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Strengthening young people: New platform for mental health in Lower Saxony!
MSH Hamburg is developing an online platform to strengthen mental health for young people in Lower Saxony to provide support and guidance.
Strengthening young people: New platform for mental health in Lower Saxony!
On behalf of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Culture, the MSH Medical School Hamburg has developed a new online platform that is aimed exclusively at 14 to 19 year old students. The website youthstaerken-niedersachsen.de has the goal of strengthening the mental health of young people and offering them low-threshold orientation and concrete assistance. This initiative enables young people to support each other and develop a better understanding of psychological distress.
The need for such offers is becoming increasingly clear, especially in times when social tensions, crises and false reports are increasing. Minister of Education Julia Willie Hamburg emphasizes that the platform is intended to help young people talk about their challenges and find solutions. The content takes into account the diversity and different life perspectives of the young people.
Content of the platform
The website provides broad access to information about mental health and raises awareness of psychological distress. In addition to material support, not only students, but also their parents and teachers receive access to worksheets and contact persons. Particularly noteworthy is the possibility of involving adult caregivers or specialist staff if necessary. Prof. Dr. Mathias Kauff, Prof. Dr. Johanna Schröder and Prof. Dr. Sebastian Trautmann leads this project, in which students from the State Student Council and employees from schools and authorities were also actively involved.
The WHO draws attention to the growing challenges to the mental health of young people. According to a report by the World Health Organization 11% of young people show signs of problematic behavior in relation to social media, with girls (13%) more affected than boys (9%). In addition, 36% of young people are constantly in contact with friends online, a number that rises to 44% for 15-year-old girls. These high numbers illustrate the urgency of the issue.
Media use and its consequences
A large proportion of young people, namely 34%, play digital games every day, with 22% of them being active for at least four hours on game days. Problematic gaming behavior mainly affects boys (16%), while only 7% of girls are affected. These behaviors are often associated with addiction-like symptoms and interference with daily life. Previous studies show that problem users have lower mental and social well-being and also higher substance use.
Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge from the WHO emphasizes the need for media literacy and calls for measures such as age restrictions for social media. The aim is to put young people in a better position to make informed decisions about their online activities. This is in line with WHO recommendations, which calls for greater investment in health-promoting school environments and evidence-based programs.
A differentiated analysis also shows gender-specific differences in gaming behavior. Not only do boys play more often, they are also more likely to develop problematic habits. Therefore, it is important that interventions are age-appropriate, gender-sensitive and culturally appropriate. In order to promote digital literacy, training for educators and health professionals is also necessary in order to better support young people.