Matt Forde's Political Party Show 389. Hilary Cass
Feb 9, 2026
Hilary Cass, Baroness Cass — paediatrician and author of the Cass Review into Gender Identity Services, life peer with a background in child health and policy. She walks through her unexpected move into the Lords and the workings of her review. Conversations cover social media harms for under-16s, designing safe youth apps, flaws at Tavistock, the evidence on puberty blockers, and building integrated services for vulnerable young people.
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Whistleblowing Nearly Ended Her Career
- Hilary Cass described whistleblowing at Great Ormond Street and how it nearly ended her career.
- She left the hospital, became depressed, then found resilience and new opportunities leading eventually to major public roles including the Cass Review.
Direct Clinical Harms From Social Media Trump Population Uncertainty
- Cass separates population-level uncertainty from direct clinical harms she witnessed caused by social media.
- Clinicians saw PTSD from beheadings, sextortion, gaming addiction and near-miss strangulation, making tolerable direct harms ethically unacceptable.
Build Age Verified Safe Social Platforms
- Design safe-by-design apps and devices for under-16s with verified sign-on and age-appropriate content.
- Use school/parent authentication, staged content, night-time limits and enforceable suspensions to reduce grooming and cyberbullying.