Conversation or monitoring - which is the right approach?

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has produced new guidelines for mental health professionals with regard to self-harming among children and young people. The most significant changes relate to digital technology. The advice states that, ‘It is important for parents to be interested and engaged in their children’s digital lives as early as possible’, that parents should recognise the benefits of the online world, and that ‘trust and communication are likely to be more helpful to the young person than attempts at surveillance’.