A Generation Of Isolated Children Need Our Support

THE pandemic has turned the lives of children and young people upside down and it has left many struggling with their mental health, something that will be of concern in Children’s Mental Health Week, which runs from February 1 to 7.

- Sir Peter Wanless

Being cut off from their support networks, grappling with home schooling, losing loved ones, missing family and friends and worrying about their future – children can feel isolated, unsupported and afraid.

They have been contacting our confidential Childline service in their thousands, seeking advice and support. Many feel they have nowhere else to turn.

Since the start of the first lockdown, mental health has remained the most common concern that children speak to counsellors about. Each month since then the service has delivered between 5,000 and 7,000 counselling sessions on this issue. Many more are joining conversations on our message boards to access vital support.

Young people talk about anxiety, depression, loneliness, low self-esteem and low mood. Sessions where a young person mentioned loneliness are up 10 per cent compared with the pre-lockdown period and sessions where a child mentioned low self-esteem have risen by eight per cent.