The top statistics you need to know about the challenges Australia’s young people are facing
Over the past two years we’ve been overrun with statistics. Every day we were met with new numbers painting a troubling picture of the health, wellbeing and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. But beyond these numbers are the people that they represent. A lot of them, young people who according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), suffered disportionately compared to adults.
The impact the pandemic had on youth mental health is multifaceted and includes everything from anxiety directly related to COVID-19 and the measures in place to stop its spread, to social and economic concerns, and stress about school and future goals. It’s also dynamic – as our situation continually changes (the implementation or easing of restrictions, for instance) so too can young peoples’ ability to adapt.
As we start a new school year we want to support educators to understand the base from which many students are entering the year from, so we’ve put together the top statistics you need to know about the challenges young Australians are currently facing.
1. 74% of young people reported that their mental health was worse since the outbreak
The coronavirus pandemic has had a significant, negative impact on the mental health of young people. In a 2021 headspace survey 74% of young people reported that their mental health was worse since the outbreak. 86% reported COVID-19 had a negative impact on either their mood, wellbeing or sleeping. And according to UNICEF almost half (47%) of the young people they spoke to said that COVID-19 had negatively impacted their levels of stress and anxiety.
Yet as mental health issues rise, the ability for young people to manage them is decreasing. UNICEF reports that just 45% of young people felt they are managing well, compared to 81% before the pandemic. This isn’t surprising. For young people, the pandemic hit at an important time. A time when social connections are central to development, when many big life milestones are celebrated and when young people should be building up their bank of experiences. But social distancing and lockdowns took this all away, and it wasn’t all in one hit. It was a rollercoaster of lockdowns, easing of restrictions, hope, new restrictions, lockdowns again… So despite the amazing ability young people have to pivot when faced with life’s challenges even the most resilient young people have been impacted by the constant uncertainty and unease of an ever changing pandemic.
While the rise in poor mental health is concerning on its own, it is important to consider the pre-pandemic base from which we started. Australia’s young people were already experiencing high levels of mental health related problems.
According to Beyond Blue one in seven young people (aged 4-17) experience a mental health condition in any given year. Almost 14% of young people met the criteria for a mental disorder diagnosis and one fifth experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress.
A report from yourtown and the Human Rights Commission using data from Kids Helpline showed that many young people expressed that COVID-19 was impacting on their existing mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression, obsessive and compulsive behaviours, eating disorders, intrusive thoughts, self-harm and suicidality.
What we also know about young people is they understand the importance of good mental health and are motivated to take positive action. They know they need to prioritise it, they know the basics to maintain it and they have the right language for it – but in a time of so much change and uncertainty, when routines have been disrupted and we’re all still getting back into the swing of the ‘new normal’ it can be difficult for anyone to on top of their mental health.
2. Body image concerns have increased
There has been a sharp increase in the number of young people seeking help with body image according to data released by ReachOut and the Butterfly Foundation. 75% more people visited ReachOut’s content about body image in June 2020, compared to the same time the previous year and there has been a 48% increase in calls to the Butterfly Foundation’s Helpline during the pandemic. Many callers to Kids Helpline noted that changes to routine and ability to access normal exercise activities exacerbated existing body image issues. This shows us that the great strategies many young people had developed to protect and maintain good mental health work, but they may need some extra support to adjust when restrictions alter their day-to-day lives.
3. 67% of young people have concerns about their education
According to UNICEF 67% of young people had concerns about their education being ‘disrupted or held back’ due to the pandemic. Headspace shared similar findings with two thirds of respondents (65%) stating concerns with education, study and/or university. But concerns with education extended beyond this year, with 50% of young people saying that COVID-19 had an impact on their confidence in achieving future goals. It’s great that young people care so deeply about their education, but stress about time lost isn’t helpful. Students will need to be supported to rebuild their confidence and motivation surrounding their goals, because they can achieve anything they set their minds to.
4. Rural and regional young people need additional support
While everyone’s experience living during the pandemic will be unique, for some young people COVID-19 wasn’t the first crisis for the year.
Those living in regional and rural areas faced bushfires and droughts in the lead up to the pandemic. According to UNICEF, young people in regional areas showed a larger decline in their ability to cope (from 84% to 43%) than their city based peers (from 79% to 46%).
For many of these young people, COVID-19 made a lot of the existing challenges of living regionally worse . For example, access to the internet, technology support and opportunities for social connectedness. This also made this cohort feel at a disadvantage to those who were better resourced for online learning.
As restrictions ease and school starts back, these students will need some extra support. They may be stressed about time lost at school last year, or face personal challenges from the crises they experienced. But now is also a great time to highlight their resilience, celebrate what they have achieved and how far they’ve come despite the enormous obstacles they have faced.
5. More than 4 in 10 young people had a negative experience online during the pandemic
More than 4 in 10 Australian young people report having at least one negative experience online in the 6 months up to September 2020. This number increases to over 50% for those aged 14-17. Close to 30% of the negative experiences are related to bullying happening at school, according to respondents showing that the connectivity the internet provides isn’t always positive.
It may also come as a surprise, but three quarters of young people want more online safety information made available through trusted channels. Specifically, they want more information about how to support friends who are in trouble ( 46% ), how to block someone or use privacy settings ( 44% ) and how to report negative online experiences ( 40% ). And what are their trusted channels? Schools or online safety classes ( 43% ), a trusted eSafety website ( 40% ) or a parent/carer ( 38% ).
As more and more young people launch into the online world, we know that not all of their experiences will be positive ones. But what is positive is the willingness many young people have to access information on how to safely navigate the online world and to support friends going through challenging times.
This is only half the picture
These are only some of the insights we’ve compiled in our report, The Current State or Mental Health. To read more about the impacts of disruptions, social isolation and loss of employment as well as the challenges young people are facing online, download our report here .
Despite the challenges young people are facing right now, we believe they can be supported to cope and thrive in the face of hardship. If you want to learn more about how you can support the young people at your school to navigate the challenges they’re currently facing, you can contact us here . We’ve worked with over 500,000 young people from 2,500+ schools across Australia and we’re excited to work with more just like you.