Five years after lockdown, child mental health is still in crisis

We must stop treating children’s social and emotional development as an optional extra, writes Anna Freud chair Michael Samuel. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Not just for our economy, but for several generations counting on us to get this right

Sunday March 23 marks five years since Boris Johnson declared the first UK lockdown, a moment that had a profound impact on us all. While the nation reflects on the pandemic’s toll, it is our youngest citizens I feel particular concern for, through my role as chair of Anna Freud, a mental health charity for children and young people.

The pandemic had profound and long-lasting effects on children’s mental health. But, even before March 2020, children’s mental health services in the UK were at breaking point. In 2017, one in eight children struggled with mental health issues. Today, it’s a staggering one in five.

While it did not create the UK’s youth mental health crisis, the pandemic certainly intensified pre-existing challenges and created new ones that affected the mental wellbeing of young people. For many children, when schools closed and lessons moved online, daily routines collapsed. More than 40 per cent of 11 to 16-year-olds felt that lockdown made their life worse, and almost seven in 10 described poor mental health when returning to school.

This has contributed to a sharp rise in persistent school absences, which have doubled since 2018. Those facing mental health challenges are three times more likely to miss significant school time.

Perhaps most telling is the fact that the number of children and young people in contact with mental health services has more than doubled since 2018. These aren’t just statistics, they represent real people waiting for help.

Yet, lockdown was not universally damaging. Thirty-three per cent of children actually reported improved wellbeing during the first lockdown. For some, including neurodivergent children, a reduction in social pressures and more family time created unexpected benefits. Every child deserves the opportunity to thrive and fulfil their potential but it’s clear that children need different forms of support.

‘The solution isn't just pouring more money into treatment. We need a radical shift toward prevention and early intervention’ (Getty Images)

The solution isn’t just pouring more money into treatment. We need a radical shift toward prevention and early intervention. Every pound invested in prevention, for example by promoting wellbeing, building resilience or addressing risk factors such as poverty, yields multiple pounds in savings not just in healthcare costs, but in improved educational outcomes, higher workforce productivity, and reduced pressure on criminal justice systems.

The scale of this challenge demands collaboration from multiple actors – notably MPs, policymakers and funders – to support schools and charities, who are at the forefront of tackling the mental health issues faced by young people.

Let’s start with government. As it stands, only 1 per cent of the NHS budget supports children’s mental health services. Despite spending £239bn on healthcare in 2023, only about £3.5bn went to preventative public health measures. Mental health received just three per cent of that prevention budget. Meanwhile, childhood trauma alone costs an estimated £42.8bn in England and Wales every year. This isn’t just financially irresponsible, it’s morally indefensible.

Schools also need better support to build young people’s mental health and wellbeing. At Anna Freud, we adopt a whole-school approach to address mounting challenges and deliver the Schools and Colleges Early Support Service, providing online one-to-one sessions for students, while also supporting staff, parents and carers. We must stop treating children’s social and emotional development as an optional extra. It should be a foundation of our education system, alongside academic achievement.

As well as action by government and schools, civil society is also key to driving meaningful change. We are part of the Our Wellbeing, Our Voice campaign through #BeeWell, a coalition of organisations advocating for a national wellbeing measurement programme, urgently needed as UK young people report the lowest life satisfaction in Europe. Closing wellbeing gaps could also generate £82bn in benefits annually.

Half of mental health conditions start by age 14, with many developing in the early years (0-5), while adolescence sees another sharp increase in mental health problems. Any effective strategy must address these critical windows with targeted support.

We are starting to see real progress being made. The government’s 10-year health plan signals a critical shift from treating illness to promoting wellbeing by moving care from hospitals to communities, making better use of technology, and focusing on preventing sickness rather than just treating it.

Five years after the first lockdown, we can see that the pandemic exposed our young people’s vulnerability and resilience. Now is the time to build a system where no child falls through the cracks. This means resources, certainly, but also, pioneering new ways to support young minds.

As we outlined in our 2024 Thinking Differently manifesto, the UK needs a comprehensive mental health prevention strategy – with input from diverse groups of children and young people – that spans government, schools and the charity sector.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Not just for our economy, but for several generations counting on us to get this right.

Michael Samuel MBE is chair of Anna Freud