A new July 2025 report from Youth Futures Foundation investigates the factors behind declining mental health in 14–to 24‑year‑olds in England
Recent years have seen a significant increase in mental health challenges among young people in England. This Youth Futures Foundation report investigates the underlying causes of these trends, highlighting critical areas for intervention to support the wellbeing of young individuals across the country.
The report unlocked key insights into youth mental health
The researchers examined the drivers of poor mental health among 14 to 24-year-olds in England by evaluating multiple theories in parallel, using a combination of data analysis and literature review. They reported a steady increase in the percentage of young people with mental health problems, and a substantial increase from 2010 to 2012 onwards.
Furthermore, primary care contacts for mental health problems have also increased steadily since 2000, with a sharp acceleration in anxiety and self-harm since 2012. Increases were particularly pronounced among girls and young women, and individuals from white British and mixed ethnic backgrounds, while they were less evident among Black and Asian young people.
The researchers analysed ten theories for the drivers behind the youth mental health crisis. However, the top four likely contributors were:
- Worsening sleep quality: Markers of young people’s sleep quality have deteriorated, and robust evidence links poor sleep to higher rates of depression and anxiety symptoms
- Employment precarity and affordability pressures: Financial insecurity has increasingly impacted young people since 2010. This is likely driven by lower access to stable jobs and careers, as well as affordability pressures, particularly in housing.
- Social media and smartphone use: Evidence indicates that social media and smartphone use may have a small negative impact on mental health, contributing to recent trends given their widespread adoption since 2010. However, social media encompasses a wide range of experiences, some of which are positive.
- Reduction in children and youth services: Funding for community services for children and young people in England has declined by 73% since 2010, and evidence suggests that they were positively affecting mental health.
The study provides further evidence that the increase in presentations of young people with a mental health problem (or decline in young people’s mental health) is real, and not merely a result of increased symptom recognition, greater awareness, overdiagnosis, or reduced resilience.
Child poverty and discrimination affect young people’s mental health, but their levels have not changed enough over time to explain the decline in mental health.
“Deeply worrying trend in young people”
Responding to the new report from the Youth Futures Foundation identifying four key drivers behind youth mental health crisis, Rebecca Gray, mental health director at the NHS Confederation, said: “This report reinforces the deeply worrying trend of rising mental health issues in children and young people. Our members are working hard to meet the needs of the growing number of children and young people experiencing mental health issues and recognise the increasingly complex environment young people are growing up in, which can include financial insecurity, deteriorating sleep quality, social media use and cuts to children’s and youth services highlighted in the report.
“As the report reveals, prevention and early intervention in young people is essential to reduce the risk of developing more serious mental illnesses in adulthood, which can affect their ability to find and stay in employment. We know that ill health has a significant impact on people’s lives, as well as on the economy. Our analysis, conducted in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group, showed that reintegrating between half and three-quarters of people who have dropped out of the workforce due to ill health since 2020 could generate a multi-billion-dollar boost to the UK’s GDP and unlock billions in fiscal revenue over the next five years. Helping people stay or get back into work is beneficial for both individuals and the country.
“Providing appropriate mental health support – such as easy-access hubs and mental health services in schools – will be vital to better meet the needs of young people. Our members are supportive of all approaches which identify emerging issues early and respond, with NHS trusts often working in partnership with the voluntary, charity and social enterprise sector to deliver support in schools and communities.”
