OFCOM’s 2020 report “Children and parents: media use and attitudes report highlights that half of 5–15-year-olds use social media sites or apps with that figure rising to 87% of 12–15-year-olds.  The most popular being Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.  The same report identified that 61% of children aged 5-15 had their own table and 55% had their own smartphone.

 

OFCOM also reports that 50% of 12–15-year-olds use Facebook compared to 20% of 8–11-year-olds.  Sites such as Instagram tend to be the most popular – 20% of 8–11-year-old use Instagram and 67% of 12–15-year-olds (Ofcom 2021)

 

It can be concluded that social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok are an accessible route to engage children. Research into how CAMHS (children and adolescence mental health services) are represented upon TikTok concluded that videos raising awareness of mental health symptoms and management had a high percentage of likes and views (Chadee and Evans 2021).  This would suggest that social media is a positive media in which to share mental health education and awareness 

Vicky

 

·         Dedicated mental health teams around the country

·         Both NHS and private providers

·         Expert teams in IT 

·         Long waiting lists

·         Out of area treatment might be offered

·         Long waits impact the child’s education, family life, wellbeing, physical health

·         Petition sent to CCG – shows support from local community to make changes

·         Local community is open to other ways of engaging – suggested social media which would indicate this is their preferred method.

·         Consequences of the children having to wait

·         CCG may face legal proceedings over waiting times

·         CQC involvement

·         Reputation of the CCG

 

The reliance upon using out of area services for mental health treatment has been increasing.  From the period of 2014 to 2016, the use of out of area services increased by 40% and with the annual cost rose from £108 million to £159 million (Molodynski, McLellan and Craig et al 2020).  The reason for the increase can be directly linked to the reduction in mental health bed and the increased reliance upon private sector providers.  Interestingly, research highlights that those patients who have out of area treatment tend to remain in treatment for longer that those who are treated by their local NHS provider (Molodynski, McLellan and Craig et al 2020).

Vicky