What Kids Are Carrying is a HuffPost UK series focusing on how the nation’s youngest generation is *really* feeling right now – and how parents and caregivers can support them.

Children are feeling increasingly lonely and unheard, according to therapists, who say it was one of the top issues brought up by kids in therapy in 2025.

Counselling Directory member Mandi Simons said her practice is seeing more children and young people describe “a sense of loneliness”, but it’s not always about being alone.

“Many are surrounded by people, yet still feel unheard and misunderstood,” she told HuffPost UK.

Similarly, therapist Debbie Keenan, also a Counselling Directory member, said there’s been “an increase of children not just feeling isolated, but feeling unheard”.

One in three young people say they do not feel part of their local community, and young people in Britain are more likely to report feelings of loneliness than any other age group, with 70% of 18- to 24-year-olds reporting they feel lonely at least some of the time.

“From our therapists’ experience, this rarely comes from a lack of care,” said Simons. “More often, it reflects the reality of modern day family life, with busy parents juggling multiple demands, alongside conversations that can feel rushed or move too quickly into fixing or reassuring.”

She noted “social media can add to this, creating pressure and comparison while reducing genuine connection”.

Keenan agrees social media usage is playing into this, as is social thinning, where everyday opportunities for meaningful interactions have greatly reduced.

Between 2010 and 2023, more than 1,200 council run youth centres closed across England and Wales, and local authority spending on youth services in England plummeted by just over 70%.

Meanwhile, between 2014 and 2024, the number of young people (aged 16-24) experiencing common mental health conditions rose from 19% to 26%.

Research suggests that today’s children have significantly less freedom to roam, play outdoors, or gather with friends than previous generations.

“Regular, meaningful and constant connections are the key to reducing isolation. Without these connections, children miss out on building the foundations of relationships, trust and a sense of belonging,” said Keenan.

“Years ago, there were youth clubs etc, where children could meet and socialise, they have now become a thing of the past.

“The world in general has got so busy, people are juggling many shifts of emotional, work and childcare needs.”

The issue is, when adults are busy or distracted, children can feel “dismissed”, said the therapist. “Over time, this can create a sense of ‘my voice doesn’t matter’. They then become quieter and withdraw.”

“Don’t highlight the issue, start noticing behaviour,” advises Keenan. Have they become withdrawn? Are they spending longer periods of time isolated?

Both therapists advise carving out time to be emotionally available and present. “Pause distractions and give your child your full attention,” said Keenan. Create pockets of “special time” where you can spend quality time together.

They also both recommend active listening – giving your child your full attention, without interrupting, and repeating back what you have heard.

“What children need most is to feel properly listened to,” said Simons.

“That means slowing conversations down, showing genuine curiosity, and acknowledging feelings before offering solutions.”

Simple family mindfulness practices, even brief moments of being fully present together without distraction, can help create the space for this, she added.

Not only that but spending time together as a family – whether that’s playing board games or sitting down for dinner together, without interruptions from phones and devices – can provide an opportunity for kids to feel seen, heard, and connected.

“When a child says they feel unheard, we would encourage parents to see this not as criticism, but as an invitation to reconnect. Small shifts in how and when we listen can make a meaningful difference,” added Simons.

As well as carving out time for you to hang out as a family, Keenan advised organising play dates and offering your child support to build their social connections – for example, through extracurricular activities.

She concludes: “Don’t be hard on yourself, the world is evolving at a fast speed. Have compassion for yourself, parenting is hard.”

With connection, compassion, communication; all while being listened to, acknowledged, and valued; “children can naturally start to grow in confidence, feel less isolated and feel like their voice is being heard”.

Meryl Streep is ready to don those famous blue overalls once again, hinting that she wants to reprise one of her most beloved film roles.

During an appearance on Wednesday’s edition of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, the host asked the three-time Oscar winner if she would want to star in another Mamma Mia! film.

Without taking a second to think about it, an enthusiastic Meryl enthused: “Damn, yes!”

Speculation has been swirling since the second Mamma Mia! film came out in 2018 about whether another sequel could be on its way.

The rumour drill then went into overdrive in 2025, when several cast members revealed they’d been in talks with the producers about returning to the musical franchise.

Amanda Seyfried, who played Sophie Sheridan in both films, claimed in November 2025 that the wheels were in motion for the threequel, sharing with Entertainment Tonight: “Of course it’s not off the table, it’s searing a hole into the table.”

She added: “Maybe I should just be coy, or maybe I’m just naïve, but I’m pretty sure Mamma Mia! 3 is a done deal. I love portraying a mum, so I would love to see Sophie with her kids.”

Meryl’s latest comments are not the first time she has expressed her interest in reprising her role in another ABBA jukebox musical.

Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, the Death Becomes Her actor said: “Of course I want to do it. I think folks love it.”

Of course, considering Meryl’s character, Donna, died off-screen in the second film, it’s unclear exactly how the Mamma Mia! team would go about bringing Donna back.

NBCUniversal Entertainment chairman Donna Langley told Deadline earlier this year that they would find a way around Donna’s death if Meryl wanted to return, insisting: “If Meryl Streep would like to come back, we’ll find a way to bring her back.”

Meanwhile, Stellan Skarsgård – who played Bill, one of Donna’s former flings, in the film – commented in January about how desperate people are to bring Meryl’s character back from the dead.

“Everybody can be brought back from the dead in the movies – and in the movies, she’s fantastic,” the Oscar nominee insisted. “A lot of people are working on it, to bring her back.”

Other cast members who have hinted at their return to Mamma Mia! 3 include Christine Baranski and Pierce Brosnan, who have both revealed that they had met with producer Judy Craymer to discuss the threequel.

Craymer has also hinted that Sabrina Carpenter could be involved in a potential third film, and that the team have their eye on adding the Grammy winner to the cast.

“She’d be a goddess or some relation who would look very much like Meryl Streep,” she told Deadline about the House Tour singer.

Before she (hopefully!) returns as Donna, Meryl is about to reprise another of her most iconic roles, starring in the upcoming The Devil Wears Prada sequel as Miranda Priestly.

Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again are currently streaming on Netflix.

Since 2012, the UK’s fertility rate has dropped dramatically.

In 2023, it reached a new low of 1.6 children; thinktank The Resolution Foundation said in their recent “Bye Bye Baby” report that 2024 figures suggest it could “fall further still”.

Some are concerned we’re “unprepared” for the consequences of this trend, worrying that an ageing population might place enormous pressure on public services without a broad tax base to counterbalance that strain.

But the Bye Bye Baby report suggests that not all of this change comes down to choice.

They write that “preferences for family size have remained stable,” and that the “recent decline appears to be driven, in part, by financial constraints facing young non-graduates, rather than a shift in what people actually want”.

The research showed that the number of women who don’t have kids by 30 has risen in England and Wales from 48% for those born in the late 1980s to 58% for those born in the early 1990s.

Of course, they add, these women might go on to have kids. Still, the change is not seen equally across groups of women.

“Non-graduate women in their late 20s have seen the sharpest rise in childlessness,” they write.

“This has happened alongside falling partnership rates and a major shift away from homeownership towards costly private renting and living with parents, both of which make starting a family harder.”

In fact, added financial pressure seems to affect more than just fertility rates: it might impact the number of women who feel the desire to have children to begin with.

Among childless 32-year-old women, those in the lowest income quarter are almost twice as likely as those in the top income quarter to say they’ve permanently decided against having kids.

Overall, about 30% of women and 25% of men said they hadn’t had a child yet because of their financial situation.

So, while the report stresses that some people simply never wanted kids, the data suggest others’ hands are being somewhat forced.

A 2025 global survey of over 14,000 people by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) found similar results.

54% of respondents from 14 countries cited “economic concerns” as the top reason they didn’t have children, or couldn’t have as many as they wanted.

That made it the most common issue among those asked.

An anonymous Mexican woman who was a part of the survey said, “It is impossible to buy or have affordable rent in my city”.

The UNFPA said that the solution is not to pressure women into having children they don’t want, but for policymakers to consider that “Many people would choose to have children if they could be sure the world they are bringing them into offered a clean environment, a healthy economy and a safe place to live”.

The reviews for the new Super Mario Bros. Movie have been published and… it sounds like the film is anything but a level-up.

While we weren’t exactly expecting the follow-up to the animated video game adaptation to be the next Citizen Kane, it’s worth pointing out that the response to the first film was, at least, somewhat mixed, and it went on to gross more than a billion dollars at the global box office, making it the 20th biggest box office earner of all time at the time of writing.

Ahead of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s release at the end of this week, critics have been having their say, and they’ve certainly not been holding back, with a smattering of two- and one-star reviews (not to mention a zero-star take from one particularly unimpressed reviewer).

Here’s a selection of what’s been said so far about The Super Mario Galaxy Movie…

“Of course it’s intended for little kids, but it surely didn’t need to be such a visually dull screensaver of a movie, with even more of the cheesy, Euro-knockoff look of that first film. And, again, the paucity of funny lines is a real puzzle.”

“It’s a supremely vacuous anti-movie that climaxes with a sequence featuring full-screen Nintendo gameplay, as if to remind us of the levels of rancid commercial whoredom we’ve reached.

“The film is torturous to sit through and, for me, provoked periods of actual physical discomfort. I had to stab myself repeatedly in the hand with a pen to distract from the howling distress. It’s that bad, and that offensive.”

“It’s testament to just how bad the original Super Mario Bros Movie was that this sequel can be a noticeable improvement in every respect – animation, storytelling, humour, vocal performances, you name it – while still comfortably qualifying as absolute rubbish.”

“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is frenetic in such an impersonal way that it feels like the entire film should be put on Ritalin […] The film treats its story as a threadbare adventure, a mere throwaway, because it’s so focused on those little pings of recognition for gamers. And that’s quite a comedown.”

“[The Super Mario Galaxy Movie] offers the adults a few pings of nostalgia, but otherwise it’s a humourless, hysterical trudge. […] The moments of fan service might keep the hardcore happy, but for everyone else over the age of five it’s just a succession of loud, bright things happening without any real point.”

“Relentlessly fast-paced and filled with hyperkinetic visuals, the sequel hits the sweet spot in terms of what its target audience wants, even if adult non-aficionados will find little of interest other than the starry vocal cast.”

“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie doubles down on its own blandness. There’s barely a plot here. Not a single memorable character. Not even another piano ditty for Jack Black to sing […] There is… one real, solid joke in this film? And it’s mostly just repeating a bit from Disney’s Zootopia.”

“A movie like this will probably make a lot of money, because it doesn’t rock the boat. But a boat that never rocks is a boat that never goes anywhere. That’s how boats work. They’re supposed to take you on a journey.

“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie doesn’t take you anywhere you haven’t been before, and it’s not as fun, it’s not as exciting, and it’s not as challenging as literally any of the games it’s based on. This is not an adaptation of the Super Mario Bros., it’s just a reminder that the franchise exists.”

“A masterpiece of game design that provides endless levels of unique planets to roam and explore, 2007’s Super Mario Galaxy is filled with moments of pure euphoric joy […] yet somehow on screen, it all registers as flat, imagination packaged into the most cleanly corporate and focus-group approved form possible.”

“While it’s likely that retro gamers won’t find anything here that wasn’t in the first movie – Yoshi and one or two others aside – it’s no doubt got enough for kids to enjoy, which will surely come as a relief for parents looking to entertain their offspring over the Easter holidays.”

“This is not a movie to be scrutinised, but to allow beleaguered elder millennial dads to sit their tots down for a precious two hours (if you count the trailers) and get some much-needed rest. It’s cute, and breezy, and rock-stupid, and will probably make a billion dollars again. Such is the world in which we live.”

“This film is even more of a manic roller coaster ride compared to the first movie, with so many gaming references packed into every scene, it’s hard to keep up. There are also a lot more power-ups used this time around, and that results in some fun and interesting combat for Mario and Luigi.”

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie arrives in cinemas on Friday.

Reform UK has the party’s housing spokesman over his “disgraceful” comments about the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Nigel Farage said Simon Dudley no longer speaks for the party on the issue following a furious backlash.

Dudley said “everyone dies in the end” and “fires happen” as he said there was now too much regulation in the building industry.

A huge fire at the 24-storey west London tower block killed 72 people in 2017.

The tragedy led to a major overhaul of building regulations to prevent it happening again.

But in an interview with the trade publication Inside Housing, Dudley said the pendulum had “swung too far the wrong way”.

He said the Grenfell fire was a “tragedy” but added: “Sadly, you know, everyone dies in the end. It’s just how you go, right?”

Dudley went on: “Extracting Grenfell from the statistics, actually people dying in house fires is rare.

“Many, many more people die on the roads driving cars, but we’re not making cars illegal, so why are we stopping houses being built?”

Keir Starmer called on Farage to sack Dudley over the “shameful” remarks, but Reform initially refused to do so.

But at a press conference on Thursday, the Reform leader said: “He’s no longer a spokesman for the party. That has been dealt with.”

Farage’s announcement was a surprise as the party had spent hours refusing to act, despite the mounting anger at Dudley’s comments.

Party officials directed journalists to a statement he posted on X in which he denied “belittling” the Grenfell tragedy.

He said: “It must never happen again. I reiterate that, and am sorry if it was not sufficiently clear.”

Farage later said Dudley had acted “in a pretty hurtful, insulting way to an awful lot of people”.

One in five boys know someone their age who is in a relationship with an AI chatbot, according to a new survey.

Male Allies UK caught up with over 1,000 boys aged 12-16 years old to dive into their behaviour and attitudes when it comes to engaging with AI chatbots.

The vast majority, eight in 10 boys (85%) have had a conversation with a chatbot, with 43% of boys saying they are talking to bots so they can ask questions that they have without feeling embarrassed.

Over a quarter (26%) said they like the attention and connection over real-life connections.

Robot romance is also on the rise, with over half of boys (58%) saying that AI relationships are easier because you can control the conversation.

Over one third (36%) of boys admitted they prefer speaking to AI chatbots over family and friends.

Lee Chambers, founder of Male Allies UK, said: “As parents we didn’t grow up with chatbots, and so we’re left in the dark on whether they are harmless or dangerous.

“What we do know is that spending time online can feel sociable but can actually be incredibly isolating. The main problem with developing a relationship with an AI chatbot is that it means that you are spending that time speaking to technology instead of building real-life connections.”

Chambers noted that chatbots are, by default, submissive, and reassure and reaffirm people’s thoughts because “they want you to like them”.

“On top of this you can create your perfect ‘person’, moulding not only how they look but how they respond to you, how they treat you, and you can start and stop the relationship on a whim. This isn’t real life – and these instant gratification behaviours seeping into real life will have consequences.”

AI bots aren’t just being used as companions, either. Chambers noted they are enabling behaviour in boys that can cause irreparable damage with the rise of nudification apps.

Almost one in 10 (9% of) boys aged 12-16 years old have used AI to create sexual images of their friends, with 5% admitting to using AI to create sexual images of family members, according to Male Allies research.

Just under half (47%) of boys in this age bracket know of sexual AI images/videos being created whilst at school.

New data from the Boys In Schools report from Male Allies explored reasons as to why boys might be spending more time online – and turning to AI chatbots for company.

Most (81% of) boys say they don’t think there are enough physical spaces for them.

Chambers suggested boys need “real-life connection and conversation” and “to know that they are supported and that they can speak up about what they are doing online without being judged”.

“We can’t just remove every new trend online, instead we need to bridge the gap between boys who are growing up with social media and AI and parents who are worried about the unknown,” he said.