What’s it like to be a child today? Anoosh Chakelian, Rachel Cunliffe and Zoë Grünewald discuss the New Statesman's recent interview with Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England – who is tasked with protecting and promoting the rights of children – and how government and tech companies are failing young people.

We hear about what it’s like to grow up online and the rise in pupil absences since the pandemic, as well as De Souza’s work on fighting online harms and why her biggest challenge remains the tech giants.

The team also consider the political response to the mental health crisis in schools, the migrant children who have gone missing from hotels run by the Home Office, and why the Illegal Migration Bill could embolden human traffickers.

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