Criminal justice and youth violence
Children, Violence and Vulnerability 2025 — Report 3: Mental Health
Youth Endowment Fund · 2025
About this report
This report from the Youth Endowment Fund presents findings from a survey of nearly 11,000 13–17-year-olds in England and Wales on the links between experiences of violence and mental health. It finds that over a quarter of teenagers have high or very high mental health difficulties, with rates dramatically higher among those involved in serious violence — nearly two-thirds of perpetrators of serious violence had self-harmed or considered suicide. Despite the scale of need, over half of those with a diagnosed mental health condition were receiving no professional support, with many on waiting lists; in the absence of formal help, teenagers — especially those affected by violence — are increasingly turning to online resources including AI chatbots.
Research details
- Methodology
- Survey
- Sample size
- 10,835
- Sample
- 13–17-year-olds in England and Wales, sampled with quotas for age, gender, ethnicity, region and socioeconomic status to achieve national representativeness.
- Place
- EnglandWales
- Youth involvement
- Young people consulted