My TeenMind App: a teacher’s perspective

According to Young Minds (2018a), one in ten children have a diagnosable mental health disorder – that’s roughly three children in every classroom (Green et al., 2005) – and half of all mental health problems manifest by the age of fourteen (Kessler et al., 2005). Websites and applications have unlocked myriad opportunities for teaching and learning. But can this technology be simultaneously utilised to support the mental health and wellbeing of our young people? In recent years, the government has carried out work to explore opportunities provided by new technology to increase access to mental health services for children and young people (Jerrim et al., 2017). The coalition government’s strategy for improving children’s mental health services, ‘Future in Mind’ proposed that ‘with additional funding, we could also empower young people to self-care through increased availability of new quality assured apps and digital tools’. (Department of Health and NHS England,