A mobile phone app to help young people manage their emotions has been created amid growing numbers of mental health problems.

SafeSpace/GħallKenn, an open access, free digital tool for young people aged 18 years and over, has been launched today and is available in English and Maltese via Apple and Android app stores.

The app has been adapted from BlueIce (NHS Oxford Health) by the University of Malta and the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society.

MFWS chair Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said: "The festive period may bring joy to many, but it also proves to be mentally challenging for others. Young people bore the biggest brunt of the pandemic lockdowns and this app will help provide the tools to rebuild resilience."

The app, which seeks to provide a safe space for young people, was launched in Parliament in the presence of Speaker Anglu Farrugia, Mental Health Commissioner Denis Vella Baldacchino, Ms Coleiro Preca and University Pro-Rector Tanya Sammut Bonnici, Mental Health Services chairman Anton Grech.

Studies have shown that children and young people globally were particularly hard hit by the pandemic. A non-binding report voted through the European Parliament in September stated that between 10-20 per cent of children and young people faced mental health problems before the pandemic and multiple lockdowns, a figure that now lies at approximately 20-25 per cent.

Introducing the SafeSpace App, Prof. Carmel Cefai, director of the University's Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health, said the app was intended to help young people learn how to regulate their feelings and seek adequate and timely professional help.

SafeSpace is an evidence-based app developed together with young people, and adapted along the lines of BlueIce, which in clinical trials has shown a reduction in symptoms of depression/anxiety and in self-harm.

The app includes a Mood Diary to help young people monitor their thoughts and moods; as well as simple techniques to guide them on how to regulate their feelings to reduce distress and life their mood.

It also creates awareness about the local support services available - such as Helpline 1579, 179, and kellimni.com - and encourages young people in difficulty to seek help.

Prof. Cefai said: "The app is not intended to be a replacement or substitute for professional medical, psychotherapeutic, counselling or other forms of intervention provided by professionals or other service providers, but a self-help tool for young people during these challenging times."

SafeSpace/GħallKenn may also be used by practitioners working with young people as an extension of their intervention and support.