Tanya Byron

An expert in child behaviour both on- and off-screen, psychologist Tanya Byron has been taming tiny terrors on British TV and raising awareness about young people’s mental health as a  keynote speaker ,  conference facilitator  and  awards host .

A Chartered Clinical Psychologist who works closely with children and adolescents, Tanya has seen ever younger visitors pass through her clinic during her career.

With over two decades’ experience in the NHS, she has also worked in the fields of drug dependency, HIV/AIDS and sexual health, adult mental health, and eating disorder services. Her undergraduate psychology degree was followed by a clinical psychology Masters at UCL and her doctorate (on the treatment of cocaine, amphetamine and ecstasy misusers at University College Hospital in London.

A patron of the charity Prospex, Tanya’s academic credentials are endorsed by lauded institutions—in 2008, she was appointed Chancellor and Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Edge Hill University!

Her published works The Byron Review: Safer Children in a Digital World (2008) and Do We Have Safer Children in a Digital World? (2010) have led to a number of policy changes; well-received by the government and public, the independent research was tasked by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown to investigate the risks to children from inappropriate material on the internet and in computer games.

As a presenter, Tanya’s TV credits include: Teen Angels; Little Angels; House of Tiny Tearaways; Panorama; How to Improve Your Memory (with Robert Winston); Am I Normal? on BBC2; Child of Our Time on BBC 1; Lose Weight for Love on BBC1; The Truth About Child Sex Abuse, on BBC2 and Horizon: What’s The Right Diet For You? on BBC1. She also writes with Jennifer Saunders on the comedy: The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle.

As well as being regularly published in The Times and in several magazines, Tanya wrote Little Angels; Your Toddler Month by Month; The House of Tiny Tearaways; and Your Child...Your Way: Create a Positive Parenting Pattern for Life.

Tanya is an Honorary Lecturer at UCL and UEL, and a professor of Psychology at Shangdong University in China where she hopes to develop services for children, young people and their families.

Awarded Honorary Doctorates by the University of York and the Open University for her 'outstanding and exceptional contribution to science, education and culture', Tanya speaks regularly on these issues, while continuing to practise as a consultant.

Her speaking topics include:

- Young people’s mental health and education; international policies

- Treating the behavioural problems of children

- Child protection issues