A report from Horizon scanning has highlighted the challenges with the decline of young people’s mental wellbeing. They found that the decline has partly been linked to educational attainment gaps for disadvantaged and/or marginalised pupils, who face barriers to education. Key findings show:

  • A mental health survey by the COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities (COSMO) found that young people who reported high distress were almost 85% more likely to say they were less motivated to learn than those with average or low psychological distress.
  • Girls and nonbinary children were more likely to report high psychological distress, self-harm, and attempted suicide than boys. Another survey in 2023 found that 37% of young people reported not feeling recognised, respected, or supported in school and 50% of pupils said that they experienced unfair treatment or bullying by their peers.
  • Another survey from Mind found that 70% of young people who had experienced racism at school and reported that it has impacted their mental health. It also found that 45% of LGBTQ+ young people experienced bullying based on their sexual orientation or identity.
  • The report highlights that the long-term effects of the pandemic on children of different ages are still not yet known, and there is uncertainty about how this may develop in coming years.