Teens turning to counselling to cope with social media
Leading independent schools are increasing the numbers of psychologists to help teenagers cope with the pressures of appearing popular on social mediaChildren at leading independent schools are being forced into the hands of professional counsellors to help them cope with the pressures of appearing popular on social media, a leading headmaster has warned.
There has been a rapid expansion in the numbers of counsellors employed by schools to meet the mental health needs of teenagers struggling to deal with the “modern world”, said Chris King, the new chairman of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) of schools.
The pressure to accumulate friends and positive comments on social media – alongside the need to perform well in exams – is leading to significant issues for some young people, Mr King said.
Almost half of 260 schools in the HMC have recruited more counsellors over the past five years, he added.