A quarter of young people regularly hide their feelings : The mental health findings of Censuswide & BBC Children in Need’s latest survey

To mark Mental Health Awareness Week 2023, Pudsey is temporarily removing his iconic bandana. This is to show that not all of the challenges that children and young people may be facing are visible, and to encourage and support the right conversations between children and parents, carers and other trusted adults to ensure no child faces their emotional and mental health challenges alone. In the last 3 years, the likelihood of young people having a mental health issue has increased by 50% (2021). And 75% of children and young people who experience a mental health issue aren’t getting the help they need.

As part of the campaign, we’ve released the findings of a new Censuswide survey which sheds light on how often children feel they need to put on their own metaphorical bandana and hide how they are feeling, how often they talk to someone about their mental health and how comfortable they feel when asking for help with their feelings and emotions.

Notably, whilst nearly all of the parents surveyed (93%) say they talk to their child about their mental health at least once a month, over a quarter of young people surveyed (27%) say they have not talked to someone they trust about their mental health in the last 6 months.

This UK wide survey commissioned by BBC Children in Need of 2,502 parents and 2,502 children and young people4 aged 11-18, also reveals that:

· Just over a quarter of young people surveyed regularly5 (26%) feel the need to hide how they are feeling e.g. sad, worried or anxious

· A third of young people surveyed regularly feel anxious (33%) or worried about their future (29%)

· A third of young people surveyed do not feel comfortable asking for help with their feeling and emotions (32%)

· 1 in 6 parents surveyed (17%) are not confident in recognising signs of poor mental health in their child

· Almost half of parents surveyed (49%) do not feel there is sufficient support available for children who are struggling with their mental health

· Almost a third of parents surveyed (32%) are not confident they could secure additional support for their child’s mental health

· Over half of parents surveyed (58%) would like access to additional support and resources to help conversation with their children about their feelings and emotions

Through the BBC Children in Need £10m impact programme A Million and Me, which was developed to support children with their emotional wellbeing before mental health problems become established, we found that moments of true connection between children and the adults they trust nurtured stronger mental health. Simple acts of everyday magic such as good conversations, shared activities and having fun can help to keep children’s mental health on track.