Next Generation York
The City of York Council’s Director of Public Health's Annual Report 2024 to 2025 looks at the health of adolescents in York.
The report features a case study on The Island, alongside other brilliant organisations both statutory and led by the voluntary sector supporting adolescents in York.
Published in March 2025, it celebrates the contributions and achievements of York’s young people. The report also shines a light on some of the issues they face, and the necessary actions to help overcome these.
- The adolescent generation in York is currently peaking in size and will shrink slightly over the next decades. It is getting more diverse in its ethnic, gender identity and social mix, with higher levels of inequality.
- 1 in 6 young people live with a mental health problem or addiction present in the family, 1 in 9 are in poverty, and 1 in 12 are referred to mental health services every year.
- Young people in the city live in a real mix of family settings, have increasingly diverse education journeys, and while assets in our community are strong, the facilities and services which support young people are straining at capacity.
- The mental health of our young people in York is extremely concerning. On average young people are less happy than they were in the past, and less happy than in other places. There are rising rates of both low-level and crisis mental health need. The pandemic played a part in this, but these trends have been clear for over a decade.
- There are new and emerging challenges in the health risks our young people face: vaping has risen exponentially, drugs and alcohol affect directly and through harm to families, online gambling is more easily available, diets are still poor, exercise rates are low, smartphones pose a variety of risks, and safe relationships cannot always be guaranteed.
- The pace of change in society, and issues like poverty, the climate crisis, housing costs, technological shifts and changes to future jobs and income, weigh heavily on the future of our young people.