This week marks Mental Health Awareness Week, focusing on what makes good mental health and exploring how we can move from surviving to thriving.
The internet can play an essential role in fostering and encouraging good mental health for young people. At the same time, there are potential negative impacts on young people in the form of negative online relationships, body image pressures and exposure to upsetting or even harmful content.
Continued conversations with young people about what they encounter online, the relationships and connections they make, as well as how they support friends, is key to creating a positive online environment and helping young people thrive.
With the aim of encouraging these conversations the UK Safer Internet Centre, of which we are a partner in, have written a useful blog on technology’s role in mental wellbeing. The blog explores how to educate and empower young people, finding supportive online communities and reaching out to others who are experiencing mental health issues.
In the spirit of creating good mental health for everyone, for this Mental Health Awareness Week, we would like everyone to look out for their friends online. Remember you don’t have to know all the answers, but just be willing to listen and show you care. Here are some tips on how to help your friends online.
