A children’s charity has criticised what it describes as a ‘failing system’ of mental health services as the latest figures show that one in six children are struggling with mental health disorders.
New NHS Digital stats have highlighted the number of children and young people who are struggling with mental health issues in the wake of the pandemic.
The figures show that one in six children are struggling with their mental health.
They also reveal a big increase in the proportion of young people aged 17-19 who are affected by a mental health disorder from one in six to one in four.
The data also looks at online bullying for the first time, with one in eight children reporting they have been bullied online.
Amy Dicks, policy and impact manager at The Children’s Society, said these figures reveal the ‘horrifying scale’ of mental health issues affecting children and young people.
‘More than a quarter of 17-19-year-olds are now likely to have a mental health disorder, a truly shocking increase from one in six just a year earlier, and that brings concerns about their life chances as they become adults,’ she said.
‘One in six younger children are struggling with a mental health disorder, as many as during last year’s lockdown, showing that children are in desperate need of long-term support.’
‘However, the crisis in children’s mental health long pre-dated the pandemic, with a failing system turning children away or making them wait months on end for treatment,’ she continued.
‘We want early support hubs in every community so young people can get immediate support when issues arise, and the Government to measure children’s wellbeing so it is easier to identify those who are struggling and provide targeted action and investment preventing mental ill-health.
‘It’s also a real worry that one in eight children reported being bullied online and this underlines the importance of the Online Safety Bill progressing quickly through Parliament and offering strong proposals to protect children from dangers like cyber-bullying.’
