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Key findings One in four teenagers aged 17-19 have a mental health difficulty, an increase from one in six in 2021. Poverty continues to have a strong link to young people’s poor mental health. Reversed patterns of probable mental health difficulty for boys/young men and girls/young women highlights the need for specific gender-specific approaches. Young people with a mental health difficulty are more likely to have negative experience of social media. Young people with a mental health difficulty are more likely to miss school and feel unsafe while at school.

Key findings In 2022, 18.0% of children aged 7 to 16 years and 22.0% of young people aged 17 to 24 years had a probable mental disorder. In children aged 7 to 16 years, rates rose from 1 in 9 (12.1%) in 2017 to 1 in 6 (16.7%) in 2020. Rates of probable mental disorder then remained stable between 2020, 2021 and 2022. In young people aged 17 to 19 years, rates of a probable mental disorder rose from 1 in 10 (10.1%) in 2017 to 1 in 6 (17.7%) in 2020. Rates were stable between 2020 and 2021, but then increased from 1 in 6 (17.4%) in 2021 to 1 in 4 (25.7%) in 2022. 11 to 16 year olds with a probable mental disorder were less likely to feel safe at school (61.2%) than those unlikely to have a mental disorder (89.2%). They were also less likely to report enjoyment of learning or having a friend they could turn to for support. 1 in 8 (12.6%) 11 to 16 year old social media users reported that they had been bullied online. This was more than 1 in 4 (29.4%) among those with a probable mental disorder. 11 to 16 year old social media users with a probable mental disorder were less likely to report feeling safe online (48.4%) than those unlikely to have a disorder (66.5%). 1 in 5 (19.9%) 7 to 16 year olds lived in households that experienced a reduction in household income in the past year. This was more than 1 in 4 (28.6%) among children with a probable mental disorder. Among 17 to 22 year olds with a probable mental 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 disorder.