YOUNG people are more likely to report feeling lonely and less likely to have stable friendships and relationships than they were a decade ago, a study for the Boys’ Brigade suggests.

Almost half of the young people surveyed — 44 per cent — reported being in mental distress, and yet diagnoses of mental ill-health have not kept pace with this rise, owing to pressures on services. Rates of self-harm by young people have also increased, as have rates of disability and obesity, and more children than ever say that they are unhappy with their lives: one in every 15. A decade ago, this was only one in 30.

One in seven young people said that they were unhappy with their appearance, a statistic that has risen during the pandemic.

The Brigade marked the 140th anniversary of its founding as a Christian youth organisation last year, and embarked on the study of data collected from young people to understand better the new generation that it is working with, and the pressures that they face.

Produced with the Youthscape Centre for Research, the study, Youth Culture and Trends, drew on data from large-scale UK research studies and analysed trends.

It found that the shift to spending more time online with friends or others rather than face-to-face relationships mirrored a decline in satisfaction with friendships and a rise in loneliness. More young people now said that they were less happy with family relationships; and yet there was some evidence that young people were talking to their parents more. Some figures suggested that young people were talking more to their fathers, specifically, than in previous years.

The study examined early evidence of the effect of Covid-19 on young people, noting its link to rising mental-health problems. But it also found that more young people had been participating in extra-curricular activities since the end of Covid restrictions, as a reaction to a lack of opportunities during the pandemic.

The impact of reductions in young people’s services presented organisations such as the Boys’ Brigade with opportunities, the study concluded.

It said: “The Boys’ Brigade has an opportunity to share and embody a vital message. To be present in those spaces where services have been cut, where young people face disadvantage, where waiting lists are too long and where uncertainty reigns. To bring a message that experiencing life in all its fullness is a reality that is open to all; that there are people willing to come alongside them, to invest themselves in relationships and genuinely care for them; that they are included, they are valued and they have something to offer each other and the world.”

The chief executive of the Boys’ Brigade, Jonathan Eales, said: “Over the last decade, young people’s well-being has taken a downward turn, and that is a major concern for us here at the Boys’ Brigade.

“Spending less time with friends and family will ultimately lead to children and young people feeling more isolated and alone. Plus, it goes without saying that young people are spending more time online consuming content that is influencing their values and views — of themselves and the world — as well as conducting their friendships online.

“All of these variables are ultimately impacting the mental health of the younger generation, and this is why it is so important for children and young people to have a solid support network, and more face-to-face interactions.

“Here, at the Boys’ Brigade, we’ve been working with children and young people within local communities for 140 years, helping them to learn, grow, and discover in a safe environment which is rooted in Christian faith. Even though the research shows young people these days are much less likely to consider themselves ‘Christian’, and less likely to have grown up in environments where they have gained knowledge or experience of the Christian faith, they are still open to exploring what faith means to them — something which the Boys’ Brigade helps them to explore.”

The study found that fewer young people identified as Christian, but almost all young people were concerned by and aware of climate change. There was also evidence of greater diversity in young people’s sexual orientation, and lower rates of drug-taking, drinking, and under-age pregnancies than among previous generations.

The Boys’ Brigade works with about 20,000 young people through 750 churches and communities. Although the Brigade was set up originally for boys, many groups now welcome girls.