Research reveals alarming decline in youth mental health in England
First-of-its-kind research identifies key drivers and urges systemic action.
A major new report, reveals that worsening mental health among 14ÓñÃ×ÊÓƵ“24-year-olds in England is real, widespread, and driven by identifiable social and economic factors. The study, commissioned by the , is the first of its kind to explore the underlying reasons behind this troubling trend at the population level.
Drawing on extensive data and expert input from clinicians, leading academics, and policy stakeholders, the report finds that the rise in mental health issues among young people is not simply due to increased awareness or changes in self-reporting. Instead, it points to genuine and deeply rooted drivers, including:
- Worsening sleep quality
- Economic precarity and affordability pressures ÓñÃ×ÊÓƵ“ especially in housing and insecure employment
- Reductions in children and youth services
- Social media and smartphone use
The study also found that although child poverty and discrimination continue to impact young people's mental health, changes in their levels over time do not explain the steep overall decline.
, Senior Lecturer in Psychology of Education in the , andone of the reportÓñÃ×ÊÓƵ™s co-authors, said:
"It has been a concern for some time that the mental health among children and young people has significantly worsened in recent years. Our findings, unfortunately, support this, with declines from the early 2010s shown across a range of data points. Our analysis has also pointed to a need to treat these worsening trends as genuine ÓñÃ×ÊÓƵ“ this is not simply a story about a change in how young people identify, describe, or report their mental health. A stark finding is that mental health declines have been considerably steeper among adolescent girls and young women.
I sincerely hope that our findings can serve to persuade those in positions of influence to urgently address youth mental health, and to understand that this will require systemic change."
The report ÓñÃ×ÊÓƵ“ co-authored by , , , , , (UCL), and the (SEED)ÓñÃ×ÊÓƵ™s, Dr Ola Demkowicz ÓñÃ×ÊÓƵ“ was officially launched at an event in the House of Lords on 15thJuly 2025, where Dr Demkowicz presented the teamÓñÃ×ÊÓƵ™s findings to cross-party policymakers and senior government representatives.
L-R: Sam Hugh-Jones, Dr Ola Demkowicz, Dr Matthias Pierce, Vicky Taxiarchi, and Dr Yushi Bai
The research has already received support from the , , and the , who have called for the findings to form the foundation of meaningful policy reform.
This report represents a foundational contribution to closing the evidence gap in understanding what is driving the mental health crisis among young people in England and what can be done about it.
- Research report: