Supporting children and young people’s mental health in a digital world

With 98% of the UK population now online¹, it’s no secret that we are rapidly moving towards a more digital world. Accelerated by Covid-19, many of our essential daily services and systems are now available in an online capacity. For children and young people (CYP) especially, a large proportion of crucial learning, socialising and entertainment now happens digitally, and we are seeing young people spend an ever-increasing amount of time on phones and other devices.

At the same time, young people are struggling more than ever before with 50% of mental health illnesses starting before age 14². Parents, health professionals and governments alike have raised concerns around the wellbeing of younger generations. But unprecedented challenges and relentless disruption in the last few years has left child and adolescent mental health in crisis, with a record-breaking number of people asking for help. It’s no surprise that services are overwhelmed, lacking in the staff, resources, and support needed to meet demand. The result is that many young people are simply unable to access help.

In this comprehensive whitepaper we speak to experts in the field of children and young people mental health and explore how children and teens are interacting with the digital world, and how digital mental health interventions might be a solution to help meet current challenges.

Themes we explore with experts:

• The current landscape of children and teen mental health
• The digital world: how children and teens live through their phones
• How digital might be the way we can bridge the gap
• A new era for digital mental health

1. DataReportal (2022). Digital 2022 Global Digital Overview.
2. Kessler RC et al. (2005). Lifetime Prevalence and Age-of-Onset Distributions of DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62 (6) pp. 593-602.