Times investigation finds 120,000 teenagers on disability benefits
The Times reports that 120,000 teenagers receive disability benefits for conditions including ADHD, anxiety and depression, costing about £1 billion a year, as critics say cash is replacing NHS care.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The Times has reported that around 120,000 teenagers are receiving disability benefits, at a cost to the taxpayer of about £1 billion a year. The figure appeared on the newspaper's front page and was discussed in broadcast coverage. The payments cover conditions including ADHD, autism, anxiety and mild depression, according to the reports and commentary.
The investigation also found that almost half a million children have waited ten months for their first therapy appointment. Critics argued that the welfare system is geared towards paying cash instead of providing care. One contributor said the money could be used to give children the therapy they are asking for, and that cash is a poor substitute for the help the government should provide.
The cost works out at around £8,333 per claimant per year, or about £694 a month, according to one calculation. That figure was used to question whether the payments help young people with conditions such as ADHD and mild depression. Some argued that cash does not treat the condition and can leave teenagers isolated at home. Others accepted that some forms of autism can make work impossible, but said many people with autism are able to work and do so.
Wider concerns about disability benefits were also raised. One discussion cited claims that about 2 million people are on some form of disability benefit and have not been checked since the Covid pandemic, including one case said to have lasted 16 years. The move to checks without in-person consultations during Covid was said to have made the system easier to exploit, with repeat payments continuing for years. The number of people claiming PIP was described as unsustainable.
Political reaction focused on welfare reform. The coverage mentioned the Milburn review, the Mayfield review into workplace sickness and the Timbs review as steps towards reform. There was said to be a chance of cross-party consensus, with attention on whether Andy Burnham would take up the issue when the Alan Milburn review reports.
A poll of GPs was also cited. Hundreds of GPs were asked about signing off notes for people with these conditions, and 72% were said never to have refused a sick note. Some critics argued the payments may incentivise diagnoses, and there was discussion of private ADHD diagnoses leading to NHS medication. It was also noted that ADHD medication is not literally street speed and is pharmaceutical grade and significantly safer.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 2 channels | ||
| The Times investigation reported that 120,000 teenagers receive disability benefits costing taxpayers £1 billion a year. | ||
| Only on one channel | ||
| About 2 million people are on some form of disability benefit and have not been checked since Covid. | Not reported by BBC Two | |
| Almost 500,000 children have waited ten months for a first therapy appointment. | Not reported by GB News | |
| The average disability benefit payment was about £694 a month per person. | Not reported by BBC Two | |
| The welfare system was reported to provide cash payments to teenagers instead of care. | Not reported by GB News | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC Two's Newsnight treated the Times investigation as part of a wider welfare inquiry. It focused on the claim that cash payments for ADHD, anxiety and depression are replacing NHS therapy for children, and linked the findings to possible cross-party welfare reform. The segment was short and came in a paper review, so policy implications got more attention than individual cases.
- “Disability benefits for 120,000 teenagers cost the taxpayer one billion a year.”
- “almost half a million children have been waiting ten months for their first therapy appointment.”
- “Our system is geared to giving them cash in lieu of care.”
GB News used the Times front page as the starting point for a critical discussion of disability benefits. It focused on the average payment, questioned whether ADHD and mild depression should attract cash, and broadened the debate to fraud, unchecked claims since Covid, GP sick notes and the sustainability of PIP. The tone was sceptical about diagnoses and benefit receipt.
- “What you should be getting is help, not cash.”
- “which is £694 a month per person.”
- “there are about 2 million people currently on some form of welfare benefit for disabilities who have just not been checked since Covid”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.