Loneliness in adolescence (9)

I quite agree with Nick Spencer that a political approach is essential in achieving results in many of the problems facing children in today's globalised world.

Loneliness is like a number of other problems in being part of the category known as 'wicked', meaning a problem that is 'difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize'.

(Wikipedia<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_problem>)

Loneliness is a multifactorial problem and is connected with many of the almost intractable concerns of adolescence: social media and cyberbullying; children's isolation during COVID; lack of mental health services in schools; and increasing rates of family breakup, are just a few.

There is a need to identify those in which we can have most influence, and I would recommend the use of social media by young people as a start, since there are good examples available of approaches that can be used in mitigation.

I also believe that whereas each of us can effectively take a political approach, we are much more likely to be effective in doing this as part of an organisation such as our paediatric associations. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have adopted a political role and I'm particularly pleased that the latter has taken up the topic of air pollution, another wicked problem and one of the top causes of death of children globally.

The College has established a clear air network

<https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/key-topics/air-pollution/community> which is encouraging its members to take action both politically and socially in their local areas with the backing of the RCPCH and I think this shows great leadership.

It would be good to hear of other examples of political advocacy by paediatric associations in the CHIFA family, and particularly any which have adopted social media use as a target for action.

Tony Waterston

[https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/themes/rcpch/rcpch-full-logo.png]<https://www.rc...

Air Pollution Companion: Clean air community | RCPCH<https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/key-topics/air-pollution/community>

We want to mobilise and empower paediatricians - in the UK and internationally - as advocates for clean air, providing you with knowledge and skills to raise awareness about air pollution's impact on child health. By working together to educate children, families and communities, amplify messaging on health risks and influence policymakers, we can be a powerful force to safeguard the health of ...

www.rcpch.ac.uk

CHIFA profile: Tony Waterston is a retired consultant paediatrician who worked mainly in the community in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. He spent 6 years working in Zambia and Zimbabwe and directed the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Diploma in Palestinian Child Health teaching programme in the occupied Palestinian territories. He was an Editor of the Journal of Tropical Pediatrics and is on the Executive Committee of the International Society for Social Pediatrics. His academic interests are child poverty, advocacy for child health and children's rights. He is currently the lead moderator of CHIFA (HIFA's sister forum on child health and rights). www.chifa.org He is also a member of the HIFA Steering Group.

www.hifa.org/people/steering-group

www.hifa.org/support/members/tony

Tony.Waterston AT newcastle.ac.uk

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