethical practices and does not provide gene technology for surveillance. BGI does not condone and would never be involved in any human rights abuses.' The company dismissed claims the military could access data, saying its research 'is undertaken for civilian and scientific purposes only'. A UK Biobank representative said it was 'continually in dialogue' with MI5 and other state agencies about the use of its data, including by BGI. Despite objections from some GPs, in October Wes Streeting, the health secretary, gave instructions to press ahead with the transfer of patient records for consenting volunteers to UK Biobank and other research hubs. 'Access will only be for countries approved by NHS England,' Michael Chapman, a senior NHS official, told UK Biobank's conference in December, adding that approval would be based on 'security considerations' and countries' data protection. NHS England, the body that manages the health service and oversees the use of health data, has in recent weeks audited UK Biobank's processes for sharing data internationally, including how it assesses applications from China, a representative of the research hub said. UK Biobank passed the audit, the representative said, so Chinese researchers would be able to apply for access to the GP records. NHS England said: 'Any approval of access to personal data from overseas territories requires data recipients to comply with their responsibilities' under UK data law 'and is kept under review if circumstances change'. Data troves such as UK Biobank 'were set up to encourage research worldwide', says a leaked May 2024 NHS England presentation on policing access to GP records, 'but the global picture has since changed'. Yves Moreau, a geneticist who has worked on projects using data from UK Biobank and praises it as a 'world class' resource, said China's rulers 'regard genomic data and other health data as strategic'. He said it was 'reasonable to worry about China vacuuming such data from around the world to strengthen its biotech sector'. Beyond commercial advantages, intelligence sources say health data can be useful in espionage if anonymisation can be broken. Experts say it may be possible to match public information about an individual's medical treatment with anonymised patient records to identify who they refer to. UK Biobank's representative said it had 'no evidence of anyone being identified'. After China adopted new legislation in 2017 to enforce cooperation with the regime's spies, MI5 warned custodians of British personal data that the national intelligence law 'may affect the level of control you have over your information and assets as you engage with Chinese individuals and organisations, especially if you work in an area that is of interest to the Chinese state'. China is 'developing the world's largest bio database', Edward You, then a top US intelligence officer specialising in new technologies, said in 2021. 'Once they have access to your genetic data, it's not something you can change like a pin code.' Privacy campaigners at medConfidential asked UK Biobank last year 'whether Biobank continues to send British citizens' genetic and (NHS) patient data to China or other 'hostile states'.' They added: 'No one should be satisfied that there is still no clarity on exactly what patient data Biobank has disseminated to what researchers where, despite this being a constant question for multiple years.' Until last year, UK Biobank allowed researchers to take copies of its data. Recipients agreed to destroy it once their projects were finished but there was no way to ensure they did. In October, the Guardian revealed that a fringe group promoting racist pseudoscience claimed to have access to UK Biobank data. UK Biobank has now switched to a system where researchers access data within its own platform. Its representative said access to GP records would be through this platform only. Prof Sir Rory Collins, UK Biobank's chief executive, said: 'All our volunteers have given explicit consent for researchers to study their de-identified health data, and many have emphasised the importance of their GP data being analysed.' Additional reporting: Zeke Hunter-Green, Dominic Kendrick and Olivia Lee in London
The Guardian
24-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Newcastle face outcry over lack of open-top bus parade after Carabao Cup win
Newcastle have upset many of their supporters after announcing plans to celebrate their Carabao Cup triumph with a party on the city's Town Moor rather than an open-top bus parade. The outcry has prompted the possibility of a modified event and club officials spent Monday in talks with Newcastle city council and Northumbria police regarding the possible addition of a scaled-down parade. Chi Onwurah, the Labour MP for Newcastle Central, said a lot of fans had contacted her and Karen Kilgour, the leader of Newcastle city council, released a statement saying the council had not blocked a parade. Nonetheless, given that Saturday is a busy shopping day in central Newcastle, a parade could present logistical problems, particularly as all police leave has been cancelled as officers divide themselves between the Town Moor and the Championship game between Sunderland and Millwall at the Stadium of Light. Although Sunderland is 15 miles away, many Millwall fans are expected to change trains at Newcastle central station en route to Wearside. Newcastle fans are concerned that anyone wanting to attend the Town Moor event had to register by Sunday night, with no guarantees of admission. It is also a standing only party with no facilities for car parking. Admission will be free and from 1.30pm but the event will run from 4pm until 8pm. Eddie Howe and his players are expected to take to the stage at about 6pm but many older fans feel the need to stand for so long means it is unsuited to their needs, let alone those of children. Then there is the problem of what happens if it rains on a site prone to turning muddy. Although Newcastle say no alcohol will be permitted, soft drinks, food and merchandise will be sold. Anyone registering an interest has had to provide an email address and some locals believe a celebration expected to attract about 100,000 people is being turned into a corporate money-making exercise. It has been organised by the Newcastle sponsor Sela, a Saudi Arabian events company. The club will respond to concerns once talks with the council and police conclude but it is understood their initial instinct was to hold an open-top bus parade. Kilgour said: 'It is wrong to say we have blocked a parade through our beloved city. We all want to see a spectacular event that is free and accessible to everyone.' Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Howe and those Newcastle players not on international duty have been in Dubai for the past week but are set to return from the UAE on Tuesday lunchtime. They left the Carabao Cup on Tyneside and it was shown off in front of a crowd of more than 38,500 at St James' Park on Sunday when Newcastle beat Sunderland 1-0 in the Women's Championship.
