Teenage mental health is a subject that is continuing to remain under hot debate within our government, charities and schools. Seed’s Counsellor, Helen Evans, talks further about what we can do as parents to help protect our children from this growing problem.
Recently, the new health secretary announced that up to 8,000 counsellors will be recruited to work in schools to help monitor children more closely for ‘unhealthy online behaviours’.
The plans, which will see a doubling in the mental health workforce for children over the next five years, are in response to growing evidence showing that depression, anxiety and self-harm are rising exponentially among our young.
In fact, recent stats showed that the number of young people and children turning up at A&E with mental health issues has doubled in the past 10 years; hospital admissions for teenagers with eating disorders have also almost doubled in the last three years alone; and survey results of 11,000 14-year-olds published last month by the Children’s Society showed that as many as 25% of girls and 10% of boys are self-harming.
The report showed that triggers were due to school / exam pressure, gender expectation, austerity and, most notably, social media.
Said Helen, “We must recognise that social media is here to stay and it’s something that many children interact with on a daily basis. Having worked as a counsellor in a mixed secondary school for the past five years, I have seen first-hand the impact social media can have on students’ mental wellbeing. This growing crisis is affecting the lives of families everywhere – this is a problem that affects all children irrespective of their home situation and circumstances.
And whilst there are of course many positives to the technology that surrounds our children, it’s important that we’re aware of the negative side and the impact that social media can have. As with many things in life, it’s about learning how to create a healthy balance.
It’s key that parents are armed with the knowledge and tools to recognise the signs that their children are not coping. Counselling is just one way to help in times of crisis. But there are many things parents can do to prevent their children from reaching crisis point in the first place”.
Helen’s top tips:
1) Agree that phones are not allowed upstairs – or if they are, that they are back downstairs at a certain time to be charged over-night. Lack of sleep or interrupted sleep is a huge factor in poor adolescent mental health.
2) Set limits for screen time, and agree what constitutes screen time, tv, x-box, phone? What is a reasonable amount to be on these devices? This may well vary depending on the age of your child. (There are lots of good tools now to help with this, family sharing on i-phones, our pact, and Screenagers).
3) Keep a firm eye on their social media activity and conversations. Do this openly rather than behind their back so they know you are aware of what’s going on. Talk to them about their ‘digital footprint’ – whatever they are posting or sharing is going to be accessible for life.
4) Begin a conversation. Encourage them to open up about how they are feeling. Choose your time wisely – perhaps before bed time, or out on a walk – when you know that they are most relaxed and you can connect with them more easily.
5) Look at what influences are going on in their lives – is their friendship group at school supportive and caring? Or is it judgemental, bitchy, and back stabbing? Talk to them about what both kinds of friendship look like and what we would ideally choose to have in our lives.
6) What happens outside of school? What interests does your child have? More and more schools are losing art, music, sport, cooking and the creative subjects from the curriculum or they are allocated less time. So look to incorporate them into an after school activity. There are so many different types of sport or activities to do, from boxing to badminton, to hockey to chess, to kayaking, particularly in our area, the number of options is huge. It’s about broadening horizons and stretching expectations and increasing experiences and connections with others that they can have away from the screen.
7) Life skills are also key and a huge asset for their development (and CV’s when the time comes), such as swimming, life-saving, first aid, again there are so many different options. It is about giving them the encouragement to dare to be different sometimes, and give something new a go and discover and develop a sense of adventure.
For more information on how best you can help your child or if you feel they are in crisis, please contact Helen directly via phone: 07710 499723 or by email: helen@seedwellness.co.uk
