About Youth Mental Health Day
Mental health concerns for young people have multiplied in recent times. Today, 1 in 6 5-16-year olds have a diagnosable mental health disorder, with 6 in 10 young people saying they are experiencing mental health difficulties such as anxiety, low mood, eating disorders, and self-harming behaviours. Yet only a third are able to access any effective treatment.
Though times continue to be difficult, Youth Mental Health Day is here to provide hope and positivity. By getting young people engaged in discussions and activities about how to improve their mental health, YMHD goes beyond raising awareness and breaking the stigma surrounding mental health. It aims to tackle the heart of the issue by giving young people a voice and agency to take steps towards positive mental health.
stem4, a charity that supports young people to build positive mental health, is proud to be the founder of Youth Mental Health Day in the UK, which started in 2020.
Last year’s YMHD theme was
As the digital landscape continues to evolve at pace, young people are growing up in a world unrecognisable compared to 10 years ago. Being able to instantly connect with peers, expressing creativity, and accessing entertainment and information in an instant, are just a few of the many positives the online world presents. (We’ve also heard there are some amazing mental health apps out there 👀).
Yet for every positive there is a negative, and the online world poses many hidden and overt harms that young people didn’t have to face ten years ago. In a stem4 survey of 1,025 young people, nine in ten (93%) said they had been scared by content online. They were worried about disinformation, misinformation and fake news (59%) followed by online scams and fraud (58%), online bullying (52%) and sharing of sexual images (39%). What’s more (58%) said they would avoid using search engines or apps if they knew they had the potential to cause them harm.
Following conversations with young people, stem4 chose to dedicate Youth Mental Health Day 2024 to the theme #ControlYourScroll, so that we can equip young people with the simple digital hacks and mental health strategies needed for a positive and safe online experience. Click here to download our #ControlYourScroll guide for Young People and here for an assembly pack and script.
Whilst Youth Mental Health Day is over for another year, there are still so many ways to get involved and support the work that stem4 does to promote positive mental health for young people and those who support them.
Events and fundraising activities are a wonderful way to help us support young people’s mental health. If you are interested in organising an event and would like some help from our team, please get in touch at fundraising@stem4.org.uk.
Or, take a look at our fundraising page for more fundraising ideas, resources, and information: stem4.org.uk/get-involved/fundraise/
Download our #GoPurple fundraising flyer here.
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Youth Mental Health Day is an annual day run by stem4, a charity that promotes positive mental health in teenagers and those who support them. Find out more about the important work that stem4 does and our story here.
