As a parent, are you concerned about the well-being and mental health of your child? Well, you’re not alone. Nearly 80% of parents are concerned about their child’s mental health, according to a survey.
This is evident from a survey among 1,009 Mothernet Among users with children aged 5 to 17, 77% of parents expressed concerns about their child’s mental health and almost a third reported being very concerned.
Parents identified the biggest pressures on children’s mental health as social media and online content (76%), bullying and friendship issues (46%) and academic pressure (44%).
Despite 87% of respondents saying they believe children are under more pressure on mental health services than before, only 3% of parents think the government is successfully supporting children’s mental health, while 39% confirm they think it is “very poorly” supported.
This research highlights the prevalence of mental health problems among young people, affecting one in five of those aged 8 to 25, with young women aged 17 to 25 experiencing mental health problems at twice the rate of young men of the same age.
With mental health services “struggling to keep pace” with rising need, the plan proposes that three points outlined in the government’s 10-year health plan have “critical applicability in youth mental health”: shifting care from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from illness to prevention.
Further recommendations from the report include encouraging investment in mental health services within youth services, expanded social prescribing, multi-year funding for Integrated Care Boards, and a broadened model of mental health support teams to provide support for neurodiverse youth.
Andy Bell, CEO of the Center for Mental Health, said: “The mental health of children and young people is under unprecedented pressure. It is disrupting education, limiting future employment, driving up the costs of public services and threatening Britain’s long-term prosperity. Not enough is being done to prevent mental health problems in childhood.”
He emphasized that solving the problem “should be at the heart of the government’s moral mission to change the course for this generation.”
“By prioritizing prevention, early intervention and both clinical and non-clinical support – and building on existing good practice and emerging evidence – we can close the treatment gap and reduce growing need, helping children get help earlier and more effectively,” he further said.
Cllr Amanda Hopgood, chair of the Local Government Association’s Children, Young People and Families Committee, echoed the same sentiments, saying:
“To truly tackle the children’s mental health crisis, there must be a cross-government plan to support children and young people, alongside adequate funding for children’s services. Mental health training must also become a core element of training for all staff supporting children and young people.”
