Letters - Wednesday, January 22, 2020

The rapid rise in social media-related mental health issues among young people is frightening and as a recent report highlights, there is a need for those in positions of power to ensure greater protection for young people online.

The speed at which the internet has gathered paced has meant that safeguards have not been effectively implemented as can be seen in self-harm related content visible to at-risk individuals including children and adolescents.

As well as implementing binding standards compelling social media networks to prevent the active promotion of self-harm and suicide, social media networks should be mandated to implement safeguards for self-harm related content with appropriate penalties, including prosecution, for failure to do so.

At the same time, we must recognise and work to understand and enhance the positive support and sense of community that social media can bring to vulnerable and isolated people. The Government and social media companies have a responsibility to protect young people from the risks of social harm which can, unfortunately, have fatal consequences and we need to see action now.

Dr Andrew Molodynski

BMA

Mental Health Policy Lead

ROYALTY

Country divided again over Megixt

Megixt seems to have split the country as much as Brexit! The Queen of course must be reeling from such a show of disloyalty (moving your dogs to Canada when supposedly on a six-week holiday).

All the public’s sympathy must go to our Monarch surely rather than Harry and Meghan. As for not welcoming Meghan Markle into the Royal Family, I would have thought having a wedding with pomp and ceremony at a reputed cost of over £30m, plus our future King walking her down the aisle, was very welcoming. Even the Prince of Wales had a low-key wedding ceremony as both parties had been previously married.

Linda Lawson

address supplied

APPEAL

Thanks... reunions back on agenda

Regular readers to the ‘Your Say’, will recall the insertion of a letter of mine, explaining the camaraderie of those who had served in the Royal Navy.

I explained that this could be relived at the various reunions held around the country and that these were listed on the www.rnshipmates.co.uk site under ‘Reunions’.

Well thank you; you have certainly scored and made a lot of ex-Servicemen think back again. They have emailed me on [email protected] and the secretaries of various associations have contacted me; consequence? A lot more reunions have been held and a lot more old shipmates reunited and re lived their past experiences!

With Christmas and the New Year celebrations behind us, reunions are again on the agenda, therefore could I ask Reunion Organisers and Secretaries to let me have details of your reunion for listing. This is a free service and can be done by themselves on www.rnshipmates.co.uk site under ‘Reunions’ or by emailing the details to me on [email protected].

Mike Crowe

RN Shipmates