Warning to schools over growing gambling dangers

Teenage boys are far more likely than girls to be repeat gamblers, research shows, prompting calls for schools to take pre-emptive action.

Data from 18,000 teenagers in England aged 13-17, shared with Tes, revealed that almost 3 per cent gamble once a month or more often, and that the same proportion have “experienced gambling harm”.

There are growing concerns about teenagers’ increased exposure to gambling, according to the Ygam charity, which highlighted the data, with online games, for example, normalising chance-based rewards and challenges.

The charity has set out recommendations for how schools should respond to the issue, stressing that gambling should be treated as a safeguarding concern.

Fears over boys’ gambling

Overall, 7 per cent of the teenagers surveyed said they had tried gambling at least once.

But boys are six times more likely than girls to gamble monthly or more often, and nearly twice as likely to have tried gambling at least once, the survey shows.

And boys are also almost three times more likely than girls to report experiencing harm related to gambling.

Ygam highlighted the changing nature of gambling, saying there has been an increase in the “wider digital and commercial environments in which young people encounter gambling-related content”.

It added: “Advertising, in-game spending, loot boxes and other chance-based features are increasingly embedded within online spaces that young people use every day.”

Gambling harm prevention should be “embedded across safeguarding, curriculum and pastoral support, rather than treated as a one-off lesson”, the charity advised schools.

‘Vital role’ for schools

Emily Tofield, chief executive of Ygam, said teenagers’ exposure to gambling can be “difficult to avoid”, adding that this makes prevention, education and early intervention “more important than ever”.

Any drive to make young people alert to the dangers of gambling “must be treated as a safeguarding issue”, she said.

“Schools have a vital role to play, but they cannot carry this responsibility alone,” Ms Tofield added.

“We need a whole-school and whole-community approach that gives teachers, parents, youth workers, school nurses and other trusted adults the knowledge and confidence to recognise the risks, spot the signs of harm and intervene early.”

The charity’s recommendations for schools include reviewing their teaching of relationships, sex and health education (RSHE).

The charity highlighted that revised statutory RSHE guidance came into force this month, and this “strengthens expectations around online gambling and gambling-like content within gaming”.

It is also calling on schools to review their safeguarding and wellbeing policies, including establishing “a clear pathway for what happens when a [gambling] concern is identified”.

Training for teachers and school staff

Training for teachers and other school staff is also crucial, Ygam said.

School staff do not need to be experts in gambling harm, the charity said, but they should understand the risks teenagers face, recognise potential signs of harm and know where to signpost students for support.

Ygam also recommends that schools should involve parents and the wider community, including providing access to information and practical resources to help them understand and recognise gambling-related harm.

The charity said the data is the largest survey sample available in identifying the participation and prevalence of gambling harms in England for young people aged 13-17.

The data was supplied to Ygam by the Lancaster Model in what the charity described as the first partnership of its kind. The Lancaster Model is a digital health needs assessment system used by school nursing and public health teams.