Mental wellbeing has become more present on the EU policymakers’ agenda in recent years, especially when it comes to young people. According to the European Commission, nearly half of European youth aged 15-29 have unmet mental health needs, compared to 23% of adults. Moreover, about half of the mental health problems affecting adults have their onset during or before adolescence.

Over the past years, with an acceleration of global and regional crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health problems among people aged between 15 and 24 have only been exacerbated, and even doubled, as the figures show. Feelings of depression, anxiety and loneliness are much more common in young people than in adults. Excessive use of digital technology in youth also has more significant negative effects, including reduction in physical social contacts, social comparison, increased anxiety or decreased self-esteem, cyberbullying, addiction to online gaming etc.

According to OECD data, the economic burden of mental wellbeing among youth can rise to up to 4% of EU GDP annually, equivalent to over €600 billion per year, owing primarily to reduced productivity, healthcare costs, and social welfare expenditure.

In 2023, the European Commission announced that, as of 2025, the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) will include additional data on mental health to ensure a stronger monitoring and assessment of progress on mental health across the EU. However, some stakeholders argue that a lot more focus should be placed on prevention and promotion of youth mental wellbeing, and that a systemic change is required in order to improve the situation.

Listen to this Euractiv Hybrid Conference to discuss how the EU could foster a more supportive environment for youth mental health. Questions to be addressed include:
- How can the EU increase support for prevention and promotion of youth mental wellbeing? What would a systemic change look like?
- What are some of the best practices regarding youth mental wellbeing implemented across Europe? What do successful initiatives look like?
- What forms of partnerships should prevail – between the public, private, civil society sectors - to implement successful initiatives?
- How can youth perspectives be best reflected in youth policies?