Luke (S1) has recently been announced as a Newsround Winner of BBC Young Reporter of the Year 2022 which will see his story, Me and my online gaming addiction, broadcast across one of the BBC platforms.

Sharing his journey of gaming and spending money online, Luke says, “When the theme Me and My World was revealed I knew immediately that I wanted to write about how my obsession with online gaming got out of hand and I thought this was my chance to warn others about the dangers of it.

"I get how easy it is to get hooked. I've been that person. I told myself time and time again that I would just go on for 20 minutes before homework, which turned into an hour, two hours, three hours and so on. I knew it wasn't right but I couldn't stop myself. I was addicted. I would pretend I was doing my homework or reading a book online. 

“I now know it wasn't worth it. I had to pay every penny back and did chores for weeks and months on end. Everything I had spent money on was gone as my [gaming] account was closed and all my gadgets were confiscated for 6 months!

"Don't do what you know is wrong. Gaming is not real. While it's fun it can so easily become addictive if not controlled. You take control - don't let gaming take control of you. My advice is to set an alarm for a set amount of time and come off when the alarm goes off - even if you haven't finished the game. In that way you are taking control. Don't be tempted to spend money that you don't own - it is so easy to press a button to 'buy' and not think that it's real money coming out of someone's account.”

Mrs Wilson, Teacher of English adds: “His candid account of a current and relatable topic was recognised by BBC news readers such as Huw Edwards and Naga Manchetty and he is looking forward to his upcoming journey with the producers to get his story heard.

“Pupils were given the opportunity to report on a story or issue that is important to their life or the world around them. Some of the stories stemming from the pupils' reports were about family, personal experiences and topics they felt passionate about within their school community.

“This is the fourth year of the competition, giving young people across the UK a unique chance to tell their story. We hope that Luke's success will now inspire any other keen writers in our school community to join the BBC Young Reporters Club and seize their chance of having their own say on some important issues in society.”

The BBC Young Reporter Competition 2022 winners were judged in three categories - National, Regional and Newsround. Forty winners will have their stories broadcast across the BBC this year.