Childline Accused Of Failing Teens When Advised To Bind Their Breasts In Gender Chat Rooms

Childline is facing heavy criticism after teens who thought they were transgender were directed to search for potentially dangerous treatments on its website.

Disturbing chat room conversations on the charity’s forums advised girls as young as 14 to administer hormone blockers behind their parents’ backs and bandage their breasts.

The guideline encouraged secrecy when it came to involving parents, and children who questioned whether gender dysphoria could be a mental health issue were called transphobic.

A former Childline councilor said things “have gone too far” and argued that the charity has neglected its safeguarding responsibilities by allowing such “harmful” chat conversations.

The charity’s website has more than 15,000 posts on its online message boards dedicated to the genre. The Charity Commission said it was “aware of the concerns” about Childline and was currently deciding whether or not to investigate.

The worrying messages from the chat room were flagged by James Esses on Twitter, who had worked as a Childline counselor before he was asked to leave after raising concerns about the charity’s stance on transgender issues.

He tweeted: ‘On a message board, a 14-year-old girl describes wanting opposite-sex hormones because her period makes her feel ‘dysphoric’.

‘A ‘trans guy’ advises her to start hormones without her parents’ knowledge.

‘No Childline moderator intervenes.’

On another message board, a girl asks for advice on getting breast wraps and receives multiple recommendations for places to get them.

Mr. Esses points out that, once again, no Childline moderator chimes in to highlight the serious harm that breast bandages can do.

Another example shows a message board post from a child who has felt ‘dysphoric’ in the past but believes it is a mental health condition.

For this reason, they are called ‘transphobic’, ‘offensive’ and ‘rude’ by other users.

The councilor also singled out Childline’s ‘Ask Sam’ service, saying it is ‘full of protection concerns’.

A 14-year-old girl posted on a message board to say she ‘hates’ her breasts.

She said: ‘I’m struggling with my gender identity. I am a woman at birth but I feel more like a man than a woman. I hate my breasts and feel like they shouldn’t be there on days I feel like a girl and other days I feel more like a boy… I don’t know what to do, I hope you can give me some advice.’

Then ‘Sam’ (a Childline worker) replies that he suggests wearing breast girdles in a few sentences.

They wrote: ‘Some female-to-male transgender people use something called a binder to prevent their breasts from being visible.

“It’s important to talk to your doctor before doing anything to try to change your body shape. Wearing something tight on the chest can cause medical problems and physical harm.’

According to Childline, all posts are moderated before being published.

Heather Binning, founder of the Women’s Rights Network, told the Telegraph that the state of the forum was “simply appalling” and could cause “potential long-term harm to vulnerable children in the future.”

She told the newspaper: ‘Where is the safeguard? Who are the people giving this advice? Are they medically qualified?

“The adults are letting the kids down here, they have allowed this to happen and these posts are either not being moderated or the moderators are afraid to speak up.”

Mr Eres then posted a photo of an LGBTQ+ flag which he says is currently hanging inside the Childline Counseling Room in London.

Childline is a subsidiary of the NSPCC and receives funding through bequests, donations and government grants.

He says that Childline is meant to be a neutral, ‘judgment-free’ mental health service, and that ‘this ideological symbol sends a clear warning to counselors and children alike not to cross the line’.

She continued: ‘Childline staff have reached out to me in confidence to share that they feel pressure to ‘affirm’ children with gender dysphoria.

‘I’ve heard of Childline counselors announcing their pronouns when talking to a child and asking for the child’s pronouns in return.

‘I volunteered as a Childline counselor for 5 years.

“After I raised concerns about gender ideology within the organization, including Stonewall’s influence on internal politics, I was removed from my position.”

He added: ‘Things have gone too far. It is imperative that the Charity Commission carry out an investigation into Childline and the NSPCC.

‘If the vulnerable children in our society are not safe to contact Childline, where are they safe?’

A spokesman for the Charity Commission told The Telegraph: “We are aware of the concerns about Childline’s service provision and are assessing the information to determine whether this is a Commission matter.”

An NSPCC spokesperson said: ‘Childline is, and always has been, here for every child, no matter the issue or concern. Our trained counselors provide support and unbiased counseling for children and youth to explore their feelings in a non-directive way. They offer advice on how to deal with concerns, how to discuss concerns with trusted adults in their lives, and point out available outside support.

‘Childline’s message boards are a place where young people can express themselves and seek and offer mutual support on any issue or problem. Forum postings are youth-led and it is not unusual to find mixed or conflicting opinions, as you will in any public forum.

‘In terms of Childline volunteer leaving Childline, we respect people’s rights to have different points of view, but volunteers cannot give the impression that Childline endorses their personal campaigns. It is vital that children know that Childline is a welcoming place for all young people. We believe this is a reasonable expectation.

‘We discussed the situation at length with the volunteer, we tried to find a solution, but unfortunately we couldn’t find a compromise. We took the concerns he raised about the Childline service seriously and investigated them fully, but this had nothing to do with discussions of his volunteering.’