The Planner has reported on research that has found a lack of access to public transport and the internet is leaving children in remote rural communities suffering ‘prolonged isolation, exclusion and insecurity’

A Centre for Mental Health study has revealed that eight to 13-year-olds in remote rural and coastal communities are struggling to receive mental health support because of poor transport, digital connectivity and a lack of safe spaces to meet.

The research, commissioned by BBC Children in Need, calls for more funding for local authorities to invest in digital infrastructure for places with limited connectivity as well as investment in parks, schools and community centres.

The Centre for Mental Health maintains that children in remote rural and coastal communities have been ‘overlooked for too long’, and growing up in poverty, or in a marginalised or oppressed community facing a high risk of poor mental health with little support close to home.

The paper reports on warnings that without access to public transport or digital connection, children face prolonged isolation, exclusion and insecurity.

The research warns that rural families on low incomes may be especially vulnerable to the economic downturn, with public services and charities increasingly stretched.

Full article:

The Planner - Poor transport and internet services ‘damage rural children’s mental health’