Girls under pressure Youth crisis is not just about the boys, say childhood experts

A generation of young men are facing far worse outcomes than young women.

- Alexandra Topping

We don't value boys and masculinity. Too many young men are isolated. Boys and young men are in crisis.

The headlines, opinion pieces and speeches about the crisis facing boys and men have been relentless in recent weeks, as the Netflix drama Adolescence prompted conversations from school gates to the Houses of Parliament.

But while public debate has focused on boys, a series of less remarked upon statistics suggest girls are far from being the winners of a zero-sum game. The Children's Commissioner for England told the Guardian this week that the current debate risks setting boys and girls against each other - to the detriment of both.

"This is an optimistic generation, eager for change - but both boys and girls are facing pressures and influences that previous generations never imagined," said Dame Rachel de Souza. "We can't pit boys against girls, because these are shared issues for every child."