Proper use of tech among teenagers as the main area of work for the new Mental Health Plan

According to the latest reports from the Public Health Agency, teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 spend an average of eight hours a day in front of a screen, and 77% have no restrictions on the time they spend using their mobile phone. In an effort to protect the mental health of children, teenagers and young people and their exposure to digital space, the new Mental Health Plan 2023-2030 includes the creation of a working group with experts to launch measures for the safe and proper use of screens.

24/02/2023 10:14 h

Ajuntament de Barcelona

Besides the importance of creating measures on the use of mobiles, incentivising activities outside of the digital realm and training parents in this sphere, the new Mental Health Plan 2023-2030, with 90 new actions, also sets other new goals to strengthen all the services rolled out in the Mental Health Plan 2016-2022, for instance:

  • Extend the free psychology service Konsulta’m +22 to all districts (currently present in six).
  • Strengthen support for elderly people with the creation of teams of mental health professionals to provide support in homes for the elderly and flats with services for senior citizens.
  • Strengthen support for children, extending the “1,2,3 emoció!” programme to 50% of city schools and amending the age range for the Konsulta’m service so that children between the ages of 6 and 12 can also access it.
  • Include the sexual and gender perspective, along with the intercultural perspective, to help all the services available in the city reach all communities.

Barcelona is the first city in the Spanish state with a mental health plan since 2016, through consensus between over 500 organisations. This has helped to get many pioneering services into operation such as Konsulta’m, the suicide prevention helpline and the free emotional chat service for young people.

 

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