As a parent, I am writing this petition with a heavy heart. My daughter has been struggling with self-harm since the tender age of 10, and alarmingly, her go-to tool has always been pencil sharpeners. The easy availability of pencil sharpeners, and the ease with which their blades can be used to harm oneself, is leading to a silent epidemic among our youth.

Not only is this an issue in households, but also permeates our educational settings where these objects of harm are readily accessible. She tells me all the young people she knows who self-harm use the blades from pencil sharpeners which are too easy to acquire. This needs to stop.

Statistics suggest that self-harm among teenagers is at an alarming rate. A recent report published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry suggests that more than 17% teenagers engage in self-harm during their lifetime (D. O'Connor et al., 2020). Given these figures and the vulnerabilities of our children, we need to regulate the sale and accessibility of pencil sharpeners to those under 18.

We need to safeguard our children. As a society, we have a duty of care. Let's urge our policymakers to regulate the sale and accessibility of pencil sharpeners to those under the age of 18. Only together can we offer our young people a safer environment. We need to act now. Please add your voice and sign this petition.