THE number of teenagers and children as young as eight seeking advice for anxiety and panic attacks has jumped by more than a third in a year, new figures revealed yesterday.

NSPCC Childline conducted a total of 11,706 telephone counselling sessions in 2015-16 where anxiety was a factor in youngsters feeling distraught, equating to nearly 1,000 calls a month.

That figure represents a 35 per cent increase on the previous 12 months, when 8,642 calls were received, demonstrating that extreme anxiety is becoming more widespread among young people.

Sources of fear and worry included personal and family problems, cyber-bullying, frightening images in the news or on social media, and wars in the Middle East, according to the children’s charity.

The upward trend is continuing, with figures for the period from April to September this year showing that 6,500 calls were made by children and teenagers, with anxious feelings cited as the main issue of concern. This averages more than 1,000 calls a month in the six-month timeframe.

The youngest callers were aged around eight, according to Childline. Girls are also seven times more likely to ring the helpline for help with anxiety than boys, it added.

Childline president Esther Rantzen said youngsters, as well as adults, are extremely disturbed by pictures of “crying and bewildered toddlers being pulled from bomb-damaged homes.”

She added: “Sometimes these stories also reveal related concerns in their own lives, such as being subjected to racist bullying.

“The fact that they turn to Childline, knowing that we will listen to them and care about them, means that if they suffer from other problems, such as abuse or neglect, self-harm or cyber-bullying, they will also turn to us for help.”

NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless said that it is “natural” that children and teenagers feel worried at times, but that they can become overwhelmed and scared without someone to listen to their concerns.

He added: “When they are plagued by constant fears that are resulting in panic attacks and making them not want to leave the house, then they need support.”