- By the end of primary school, Generation Z girls have similar levels of wellbeing and self-esteem as boys but then experience a sudden decline in both by age 14
- Girls’ wellbeing falls even lower towards the end of their teenage years, while their depressive symptoms increase significantly
- As many as 1 in 3 girls report that they are unhappy with their personal appearance by age 14
- The pandemic has led to a deterioration in mental health, with the number of young people with a probable mental illness rising to 1 in 6, up from 1 in 9
- There is a social gradient in poor mental and emotional health, with young people from the lowest income families more likely to have the worst outcomes
- Heavy social media use is shown to negatively affect wellbeing and self-esteem in adolescence, regardless of young people’s existing state of mental health
- Being bullied in childhood is shown to adversely affect both boys’ and girls’ mental and emotional health well into their teenage years
- Frequent physical exercise plays a particularly positive role in young people’s wellbeing – yet participation in activities and sports is expected to have fallen considerably due to school closures and lockdown
The Education Policy Institute (EPI) and The Prince’s Trust have today (Wednesday 27th January) published a major study on the mental health and wellbeing of young people in Generation Z.