Centre for Mental Health has been commissioned by the Randal Foundation to undertake a project exploring the complex relationship between children and young people’s engagement with the digital world and their mental health.
Against a backdrop of increasing public and political debate around smartphone use, social media, and online safety, the project will focus on understanding the perspectives of young people, particularly those from marginalised and underrepresented backgrounds whose voices are often missing from national debates. Working in partnership with Leaders Unlocked, young people will share their experiences, and help shape the research and recommendations for policymakers.
The project will review existing evidence and undertake interviews with experts from policy, research, education, and mental health sectors. The Centre will bring together the insights from this work with the findings from young people’s experiences working with Leaders Unlocked, to identify key themes, challenges, and opportunities for supporting young people’s mental health and wellbeing in an increasingly digital society.
The project will explore both the positive and negative impacts of digital engagement. Our ambition is for future policy affecting children’s digital lives to be informed by the voices and experiences of young people themselves.
Michael Morley, Chair of Trustees at Centre for Mental Health, said: “The Board of Trustees is deeply appreciative of this meaningful support from the Randal Foundation in enabling Centre for Mental Health to follow through on central planks of its five-year strategy and bring light and understanding to the complex area of children and young people’s mental health needs, particularly those from marginalised and underrepresented backgrounds. We are committed to a world where everyone can have better mental health, and this project will help us all to make progress in achieving that goal.”
The Randal Foundation said: “At the Randal Foundation, we are proud to support Centre for Mental Health’s research into the impact of digital engagement on the mental health of children and young people. Research such as this plays a crucial role in helping to protect and improve mental wellbeing, ensuring that young people and future generations can thrive in an increasingly digital world.”
