Call for action on pressures faced by young people

A year-long research programme by mental health charity YoungMinds in which 5,600 young people were questioned, found that 50 per cent had suffered bullying, with the same proportion saying they believe they will be a “failure” if they do not get good grades at school.

Meanwhile four in 10 believe viewing online pornography has affected their relationships, and one in three do not know where to get help if they feel depressed or anxious.

The report, which marks World Mental Health Day today, found that young people want action to be taken to address the issues they face.

•    85 per cent of young people affected by bullying said they want support for as long as they need it so the bullying stops affecting their lives.
•    83 per cent of young people want everyone who works in schools to know how to spot the signs a young person is struggling and how best to help them.
•    82 per cent said schools should prepare pupils for life, not just exams, by teaching them how to cope when life is tough.
•    75 per cent said they want sex education in schools that gives them the chance to talk about sex and relationships.
•    72 per cent want unemployed young people to get help to deal with the stress and upset caused by being out of work.

Lucie Russell, director of campaigns at YoungMinds said young people now grow up with “pressure all around them”.

“We have to take responsibility for the pressures we are putting children and young people under and wake up to the fact that thousands of them are not able to rise above them and are really suffering,” she said.

“These pressures lead to depression, severe anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm and tragically, suicide.

“Over 5,000 young people have told us loud and clear what needs to be done, their solutions are sensible and doable – we can ignore them or act on them, but if we do nothing we are dismissing and abandoning an entire generation.”

Enver Solomon, director of evidence and impact at the National Children’s Bureau, said YoungMinds’ report backs up his organisation’s recent report with Ipsos Mori – Who is Generation Next? – which found that 11- to 16-year-olds were deeply worried about their future prospects.

“Both our report and the YoungMinds report offer important insights into the experience of today’s children and young people.

“They face tremendous pressures in their lives and we must listen to their concerns and act on them, ignoring them or hoping young people will just scrape through isn’t an option if we want a healthy, productive future generation.”