In the UK study of more than 115,000 young people, researchers from the #BeeWell programme, based at the University of Manchester, found steady improvements in psychological wellbeing, life satisfaction and loneliness among secondary school pupils across Greater Manchester and Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton between 2021 and 2025.

Principal researcher Dr Emma Thornton acknowledges that in recent years there has been enormous concern about the mental health and wellbeing of young people, particularly following the pandemic.

“What we are now seeing is evidence that some of these trends may be beginning to move in a more positive direction,” Thornton says.

“More young people are reporting good wellbeing, loneliness is falling and emotional difficulties are reducing – which are encouraging findings – but the picture is not the same for everyone.

“Significant inequalities remain, particularly for LGBTQ+ young people and those with special educational needs, and that remains a major challenge.”

The findings point to what the researchers describe as a ‘modest but sustained improvement’ in young people’s emotional wellbeing and social connection.

The proportion of young people reporting good psychological wellbeing rose from 51 per cent in 2021 to 57 per cent in 2025, while average life satisfaction increased from 6.32 to 6.73 out of 10.

The proportion of students reporting they had contacted a teacher about mental health at least sometimes rose from 17 per cent in 2022 to 23 per cent in 2025.

As well, the proportion reporting elevated emotional difficulties fell from 17 per cent to 14 per cent, reports of feeling lonely 'always' or 'often' fell from 12 per cent to 9 per cent and, encouragingly, the amount of students reporting a strong sense of school belonging rose from 46 per cent to 53 per cent.

Recent research in Australia concurs

While new analysis of 24 years of Australian data has found a long-term trend of deteriorating mental health among adolescents, with the steepest decline between 2019 and 2021, it is now showing a clear rebound.

The UNSW Sydney-led analysis looked at mental health trends across seven age groups using the SF-36 mental health scale – a widely used self-reported measure of psychological wellbeing.

“Youth mental health in Australia has been falling for years,” lead author Dr Sergey Alexeev, from UNSW, says.

“This is the first clear sign in the data that the trend is turning around.”

Alexeev says the data revealed both the level of disruption experienced by young people between 2019 and 2021, as well as the limits of the recovery so far.

“Mental health among young Australians in 2024 still remains below where it was before the pandemic,” he says.

Alexeev says while the study doesn’t identify the causes, the mid-2010s onset coincided closely with the mass adoption of smartphones and social media among adolescents, “which is the leading candidate explanation in the international literature”.

“Other plausible factors include rising housing and cost-of-living pressures, climate anxiety and intensifying academic competition.”

He says the good news is that young Australians have started to recover from the 2021 low point.

“The sobering news is that they have not yet returned to where they were in 2019.”

Steady as she goes for wellbeing

The British researchers analysed wellbeing trends among Year 10 pupils using five years of #BeeWell survey data collected from over 300 schools.

The study found evidence of gradual improvement in participating areas across several core indicators of wellbeing. These improvements may reflect a range of factors, including changes in local population composition.

Psychological wellbeing and life satisfaction both increased steadily over the period studied, while emotional difficulties and loneliness declined.

Researchers said a strong sense of school belonging, positive relationships with staff, and supportive peer environments are consistently associated with better wellbeing outcomes.

Researchers say the findings suggest many young people are beginning to feel more connected, supported and optimistic than they did in the immediate aftermath of COVID disruption.

Why do these findings matter?

The findings are significant because they provide some indication of improvement in mental health indicators among young people in participating areas after years of concern about declining wellbeing.

Researchers say the results also reinforce the importance of school belonging, trusted adult relationships and positive peer environments in supporting wellbeing.

The report found that young people who felt more connected to school and supported by staff generally experienced better wellbeing outcomes and stronger attendance.

The research also found growing numbers of young people are turning to teachers for mental health support.

The proportion reporting they had contacted a teacher about mental health at least sometimes rose from 17 per cent in 2022 to 23 per cent in 2025.

The researchers say this highlights the increasingly important role schools are playing in supporting young people’s wellbeing.

Inequalities remain a concern

Despite the overall positive trends, the report warns that improvements have not been experienced equally across all groups.

Young people with special educational needs showed little sustained improvement in wellbeing across the five-year period.

LGBTQ+ young people also continued to report substantially lower wellbeing, lower life satisfaction and higher rates of bullying than their peers.

Researchers say these persistent inequalities underline the need for continued focus on inclusive school environments and targeted support.

“Our research shows that experiences at school can be crucial drivers (of improving and promoting wellbeing),” the study shares.

“A strong sense of school belonging, positive relationships with staff, and supportive peer environments are consistently associated with better wellbeing outcomes.

“In turn, improved wellbeing reinforces school attendance and belonging, highlighting the importance of whole-school approaches to inclusion.”

Harnessing what is working well in Australia

“Whether it is the easing of pandemic disruption, expanded youth services, schools returning to normal, or some combination, something is lifting young Australians back up,” Alexeev says.

“Working out what is helping and protecting it is now as important as understanding what went wrong in 2020 and 2021,” he says.

Alexeev says after years of worsening headlines around youth mental health, there are “finally signs of movement in the right direction for young Australians – but this is not a story of full recovery, yet”.

“The challenge now is understanding what is helping, what risks remain and how to make sure this improvement continues.”

 The latest #BeeWell findings report can be found here.

The UNSW report, titled ‘Under-25s show the clearest post-2021 rebound in mental health’, can be viewed here.