Number of Pre-Teens Self-Harming Doubles in Six Years 16 Feb 2021 The number of children aged nine to 12 self-harming in the UK has doubled in just six years, with indications that mental health problems are increasing amongst the very young. According to BBC Radio 4’s File on 4 programme, the number of pre-teens attending hospital after intentionally injuring themselves rose from 221 in 2013-14 to 508 in 2019-20. With population growth factored in, it results in a rate of self-harm for this age-range having doubled. Professor Keith Hawton, a specialist in suicide and self-harm at the University of Oxford’s School of Psychiatry, observed that it appeared “as though the problem is spreading down the age range somewhat”.