Recession sees hike in online child support service use

THE recession has been blamed for a massive surge in demand for Childline’s online support services over the past year, the ISPCC has said.

Childline online, an internet messaging service, saw a 528% increase of users, while Childline teentext recorded a 353% increase from last year.

More than 10,000 contacts were received through text and email services, compared to more than 4,000 in 2008.