A recent study in the UK reported in The Times – based on more than 500,000 respondents – found that 20 of children, and 40% of girls aged 16-17 are unhappy about the state of  their mental health. Disturbingly the report concluded “widespread problems with eating disorders, self-harm and suicidal thoughts, making mental health the “top issue for children today” after the pandemic”. Equally concern for the planet and the environment was high with”anxiety about the world around them after 18 months of disruption to education”, with 39% describing this as a major issue. Children, along with all other sections of the population have been affected by the lockdown and the disruption and changes to the way education has been delivered. However, while adults have,  in most cases, been able to adjust to this new way of life, children do not have the mental resilience to deal with this. Organisations have been calling for increased mental health support at school and services set up to be able to counsel children digitally. While often criticised as being a weak generation the conclusion is that children of today are resilient and have tackled this situation well, but do need help in order to put the pandemic behind them and continue to grow and learn how to make the world a better place. This challenge needs to be addressed now by governments all over the world, as our children are not only our future but the future of the planet.

#mentalhealth #education

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/mental-health-survey-shows-girls-and-older-children-are-most-anxious-ld9snh0jv