Equipping professionals to use digital tools to support children and young people's mental health & wellbeing
Guides
Read practical guides written by a range of organisations that share the exact steps they followed when using a digital tool to support children and young people's mental health and wellbeing.
Digital tools
Explore a collection of digital tools that can be used to support children and young people's mental health and wellbeing.
Community
Connect with other organisations who are using digital technologies to support children and young people's mental health and wellbeing.
Recent guides
A youth work guide to using Discord
A guide to using instant messaging social media platform, Discord, when engaging with children and young people.
View guide
How to run safe and ethical online focus groups
A guide that covers how to run online focus groups with young people on a sensitive topic in an ethical and safe way.
View guide
A guide to running online chatrooms and support groups
A guide that outlines the steps to follow to set up and run online chatrooms and support groups.
View guide
A guide to using an AI chatbot to design and write a training session or lesson plan
Learn the steps to follow to use an AI chatbot to design and write a training session, lesson plan, or workshop.
View guide
Holding a mental health-themed image and GIF making session [60 mins]
How to hold fun and interactive image and GIF making sessions with young people about mental health and wellbeing.
View guide
Creating an innovative mental health signposting resource
How to create an innovative digital mental health signposting resource that is easy to access via a QR code.
View guide
Using video counselling to support the bereaved
Sue Ryder piloted a free online service in 2018 providing counselling via video, which allowed people to access professional support from home.
View guide
Creating a website for young people to access mental health support
YMCA had to move their Changing Futures teen mental health programme online due to COVID-19. The Changing Minds website provides a digital version of this service.
View guide
Launching online children’s therapy to support families
Pace looked at how it could provide high-quality therapy and family support to children and young people across the country, in a way that did not expose them to increased risk of contracting
COVID-19.
Recent blog posts
Children and young people are being left behind – here’s what we can do about it
“Access to the digital world can no longer be seen as a luxury. Instead, digital inclusion must be seen as the cornerstone to ensuring social justice and equitable life chances for every child” (Unicef) The internet is being used increasingly in all areas of our lives. When it comes to children and young people, however,…
Read post
Screen time and mental health: What does the evidence say?
There is an ongoing and heated debate around the impact that “screen time” is having on children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. This debate is being amplified across media outlets, which often claim that social media is causing a youth mental health crisis. You don’t have to go far to find alarming headlines…
Read post
Ten digital tools to help with anxiety
Anxiety is a normal emotion. All of us can feel it, but sometimes it can get out of control and can lead to a mental health problem. In fact, according to the Mental Health Foundation, nearly all young people in their research (86%) had felt anxious in the previous two weeks, and for over half…
Read post
Think technology is ruining our sleep? Think again
A guest blog written for World Sleep Day 2023 by Dr Dimitri Gavriloff, Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Course Tutor in Sleep Medicine at Oxford University. Dimitri also works as Clinical Engagement Lead for Sleepio. “I know I shouldn’t be using my phone.…” is something I often hear from the patients I see with insomnia. I…
Read post
Designing for people that will be using this website – that’s you!
We began the re-boot project for Aye Mind with a big objective: learn from what we had done before, and have conversations with the community who will be using the site to really understand what you need from it (and our wider service).
Read post
Partner insights: The power of digital tools for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing
The launch of Aye Mind is the result of months of hard work between the Mental Health Improvement Team at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and local partners. Everyone involved shared the same belief that digital technologies have a key role to play in child and youth mental health and wellbeing. We had the privilege…
Read post
The Aye Mind co-production journey
By Heather Sloan on behalf of the Aye Mind Collaborative @heatsloan “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn” (Benjamin Franklin) What is co-production and why does it matter? The Scottish Co-production Network defines co-production as a way of making decisions that combines everyone’s strengths so that…
Read post
Another Giant Leap – Digital Approaches to Youth Mental Health, Revisited and Refreshed
By Trevor Lakey, on behalf of the Aye Mind collaborative How time flies! Around a decade ago, we took our first giant leap for youth mental health, and started out on a bold journey to explore digital approaches to youth mental health. Today, our Aye Mind relaunch gives us the opportunity to look back at…
Read postDownload the Toolkit
Your introductory guide to using digital technologies to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.