Unpacking their impact on mental health in Gloucestershire youth.
This report shares what young people told Healthwatch Gloucestershire about how social media, physical activity, and vaping affect their mental health.
We heard from 120 young people in-person and a further 44 through our online survey. What young people are asking for is not complicated.
They want adults who listen without overreacting. They want spaces where they can talk honestly without fear of the consequences. They want support that meets them where they are – early, consistently, and on their own terms.
Download the full report below.
Key messages
- Social media brings emotional pressure, affects sleep, and raises safety concerns, leaving some young people feeling anxious or drained without knowing where to turn for support.
- Longer lengths of time spent on social media per day were linked to increased levels of anxiety due to experiences on social media, and lower wellbeing.
- Out of the three behavioural factors we explored, physical activity was the most beneficial in promoting positive mental health in young people.
- We found throughout our survey and engagement that it helps reduce stress and improve mood, but barriers such as school workload, low confidence, cost, and transport often make it hard to be active regularly.
- Vaping was widely recognised as harmful but common. Many young people said it is easy to start and difficult to stop because it becomes a habit or a way to cope with stress.
- The young people we spoke to said they want more practical help to manage stress and break habits, rather than only being told that vaping is bad.
- A significant number of the young people we spoke to said they kept worries to themselves and very few turn to professionals, often due to fear of judgement, lack of trust and concerns about being listened to.
- Several young people we spoke to had developed their own strategies to reduce their vaping or social media use as they did not feel they could ask for help from the adults in their lives.
In response to our report and recommendations, Gloucestershire County Council said:
We appreciate Healthwatch sharing the report, providing an opportunity to review it, and including us in the process. We greatly value the work from Healthwatch in producing these findings and highlighting the experiences of children and young people across Gloucestershire.
Gloucestershire County Council will continue to engage with the report, along with its findings and recommendations, and will incorporate them into our work to ensure children and young people are getting the level of support they deserve. We will also continue to work closely with partners to drive meaningful improvements.