TerrorismMore U.K. children call Childline help-line over terrorism anxiety

Children as young as nine have contacted Childline “petrified” about the prospect of a terror attack.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s (NSPCC) 24/7 service said it had handled 660 counselling sessions since the November 2015 Paris attacks.

Counsellors at Scotland’s two Childline officces in Aberdeen and Glasgow handled 111 of the calls from across the UK.

The Independent reports that many callers said they feared the outbreak of war or the prospect of a terror attack hurting their families.

Across the United Kingdom, one in five of the contacts to the service – which is free and anonymous — were from young people aged 11 or younger.

The two Welsh Childline offices in Cardiff and Prestatyn received seventy-one calls from worried youngsters.

The NSPCC said that the Paris attacks in November 2015, which were followed by attacks in Brussels, Orlando, Nice, and Munich this year, triggered a higher volume of calls to the help line, with girls twice as likely as boys to contact the service.

Matt Forde, national head of services for NSPCC Scotland, said: “The past twelve months have been stained by these bloody events and it is little wonder that young people are so frightened about terrorism.

“Sadly we now live in a world where the months are punctuated by these attacks, so it is vital that we do not brush young peoples’ fears aside.

“Instead, we must listen to their worries and reassure them that there are people doing everything they can to keep us all safe.”

The charity said youngsters between the ages of 12 to 15 were the most likely to speak to counsellors.

The NSPCC’s helpline offers parents advise on how to talk to children about terrorism.