Children’s Mental Health Week: This is my [digital] place

For Children’s Mental Health Week 2026, the theme of This is my place aims to support the systems around children and young people to help them feel they belong. However, the theme also prompts a valuable opportunity to ask where children and young people feel seen and connected.

In 2026, many will answer: ‘online’ – virtual spaces where they keep up with friends, discover communities, and form meaningful relationships. Yet these spaces can also pose risk.

We therefore wanted to take this opportunity to explore the role of the digital world within the context of young people’s sense of belonging and talk about some of the ways adults can create a safer digital environment for their young people.

Belonging in the digital world

Youth loneliness is a growing concern. ONS data shows younger adults (16–24) are more likely than older age groups to report feeling lonely, with overall levels still above pre‑pandemic baselines. In parallel, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy reports that 72% of 16–25 year olds say loneliness negatively affects their mental health.

Young people’s sense of belonging also dips in school, the other major “place” in a young person’s life. PISA 2022 indicates UK pupils report lower school belonging and life satisfaction than many international peers, with only 64% of UK 15‑year‑olds feeling they belong at school. The Children’s Society’s Good Childhood Report 2024 amplifies the concern, finding the UK had the highest share of 15‑year‑olds with low life satisfaction (25.2%) among 27 European countries.

Against this backdrop, digital spaces can play a constructive role in connection and community. Technology can strengthen close ties and spark new ones, with the Nuffield Foundation reporting that 72% of 13–17 year olds say social networking or communication apps help them feel closer to friends, and 46% of 10–17 year olds say their online life has a mostly positive impact on friendships they also share in person. Ofcom’s media use and attitudes report echoes this, with 65% of children saying the internet helps them build or maintain friendships – underlining how central digital tools now are to social connection.

Young people’s sense of belonging can also be advocated by their ability to grow and learn alongside their virtual peers, in turn improving mental health. A recent survey, commissioned by Ygam in partnership with Mumsnet, found nearly all parents (96%) recognised that video gaming provided benefits to their child, particularly in developing new skills, lowering stress levels and encouraging relaxation.

Belonging online isn’t abstract; it’s relational. Digital communities – from fandom forums and Discord servers to moderated video game chat rooms – can offer safe, affirming spaces to connect, share interests and be heard.

When digital spaces stop feeling safe

At the same time, we must address how digital spaces can intensify loneliness and isolation for young people. Recent UK evidence shows a mismatch between how safe young people say they feel online and what they actually encounter. While 94% report feeling safe, 83% of those aged 11+ have seen something upsetting – fake news, hate speech, sexual content, trolling or contact from strangers – with girls disproportionately targeted. Ofcom’s media literacy data echo this pattern, with 4 in 10 young people believing people are mean or unkind online most of the time.

Digital spaces have increasingly started to host content that normalises risk-taking behaviours. This kind of content not only exposes young people to new dangers but can also promote feelings of missing out and magnifying peer pressure. According to the latest Young People and Gambling report, nearly 50% of young people aged 11-17-years-old had seen weekly gambling ads on social media, apps or steaming sites, with 16% having seen influencer-advertised gambling content. Of these young people, 7% said that they had been prompted by these adverts to spend money on gambling.

Ofcom’s dedicated research into children’s online communications also documents unwanted or uncomfortable contact, underscoring how interpersonal risks shape young people’s sense of safety and belonging online. Taken together, these trends show how digital environments may compound exclusion rather than connection for some young people, eroding trust and pushing them to withdraw from the communities they once enjoyed.

While online spaces can be enriching, harmful communities are detrimental to mental health and can deepen feelings of isolation without robust safeguards and support from those who care for them.

Supporting young people to thrive in the digital age

When offline belonging feels fragile, safe and moderated online spaces can offer identity, acceptance and community. But to make that possible, we need the right guardrails and guidance in place.

Ofcom’s ongoing implementation of the Online Safety Act sets clearer expectations for platforms, while schools are encouraged to strengthen media literacy and enhance digital safeguarding. Research consistently shows that when adults understand and engage with young people’s online worlds, digital tools are more likely to build social connectedness than displace it.

It’s vital to recognise that young people’s digital lives are real lives. So those in positions of care or influence have a unique opportunity to take meaningful action to protect and support every child and young person so that they can access these online spaces safely.

To do this, adults can:

• Learn how the platforms young people use work
• Set and model healthy boundaries
• Recognise early signs of harm
• Know where and how to seek help.

Through Ygam’s free training and resources, we build awareness and resilience, helping to guide young people to thrive in the digital age and to not feel alone.

Visit the Ygam training pages to find out more.