By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter
Social media is one of the leading causes of harm to young people’s mental health, Nottinghamshire students have said.
More than 800 young people attended the NottAlone event at Notts County ‘s Meadow Lane football stadium to discuss the main problems and how to deal with them.
The service was created by local councils and the Nottinghamshire NHS after young people said it was too confusing to find mental health support during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Students from Nottingham Girls’ Academy spoke about the challenges they had faced.
Hadia, 15, said: “For me, the biggest factor is social media. I could be scrolling through Instagram and I find myself comparing myself to other people, even if they’re using filters.
“I end up feeling depressed. People need to understand that not everything you see on social media is real.”
Akshara, 14, said: “A lot of young people struggle with mental health today. Social media has given rise to many, many problems.
“Some influencers make life look so easy but it’s not. Looking at the comments can be the most stressful thing.
“Through Covid, I began to feel socially insecure. I was about 10 years old – the age when people really learn to communicate – and that really disrupted me.”
According to the Children’s Society, one in six under-16s have a mental health problem, a rate which has doubled in the last three years.
NottAlone is a partnership between Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council and the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board.
Dr Maddi Popoola, co-founder and Mental Health Support Team Service Manager at Nottingham City Council, said getting help should be easy for young people.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, young people told us that it was confusing about what was out there to support them with their mental health,” she said.
“NotAlone was created a place where people could go for advice, support and guidance.
“We hear a lot about mental health being on the decline – the statistics speak for themselves.
“We often think about mental health as a problem in a person, but it’s always impacted by their lives and environments.
“Research has shown that the two key factors are pressure at school and social media and how those two interact.”
Last week Mark Zuckerberrg, the chief executive of Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, attended a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in the US, where he faced the families of children who have developed severe mental health issues or been bullied after using online platforms.
He said: “No one should go through the things that your families have suffered and this is why we invest so much and we are going to continue doing industry-wide efforts to make sure no one has to go through the things your families have had to suffer.”
Visit the NottAlone website for help and advice for any young person in Nottinghamshire.
