It’s Youth Mental Health Day and the theme for 2024 is #ControlYourScroll.
Youth Mental Health Day is an annual awareness campaign falling on 19th September which aims to raise awareness and foster discussion around the mental health challenges young people face.
This year, the mental health campaign, spearheaded by youth mental health charity stem4, is focusing on the online world.
As the digital world rapidly evolves, young people are navigating a vastly different online environment than a decade ago. While the internet offers positives like instant connectivity, creativity, and access to entertainment and information, it also presents significant risks, and multiple studies have linked heavy use of social media and other digital platforms with poor mental health.
Stem4 publishes survey results for Youth Mental Health Day
A recent stem4 survey of 1,025 young people found that more than 9 in 10 (93%) had been scared by content they had viewed online. Other findings include:
- The majority (59%) were worried about issues such as disinformation, misinformation and fake news
- Almost 6 in 10 were worried about online scams and fraud (58%)
- Online bullying was a concern for more than half (52%)
- Over a third (39%) worried about the sharing of sexual images
- The majority also admitted they would avoid using search engines or apps if they knew they had the potential to cause them harm (58%)
The report, entitled Anxious and at Breaking Point, reveals that almost 1 in 3 young people with mental health concerns (32%) – some as young as 12 – turn to social media influencers who openly talk about their mental health problems or who offer mental health advice. This figure rises to almost half (47%) for those young people with anxiety, eating disorders or self-harming behaviours.
This is concerning, since the survey results also show that 1 in 5 young people aged 12-21 with no mental health problems said their mental health was negatively impacted by going on social media apps and connecting with influencers. This figure rose to almost a third (30%) for those who had anxiety, eating disorders or who self-harm and to over 4 in 10 (42%) for the 12-14-year-old age group.
Youth Mental Health Day highlights perfect storm for young people’s wellbeing
Back in January 2023, stem4 reported that the vast majority of children and young people aged 12-21 are now active on social media (97%). Alarmingly, the majority of these (70%) also admitted that social media makes them feel stressed, anxious or depressed, but few were deterred from using it.
Combined with high levels of school absenteeism, a cost-of-living crisis and long waits for NHS mental health services, we are facing a perfect storm threatening to engulf the mental health and wellbeing of our children and young people.
Indeed, figures from NHS Digital show that 1 in 5 children and young people aged 8-25 now have a probable mental health disorder. Other data shows:
- Currently only 1 in 3 young people with a mental health condition is accessing NHS care and treatment (YoungMinds)
- Children aged 11-16 with a probably mental health disorder are more likely to have experienced online bullying (NHS Digital)
- The Children’s Society reports that 5 children in a classroom of 30 are likely to have a mental health problem
- 50% of all mental health problems present in adulthood are established by the age of 14 (The Children’s Society)
Youth Mental Health Day aims to protect young people’s digital wellbeing
That’s why stem4 have decided to dedicate Youth Mental Health Day 2024 to the theme of #ControlYourScroll. They want to “equip young people with the simple digital hacks and mental health strategies needed for a positive and safe online experience.”
Individuals, schools and other organisations can get involved in the Youth Mental Health Day #ControlYourScroll campaign by:
- Downloading free resources from the stem4 website which offer ways children and young people can protect their digital wellbeing and develop safe online habits
- Spread the word using the free social media resource pack, using the hashtags #stem4YMHD and #ControlYourScroll on social media and tagging @stem4org in posts
- Fundraising for stem4 to help them provide every child and young person with access to evidence-based mental health support
- Donating to support the vital work stem4 does to improve the mental health of thousands of young people
Call for policies to help young people with mental health
In her foreword to Anxious and at Breaking Point, Dr Nihara Krause MBE, CEO and founder of stem4 and a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, says:
“The results of this report unfortunately reflect the fact that children and young people’s mental health problems appear to be not only increasing in number, but because of waiting times, have become more complex, requiring more targeted, specialist, evidence-based intervention.
“Yet, despite some investment in mental health support, specialist services remain stretched, with demand outstripping resource and what’s available is not adequate to prevent young people from seeking their own ways to deal with how they feel, primarily, seeking ‘social media DIY’ or increasingly withdrawing and avoiding situations they find difficult. There are also strong links to suggest that prevalence of poor mental health has increased because of the impact of the pandemic, and the social inequalities and poor parental mental health, both of which are high, as a consequence of the cost-of-living crisis.
“Because of lack access to Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services, traditional gatekeepers of health, such as GP’s, parents and carers, are turning to schools for support in increasing numbers, whilst young people are taking matters into their own hands and seeking help online often from unqualified people.
“Since children and young people do not present in the same ways as adults when experiencing mental illness or distress, and their difficulties require age appropriate, evidence-based interventions to prevent further escalation, it is important for all involved in their care to be provided with first steps to understand and manage their difficulties, together with early access to high quality care.
“This reports highlights some of the difficulties and provides some suggestions on what might make a difference.”
This includes new policies to help young people deal with mental health symptoms and support to help young people, parents, carers and educators to better understand anxiety and other mental health disorders.
This Youth Mental Health Day, Stem4 is also calling for:
- Clear guidance on strategies that schools and colleges can implement, and parents and carers can adopt at home.
- Clear guidance for the prompt assessment of undiagnosed special educational needs (SEN) such as autism, ADHD or dyslexia.
- A buddy system in each educational establishment to help support young people who may find social situations difficult.
- The establishment of drop-in community family hubs, acknowledging the need for support to counter the impact of anxiety disorders on families.
- A comprehensive system of mental health support teams in schools with access to specialist psychological support
Youth mental health training
First Response Training (FRT) is a leading national training provider delivering courses in subjects such as health and safety, first aid, fire safety, manual handling, food hygiene, mental health, health and social care, safeguarding and more.
They work with a large number of early years and childcare providers, as well as schools, colleges, universities and children’s services.
Their courses include Understanding Mental Health, Youth Mental Health First Aid and Self-Harm Awareness.
A trainer from FRT says:
“Youth Mental Health is such an important annual awareness campaign.
“We know that young people are really struggling right now. Research suggests that more young people are expressing their mental health struggles through self-harming behaviours. This is extremely worrying.
“Young people are also seemingly stuck in an endless cycle of scrolling through social media, feeling anxious, depressed or self-conscious as a result, and then turning back to social media to help them deal with these feelings.
“It’s vitally important that anyone who works closely with children and young people has an understanding of mental health and the role of the digital world in youth mental health and wellbeing, and is able to spot the signs that someone may be struggling and can offer appropriate support. Focused training can help with this.”
Free resources to help support young minds
You can download our free Guide to Supporting Young Minds, which supports Youth Mental Health Day and the #ControlYourScroll campaign and offers advice and guidance about the practical ways to support a child or young person experiencing a mental health problem.
We also have a number of free infographics available to download which provide simple tips for helping to manage anxiety and panic attacks. These include:
A brief summary of our mental health training can now be downloaded as an infographic.
You can also download our free Guide to Mental Health Training from our website.
For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.