Sharp Decline In Mental Health Of Young People Detailed In NHS Report

Children and young people are experiencing an epidemic of sleeping problems amid a sharp decline in their mental health triggered by the pandemic , stark new NHS figures show.

- Denis Campbell

Recent years have also seen a dramatic rise in the number of young people of school age who suffer from eating problems, according to a major report into the wellbeing of that age group.

The report, by NHS Digital , also found that most children and young people in England aged 11 to 23 think that Covid restrictions have made their life worse or much worse.

The research was conducted in February and March among 3,667 people aged six to 23.

It found that 28.7% of six- to 10-year-olds had trouble sleeping on three or more nights in the previous week. Problems getting to sleep, waking in the night or waking early were even more common among older children, affecting more than a third (38.4%) of 11- to 16-year-olds and a majority (57.1%) of those aged 17 to 23.

Experts warned that disrupted sleep could damage young people’s concentration at school and advised parents to limit their children’s access to digital devices close to bedtime.

Tom Madders, the director of campaigns at YoungMinds, said: “Teenagers may experience altered sleep patterns as it’s not uncommon for them to stay awake late into the night using their phones, watching TV or gaming. This could interfere with everyday life and cause stress with their parents. Having time away from screens to wind down and going to bed at a reasonable time can help.”