British children are 50 times more likely to suffer from 'gender distress' than they were ten years ago, a new NHS study has found.
Analysis of NHS GP data found that in 2011, just 200 people under the age of 18 identified as transgender or struggled with gender dysphoria, compared to more than 10,000 in 2021.
This is a huge jump from approximately 1 in 60,000 under 18s in 2011 to 1 in 1200 in 2021.
A team from the University of York also found that since 2015 there has been a much faster growing trend of girls wanting to identify as boys.
As well as the fact that those who question their gender are more likely to have autism or mental health problems.
The study, published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, did not investigate the causes of the increase.
However, the author, Professor Tim Doran, argued that the increasing use of social media and children's mental health are worsening.
British children are 50 times more likely to suffer from 'gender distress' than they were a decade ago, new NHS research shows
Health and Social Care Minister Wes Streeting said there is a need to 'act cautiously' and 'follow expert advice' when caring for this 'vulnerable group of young people'
Only 13 percent of those who described themselves as having gender dysphoria were subsequently given puberty blockers and other medications.
In a meeting with MPs on Wednesday, top hormone doctor Professor Ashley Grossman of the University of Oxford warned of a 'conveyor belt' towards trans ideology.
He told the Health and Social Care Committee: 'Adolescence and childhood are quite a difficult time and very confusing for many children.
'My concern is that we are not adequately assessing the likely much larger number who, with adequate guidance and psychological support, would ultimately decide to remain cisgender.'
In December last year, puberty blockers for under-18s with gender dysphoria were banned in Britain, the Department of Health and Social Care announced, following official advice from medical experts.
Trans rights activists take part in a protest against the ban on hormone blockers on April 20, 2024 in London
Analysis of NHS GP data found that only 200 people under the age of 18 identified as transgender or struggled with gender dysphoria in 2011, compared to more than 10,000 in 2021
Dr. Hilary Cass, who wrote the Cass Review on gender concerns in children and published her final report in April, described puberty blockers as “powerful drugs with unproven benefits and significant risks.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said there is a need to 'act cautiously' and 'follow expert advice' when caring for this 'vulnerable group of young people'.
'Child care must always be evidence-led. The independent expert Commission on Human Medicines has found that the current prescribing and care pathway for gender dysphoria and incongruity poses an unacceptable safety risk to children and young people,” he said.
Dr. Hilary Cass, who wrote the Cass Review on gender concerns in children and published her final report in April, described puberty blockers as “powerful drugs with unproven benefits and significant risks.”
She said: 'That is why I recommended that they should only be prescribed after multidisciplinary research and within a research protocol.
'I support the government's decision to continue restrictions on the provision of puberty blockers for gender dysphoria outside the NHS, where these vital safeguards are not provided.'
