New national campaign calls for action on youth wellbeing

• One in three young people wanting mental health support do not get it
• Almost six in ten young people are often bored or feel there is nothing to do
• Three in four parents want schools to be required to measure pupils' wellbeing, not just exam results
  

Eight in ten young people (80%) say the Government is not doing enough for their wellbeing, according to new research published today as a national campaign is launched aimed at putting young people at the heart of public policy.

Backed by Stephen Fry, Delia Smith, Alastair Campbell and the former Civil Service head Lord Gus O’Donnell, the Back Young People. Now campaign will launch on Monday 9 November at Toynbee Hall in East London. It is chaired by the economist Professor Lord Richard Layard and housed at the London School of Economics. 

The campaign asks for six guarantees for young people, which should either be implemented before the next general election or included in every party's manifesto. No longer, it says, should children in Britain be less happy than anywhere else in Europe.

As the campaign’s research also shows, 70% of parents say they would be more likely to elect a party committed to the six guarantees. They are:

• Wellbeing as a measured goal for every school
• Life-skills taught by professionally trained teachers
• Mental health support and treatment readily available
• AI regulated for children
• Doubling expenditure on youth services, and
• Enough apprenticeships for all qualified young applicants.

The campaign estimates the gross cost of the package at just over £1 billion a year (plus a redirection of the Growth and Skills Levy) by its third year. Supporters say savings to the Exchequer from higher employment and lower social costs mean there would be no overall net cost to the taxpayer. 

New polling by Savanta of more than 1,000 young people aged 11 to 24 and a similar number of parents reveals the scale of the challenge. Of the 43% of young people who say they have needed support for their mental health, almost a third (32%) did not receive it. Only 23% were able to get help quickly or easily, while 17% tried and failed to obtain any support at all.

Parents are equally concerned. More than eight in ten (86%) say the Government is not doing enough for young people's wellbeing, and 69% say they are worried about the wellbeing of young people in Britain. Four in ten parents (40%) are pessimistic about the future for young people, compared with 31% who are optimistic.

Professor Lord Richard Layard, Chair of Back Young People Now, said:

“Our six guarantees are practical, affordable and backed by evidence. They pay for themselves by keeping young people in education, shielding them from the benefits trap or, even worse, the criminal justice system.”

Dan Lawes, 25, Director of the Campaign, Back Young People Now, said:

“This campaign is about giving young people hope again. Politicians who are willing to listen may find a large coalition of young people, parents and grandparents ready to support them at the ballot box.

"The Chartists had six requests and secured five. This 3-year campaign also has six requests to transform youth wellbeing but is determined to achieve all six.”

The Savanta polling for the campaign also found:

• Loneliness: One in three young people (33%) say they often or always feel lonely.
• Nothing to do: More than half of young people (57%) say they often feel bored or that there is nothing to do, and only 36% think there are enough activities, clubs or spaces for young people in their area.
• Social Media and AI: 43% of social media users wish they spent less time on it, and over 40% say it gives them FOMO.
• Exam Pressure: 43% of school-age young people feel that “my school cares more about exam results than about me as a person”. Exam pressure is the single most common personal worry among young people (35%), even when exams are years ahead.
• Adult Trust: One in five young people (20%) say there is no trusted adult outside their family they could talk to about their worries.
• Political Support: Seven in ten (71%) of 14 to 24-year-olds say they would be more likely to support a party that committed to fast access to mental health support, and the same proportion for life skills teaching in schools. Among parents, 72% would be more likely to back a party that promised apprenticeships for all who want them.
• Life skills guarantee: This received the most support of all six topics from the young people and from parents.