Only 1 in 10 parents feel they have enough support for their child’s mental health, new poll finds

Parents want more help with anxiety, school pressures and social media, according to new research from Anna Freud.

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Published: August 21, 2026 at 7:22 PM

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As families prepare for a new school year, a new poll has revealed just how many parents feel they could use more help supporting their children's mental health and wellbeing.

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Only 13% of parents and carers surveyed said they felt they had enough support, according to research commissioned by children's mental health charity Anna Freud. More than three quarters, 76%, selected at least one form of additional help that they would find useful.

The findings come from a nationally representative Opinium poll of 1,120 UK parents with at least one child under 18, carried out between 21 and 28 July 2026.

What support are parents asking for?

The most commonly requested help was guidance on supporting a child experiencing stress, anxiety or low mood, selected by 31% of parents.

Parents also said they would find the following useful:

Claire Evans, Acting CEO at Anna Freud, said the findings offer an insight into what families need as children head back to school.

Most strikingly, a minority say they have enough support. Parents tell us they want support and service improvements, including guidance on common mental health difficulties and support embedded in their child's everyday spaces, like at school and in the community.

Claire Evans, Acting CEO at Anna Freud

Social media is a major worry, even for parents of younger children

Social media and online activity emerged as the biggest specific concern, with 63% of parents worried about its impact on their child's wellbeing. Almost a third, 29%, said they were "very concerned".

Perhaps surprisingly, concern was highest among parents with younger children. Some 68% of parents of under-5s and 67% of those with children aged 6 to 10 were concerned, compared with 64% of parents of 11 to 15-year-olds and 59% of those with 16 to 17-year-olds.

But online life is far from parents' only worry. Anxiety or stress and safety in the community were each concerns for 61% of parents, while 60% were concerned about depression or low mood. School pressures worried 59%, low self-esteem or confidence 58%, and friendship difficulties 57%.

Most parents still say their child's wellbeing is good

Alongside those concerns, there was a more reassuring finding. More than three quarters, 78%, agreed their child had good wellbeing overall, while 77% said their child had positive relationships with friends and family.

When asked about pressures affecting children more generally today, 67% said school pressures had an impact, while 65% pointed to social media.

Other factors included a lack of local activities and opportunities, a lack of opportunities to build confidence and resilience, worries about future employment, limited access to support services and financial pressures.

One mum says parents need clearer, more accessible help

For Birmingham mum Kita Amos, 59, who has daughters aged 17 and 15 and works with Anna Freud as a Participation Program Assistant, the findings reflect challenges she has experienced in her own family.

She said the years around GCSEs and beyond can bring multiple pressures at once, from exams and college to university debt, apprenticeships, work and decisions about the future.

There's definitely not enough support for parents. For guidance, I honestly wouldn't know where to go other than a teacher or a medical professional, and I don't have the confidence they'd have the time.

Kita Amos, parent and Participation Program Assistant at Anna Freud

Kita said she would like to see clear, accessible information for parents, alongside more community spaces and wider support for young people.

I think more accessible mental health support in schools and affordable ways to build their confidence would take a lot of that weight off them.

Kita Amos, parent and Participation Program Assistant at Anna Freud

Anna Freud is calling for increased and accelerated investment in mental health prevention and early support for children and young people, including help delivered through homes, schools and communities.

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Authors

Ruairidh PritchardDigital Growth Lead

Ruairidh is the Digital Lead on MadeForMums. He works with a team of fantastically talented content creators and subject-matter experts on MadeForMums.

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