Last year was tough for everyone. In the UK, we saw major political instability, grappled with the lasting impacts of a global pandemic, and entered into a cost-of-living crisis. On top of this, our lives continue to be impacted by climate change and major global conflicts.
For young people, all of this has had a huge impact on their mental health. They're now facing barriers that make life feel unpredictable and difficult, and are finding it consistently harder to navigate everyday things like education, work and relationships.
As a result, record numbers of children and young people are being referred to mental health services, and too many young people aren't getting the support they need. For racialised and minioritised groups, and for those with pre-existing mental health problems, the impacts of these pressures is even more severe.
The NHS data
Last year's NHS data shows an increasing demand for mental health support, with record-high numbers of children and young people struggling with their mental health.
Almost 4 million 7-24 year olds in England have a probable or possible mental health disorder.
New emergency referrals to crisis care teams for 0-18 year olds were higher in March 2023 than any other point since records began, at 1,102.
Overall, new emergency referrals to crisis care teams for children aged 18 and under were up 10% from the year before, to 9,640.
There were 494,415 open referrals to children and young people's mental health services in December 2022 - the highest since records began.
For many young people with pre-existing mental health problems, the data shows the impacts have been worse.
Of those aged 11-16, only 61.2% of people with a probable mental health disorder said they feel safe at school compared to 89.2% of those unlikely to have a mental health disorder. Those with a probable mental health disorder were also less likely to report enjoyment of learning or having a friend they could turn to for support.
One in eight 11-16 year old social media users reported that they had been bullied online. For those with a probable mental health disorder, this figure rises to one in four.
For social media users aged 11-16, only 48.4% of those with a probable mental health disorder reported feeling safe online, compared to 66.5% of those unlikely to have a disorder.
Among 17-22 year olds with a probable mental health disorder, 14.8% reported living in a household that had experienced not being able to buy enough food or using a food bank in the past year, compared with 2.1% of young people unlikely to have a mental health disorder.
Tracking how young people are feeling
Since 2020, YoungMinds have been working with Beano Brain on a long-term study to track how young people aged 11-25 are feeling, and whether they are getting effective support for their mental health.
Last year's data reinforces what we are seeing in the NHS data.
Of the young people surveyed:
52% said that they'd experienced negative emotions which affect their everyday life
43% of all 11-25s said they struggled to cope
23% said negative emotions are still affecting their daily life
19% said they are still struggling
These statistics have all either increased or remained the same since the previous year.
There has been a slight decrease in the impact on everyday life across different aspects of young people’s lives since the previous year, but impacts still remain high.
21-25 year olds were the most likely to say that aspects of their everyday life were being affected by negative emotions.
Of 21-25 year olds:
52% say their sleeping habits have been affected
50% say their enjoyment of life has been affected
48% say how they feel about themselves has been affected, such as their confidence or how they feel about the way they look
41% say their eating habits have been affected
Those who identify outside of cisgender or straight, as well as racialised groups and those who are disabled, are much more likely to be impacted. Overall, 42% of the young people surveyed said they are struggling to cope, but this increases to:
48% for Black and minoritised groups
56% for those with special educational needs
68% for those who identify as LGBTQIA+
72% for those reporting a disability
Young people's concerns
In the last year, young people have grown much less concerned about Covid-19, but much more concerned about money. They listed the following as their biggest concerns:
worries about money (53%)
concerns about the future (37%)
the way they look and body shaming (32%)
Covid-19 and lockdown (29%)
Finding support and positive influences
While family is the most common place to find support, young people are also turning to their friends and social media.
Young people listed the following as people and places they are most likely to turn to:
28% turned to a parent, carer or guardian
25% turned to a friend
24% turned to social media or online forums
22% turned to a website or app
20% turned to a trusted adult, such as a youth worker, teacher or sports coach
