The Priory Group has unveiled a free mental health programme for countrywide kids amidst rising concern over their emotional wellbeing.

The initiative aims to combat increasing mental distress among youngsters linked to wide-spread social media usage.

Led by specialists at the Southampton centre, it offers video and written resources for broad accessibility, including home use and additional settings like scouting and guiding groups.

The launch took place with an emphasis on early secondary and late primary school children. It centres on mood and thought management, calming strategies for stress, and guidelines for situation adaptability.

The programme employs evidence-based psychotherapy techniques like cognitive behavioural therapy, emotional coping skills, and mindfulness. The Children's Commissioner revealed alarming data in March.

They estimated one in five English children and young adults, aged eight to 25 years, probably have a mental health condition. About 270,000 are awaiting help, with 40,000 of these individuals having waited over two years.

The Priory's child wellbeing scheme is being reviewed by the Department for Education for potential use in schools and has been submitted to the Government-endorsed Anna Freud Mentally Healthy Schools hub.

CBT therapist Claire Gask, clinical lead for Priory Wellbeing Centre Southampton who helped to develop the programme, said: "Our emotional wellbeing programme is pioneering in that, for the first time, it will mean there are widely and freely accessible skills-based learnings developed by experts that will help fill the ‘gap’ in young people’s emotional resilience.

"There are so many young people who haven’t naturally developed ways of coping, for various reasons, and lacking these skills impacts their emotional resilience – potentially leading to further problems with their mental health amid a lack of accessible support.

"Data continues to demonstrate this and we know the pandemic undoubtedly impacted children, with them having to adapt to isolation from peers, friends and hobbies at the same time as social media platforms boomed.

"For many, this provided a falsified ‘perfect look’ and ‘perfect life’ which may have had a longer-term impact, and, at present, demand for support is clearly outstripping resource, so it is vital to provide alternative means of care and support at these testing times."