Medical Matters: Protecting children’s mental health in a digital world

Being a parent or a carer of a child or young person can be incredibly rewarding, but it’s also not without its challenges as you try and navigate your way through modern life to make sure they’re safe. 

Recent discussions about the Online Safety Bill and Netflix's award-winning Adolescence have led to important conversations about how we protect our children and young people from harm that’s both online and in-person. 

Raising happy, healthy and safe children can feel like an ongoing battle: when do you let your child have a mobile phone (something which is the source of many tensions and rows in homes with some children being given a mobile or devices as young as 8 and 9), and if they do should they take it into school?

When should you let them have access to social media and online gaming, and is it harmless fun and a way people can stay connected with their friends and family, or is it something which needs more public debate and scrutiny? 

Schools are good at providing lessons to introduce children to the online world from a young age, and the benefits it can have, but also making sure they know how to keep themselves safe from people who may not have their best interests at heart. Charities such as the NSPCC and Childnet have some excellent resources if you need some help grappling with these issues. 

Protecting the mental health of children and young people and keeping them safe from harm is important to me and my colleagues and Children and Family Health Devon (CFHD); it’s what we do best. I’m proud of the support CFHD provides to give our young people the best start in life and prioritising mental health and wellbeing remains a core focus of our work.

We’re committed to doing all we can to support children’s mental health and wellbeing and we know from the feedback we receive that our award-winning services such as the Children’s Mental Health in Schools Team is making a real difference to people’s outcomes through early identification, prevention and a whole-school approach to mental health.

It’s a great example of personalised and integrated care, and we remain committed to having Mental Health Support Teams based in every school across Devon and Torbay by the end of 2029.

Online tools such as Lumi Nova are also helping children with mild to moderate needs to learn to self-manage their fears, worries and anxiety. 

Reducing waiting times remains a priority and we’re taking action with our NHS and council partners to increase capacity and improve access to ensure families receive help when they need it. 

We’re making significant progress with the introduction of the Balanced System® for speech, language and communication support for under-fives. Just nine months ago, families were waiting more than two years for assessment. Today, open-access drop-in assessment sessions are available across Devon and Torbay, allowing families to attend without a referral. We hope that by the end of April 2026, there will be no waiting list for under-fives needing an assessment.

We are also working closely with partners to reduce waiting times for autism assessments, ensuring families are informed, involved and supported while capacity across the system increases.

Our Managing Emotions and Relationships (MERs) pathway (previously known as CAMHS) has also made significant progress to reduce waiting times. Children who were previously waiting more than a year for an assessment are now, on average, having their assessment within eight weeks.

Children who are struggling with their mental or physical health should not have to wait for support and we remain fully committed to continuing to reduce waiting times further, ensuring that all children receive the right help, at the right time.

Finally, I want to highlight Your voice in action, which showcases how CFHD works in partnership with young advisors, parents, carers, service users and staff. By listening, learning and acting on feedback, we continue to shape and improve services in ways that matter most.

I know that asking for help can be difficult, particularly when you’re stressed, worried or lonely. Please don’t suffer in silence – help is available from CFHD for your children, and there’s lots of help for you if you find life is becoming a challenge. Please talk to your GP or visit Devon Partnership NHS Trust’s website for details of how you can get support. www.dpt.nhs.uk