‘Don’t be sorry, smile’ and ‘staggering rise’ in child anxiety rates

The Guardian leads on what it calls the “staggering” rise in anxiety among children since the Covid pandemic. It says official figures show that more than 500 young people a day are being referred to NHS mental health services in England for anxiety. Experts tell the paper there are a number of reasons – including worries about exams, the influence of social media and post-pandemic uncertainty. The Guardian says mental health leaders fear the figures may only be “the tip of the iceberg” and that the situation lays bare an urgent need to tackle the crisis in children’s mental health.

The Daily Telegraph reports that police are increasingly letting knife and sex offenders escape prosecution, if they say “sorry”. The paper says that, in the year to March, more than 147,000 people accused of offences, including violent crimes, were handed community resolutions – which do not result in a criminal record. It bases its report on analysis of Ministry of Justice data. A former police officer and former Number 10 adviser, Rory Geoghegan, tells the paper that an increase in the number of knife offences has made the use of community resolutions for knife possession of “particular concern”.

The front page of the Times also focuses on crime. It says that police have “almost entirely” given up on punishing shoplifters, despite the number of offences soaring. It says its own analysis of official data has found that 431 shoplifters were handed fixed-penalty notices for thefts under the value of £100, in the year to March. The paper says this represents a 98% drop from a decade ago, when more than 19,000 were issued. The Times says insiders fear the almost total lack of enforcement is encouraging further criminal behaviour.

The Daily Mail says vital military training is being cut back to pay for “salary hikes for troops”. According to the paper, a £400m shortfall means some battlefield exercises are being axed or scaled back, with soldiers being forced to “pretend” to shoot, rather than using live ammunition. In a statement, the minister of defence tells the paper that the government “would never compromise” on the safety of personnel.

The largest aerospace and defence companies are set to rake in record levels of cash over the next three years, according to the Financial Times. It says they stand to benefit from a surge in government orders for new weapons amid rising geo-political tensions. The paper says the top five US defence contractors are forecast to generate cash flow of $26bn by the end of 2026 – almost double the figure at the end of 2021.

The death of Sven-Goran Eriksson, the first foreign manager of an England football team, is widely covered on the front and back pages. Many picture him in contemplation and highlight his words from a recent documentary on his life: “Don’t be sorry, smile”. The Daily Express calls him a “special man”, while the Daily Mirror is among those to report on David Beckham’s final time with his former manager, saying: “We laughed, we cried… and we knew we were saying goodbye.” On its back page, the Sun headline says simply: “Thanks, boss.”