Help! My Child's Anxious

When should you give your child their first smartphone? And how do you protect them from what they might see online?

Former Hollyoaks star Sarah Jayne Dunn joins Vanessa Feltz and child therapist Saskia Joss to discuss one of the biggest dilemmas facing modern parents: children, smartphones and social media.

Sarah's son Stanley is now 10, and while he doesn't yet have a phone, she's already thinking about what happens when he starts secondary school.

In this episode, they discuss:

When children should get their first smartphone and what rules parents should set.

The dangers of social media algorithms, explicit content and online peer pressure.

Sarah's experience growing up on Hollyoaks, the pressures of body image and finding confidence through pole fitness.

How simple family activities can help children feel connected without screens.

Plus, Saskia shares practical advice on managing screen time, having honest conversations with your children and creating safer online boundaries.

Would you give your 10-year-old a smartphone? Let us know in the comments.

Subscribe to Help! My Child's Anxious for more honest conversations about parenting, childhood anxiety and family life.

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helpmychildsanxiouspod/

Chapters:

00:00–00:32 The dangers of social media for children

00:32–01:25 Meet Sarah Jayne Dunn

01:25–03:24 When should children get their first phone?

03:24–06:35 Setting rules before giving your child a smartphone

06:35–08:53 The disturbing content children can encounter online

08:53–11:02 Keeping children safe online and at playdates

11:02–13:07 Algorithms, misinformation and peer pressure

13:07–15:46 Are basic phones safer for children?

15:46–17:42 Setting healthier screen-time boundaries

17:42–18:03 Break

18:03–20:41 Growing up on Hollyoaks at just 14

20:41–23:21 Photoshopping, sexualisation and body image

23:21–25:08 OnlyFans, trolls and finding confidence

25:08–27:14 How pole fitness helps Sarah's mental wellbeing

27:14–30:21 Sarah's favourite screen-free family activity

30:21–32:13 How pets help children feel connected

From birthday parties and loud noises to school and social situations, everyday experiences can feel overwhelming for an anxious child. But what's actually happening, and what can parents do to help?

This week on Help! My Child's Anxious, Vanessa Feltz and her daughter, child therapist Saskia Joss, go back to basics to explain childhood anxiety and share practical ways to help children feel safer and more confident.

In this episode:

- Why children become anxious, even when they're safe

- How anxiety can spread from one situation to another

- How to identify what's really worrying your child

- Why forcing an anxious child into a situation can backfire

- Small changes that can help children build resilience

- How parents can manage their own phobias without passing their fears on to their children

Plus, Saskia answers a listener's question about her fear of cats, shares a fun game to play with children, and explains why Strictly Come Dancing can be brilliant family viewing.

Have a parenting question for Vanessa and Saskia?

Send it to us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helpmychildsanxiouspod/

Subscribe for more conversations about childhood anxiety, parenting and emotional wellbeing.

The BBC has cut scenes from Horrible Histories, including sketches about child labour and slavery. But are we protecting children from frightening subjects, or avoiding conversations they actually need?

In this episode of Help! My Child's Anxious, Vanessa Feltz and her daughter, child therapist Saskia Joss, tackle a big parenting question: how much should we shield children from the frightening realities of life.

From the Titanic and the Great Fire of London to death, divorce and scary films, Saskia explains why some children become fascinated by frightening things while others develop fears that spread into everyday life.

They discuss how parents can talk about difficult subjects, why age-appropriate explanations matter and whether shielding children from distressing content really builds resilience.

Plus, a parent asks why their previously adventurous eater is suddenly refusing familiar foods. Saskia explores food anxiety, fussy eating, texture sensitivity and practical ways to help children feel more comfortable trying different foods.

And in Never Felt So Good, the family's extraordinary pet marrow continues its adventures.

Subscribe for more practical conversations about childhood anxiety, parenting and emotional wellbeing with Vanessa Feltz and Saskia Joss.

Watch more: https://www.youtube.com/@VanessaandSaskia

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helpmychildsanxiouspod/

Send your parenting questions to: [email protected]

A new study suggests baby girls may be more drawn to faces than baby boys from the first hours of life. But does that actually mean parents should raise boys and girls differently?

Vanessa Feltz and child therapist Saskia Joss unpack what these differences might mean for parents, why gender stereotypes can stop us from seeing the child in front of us, and whether girls may sometimes become better at hiding anxiety.

Saskia also explains why children need a mix of calm, connection, physical play and emotional freedom, regardless of whether they're a boy or a girl.

Plus, they tackle a parent's bedtime dilemma after their child suddenly refuses to sleep alone, and Saskia reveals how she threw a brilliant children's birthday party without spending thousands trying to recreate Instagram.

This episode contains a paid promotion for School Budi find out more about School Budi here:

https://schoolbudi.co.uk/

Help! My Child's Anxious is hosted by Vanessa Feltz and child therapist Saskia Joss. Subscribe for practical, compassionate conversations about childhood anxiety, parenting and emotional wellbeing.

This podcast provides general information and discussion. It is not a substitute for individual medical or mental-health advice.

Are today’s children really a “snowflake generation”, or are they dealing with levels of anxiety that previous generations simply didn’t face? Vanessa Feltz and child therapist Saskia Joss unpack the growing mental health crisis among children and young people, following Professor Peter Fonagy’s argument that today’s young people are not “snowflakes” and that it has genuinely become harder to be young.

Saskia explains why the pandemic may have left a lasting imprint on children’s anxiety, how prolonged emotional states can influence the way we respond to the world, and why parents should listen before immediately trying to fix an anxious child’s problem.

They also answer a difficult question from a parent whose seven-year-old has started calling herself “fat” and restricting her food, discussing body image, self-esteem and what parents can do when children begin criticising their bodies. Plus, Vanessa discovers that sometimes the best childhood memories cost absolutely nothing… provided you have an enormous marrow.

Subscribe for more honest conversations about childhood, parenting and anxiety.

Produced and distributed by 11-29 Media.

Vanessa Feltz and child therapist Saskia Joss look at the explosion of mental-health content online, why some children are identifying strongly with diagnostic labels, and how parents can take their concerns seriously without accepting everything an algorithm tells them.

They discuss misleading ADHD content on TikTok, why symptoms can look different between children, what teachers can help parents spot, when a professional assessment may be useful and why children can often receive helpful support even before a diagnosis.

Plus, Saskia answers a parent's question about mysterious stomach aches before school and explains how anxiety can produce very real physical symptoms.

Help My Child's Anxious with Vanessa Feltz and Saskia Joss. This podcast provides general information and discussion. It is not a substitute for individual medical or mental-health advice.

Watch this episode on Youtube:

https://youtu.be/HQyo0clazko

Back-to-school anxiety can appear at the school gates, after the school day, around exams or in the way a child suddenly talks about themselves. In this episode of Help! My Child’s Anxious, Vanessa Feltz and child therapist Saskia Joss answer real questions from parents struggling with the return to school. What should you do when your child cries and refuses to go into school? Why can a child behave brilliantly all day, then completely fall apart the moment they get home? How do you help a teenager who has lost confidence after disappointing exam results? And when should you let your child quit an after-school activity? Vanessa and Saskia discuss: • School refusal, separation anxiety and difficult drop-offs • Why settling into a new school year can take several weeks • Exam anxiety, motivation and avoiding shame • “After-school restraint collapse” and why children melt down at home • Low-demand evenings after overwhelming school days • Helping children rebuild confidence and self-esteem • What parents can do when a child says they are “the worst” in their class • When children should stick with an activity and when it may be time to stop Plus, Vanessa reveals how a trip to Cadbury World became a memorable attempt to motivate Saskia at school. Help! My Child’s Anxious is hosted by broadcaster Vanessa Feltz and her daughter, child therapist Saskia Joss. Subscribe for practical, compassionate conversations about childhood anxiety, parenting and emotional wellbeing.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VanessaandSaskia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helpmychildsanxiouspod/

#ChildAnxiety #Parenting #SchoolAnxiety #BackToSchool #VanessaFeltz

What if the answer to an increasingly connected, anxious childhood is to go backwards?

Vanessa Feltz and child therapist Saskia Joss explore the growing “90s summer” trend, where parents are swapping packed schedules, constant screen time and endless online stimulation for bikes, books, boredom, playing outside and a little more freedom.

But can you really take the phones away without making summer feel like a punishment?

Vanessa and Saskia discuss what children may have lost as childhood has become more connected, why real life can struggle to compete with the intensity of screens, and how parents can recreate the best parts of their own childhood without pretending the 1990s were perfect.

Plus, they answer a listener whose eight-year-old daughter's friend has started her period. How early should parents talk to children about puberty, periods and their changing bodies?

Help! My Child's Anxious is hosted by broadcaster Vanessa Feltz and her daughter, child therapist Saskia Joss, offering practical advice for parents navigating childhood anxiety, emotions and everyday family life.

Watch this episode on Youtube:

https://youtu.be/LyXkogjdxT8

In this episode of Help! My Child’s Anxious, hosts Vanessa Feltz and Saskia Joss are joined by child, family, and adult psychotherapist Zara Kadir (from The Therapy Shed) to explore how anxiety and neurodiversity intersect in children.

Zara shares insights from both her professional practice and her personal journey parenting a son with ADHD. The conversation dives into the common ways anxiety manifests—from school avoidance and separation anxiety to phobias and rejection sensitivity dysphoria (RSD)—and offers practical strategies for parents.

Topics covered include:

• Understanding Accommodation vs. Support: Why removing every anxiety trigger can accidentally make fears bigger, and how parents can "outsource confidence" and stay grounded instead.
• Scaffolding for Neurodivergent Kids: Practical tips for building routines, using executive-function tools (like dementia alarm clocks), and setting up intentional morning systems.
• Managing Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD): How to reduce shame, believe your child’s lived experience, and sit with their big emotions without rushing to fix them.
• The Impact on Siblings: Addressing the "tyranny of the weak" dynamics, balancing attention, and ensuring siblings of neurodivergent children aren't forgotten or forced into premature responsibility.
• Practical Co-Parenting: Simple team strategies for partners, including burn-out code words and avoiding post-bedtime debrief fatigue.

A seven-minute walk was taking Shakira Akabusi three and a half hours. From the outside, nobody had a clue.

In this episode of Help! My Child is Anxious, Vanessa Feltz and child therapist Saskia Joss sit down with women's health expert and StrongLikeMum founder Shakira Akabusi to talk about body anxiety, OCD, and what happened when pregnancy pulled the floor out from under her.

Shakira grew up in a sporting family with an Olympian father, and still ended up with obsessive-compulsive disorder so severe it cancelled a family holiday at the airport check-in desk. She talks openly about the compulsions, the isolation of new motherhood, and how she recovered through hypnotherapy, talk therapy and movement, without medication.

Then the conversation turns practical. Saskia explains why compulsions are really an attempt to control something uncontrollable, and why pregnancy so often brings buried fears to the surface. Shakira shares what actually works for families: the after-dinner walk, the indoor obstacle course, the kitchen dance, and why the word "workout" puts most parents off before they start.

If you are the parent holding everything together and quietly running on empty, this one is for you. Anxiety does not only live in the head. It lives in the body too, and that is often the easier door to open.

Watch this episode on Youtube:

https://youtu.be/dJKxakAG5F0