Policy makers should put more resources behind measures that will protect children’s mental health, Former President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca recently said.

A statement by the Malta Trust Foundation and the Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society  read that the former President had highlighted reports from an activity conducted by one of the aforementioned foundations with children from early years – based on the book the Hole in the Cloud by Professor Paulanne Grech — “which brought to the fore the anxiety and worry of very young children; worries about separation from parents and loved ones, their pets, and sickness.”

“All this, was resulting in behavioural challenges. Even more worrying, are the findings from the Blossom Project, led by The Malta Trust Foundation, where some children aged seven to nine actually give thought to taking their own life at a time when they should be lost in a carefree world of love, security and laughter,” Coleiro Preca said.

She also referred to the Promote Online Protection Project – P.O.P-Up, carried out among children in Years 3 to 11 between May and June 2023, which exposed the online abuse Maltese students were facing and the consequent effects this was having on their mental wellbeing. That survey had found that almost a third of all students aged seven to 15 years have received rude or inappropriate messages over their devices, while 15% of children experienced some form of online abuse.

Those statistics were not only worrying, but absolutely shocking. Under absolutely no circumstances is it ok to send rude or inappropriate messages to children.

Social media can be a useful tool for information gathering, news, expression, but can also be abused, and there are those out there who will use it for the wrong purposes. This means that we need to teach the younger generations the importance of being cautious when online, and using the internet safely and wisely, in order to make sure they can protect themselves.

We must also teach children the harmful impact of online actions. Take cyberbullying for example, it is harmful for children and adults alike to be the targets of such action. It is easy for people to sit behind a keyboard and bully others or write hate speech about them. But such actions could have a serious impact on the person they are about. The mental health consequences could be dire.

Children could be facing challenges due to a number of other reasons, problems at home for instance, physical bullying, if they were involved in an accident, and many more. We must do all we can to make sure that they receive the support they need to overcome challenges, be it by speaking to guidance councilors, Parents helping children open up to them more, teachers taking action to stop bullying, recognizing the need for more professional support.

Speaking more generally about mental health in society, the issue of mental health is more spoken about today than it used to in the past. The stigma is sadly still there, but it isn’t as strong as it once was.

If anyone feels like they are struggling with mental health issues, don’t fear looking for help. There is absolutely nothing wrong in contacting professionals for support. They are there to help and you are not alone.

If you are feeling depressed and need support or if you need guidance on how to help someone who is suicidal call the Richmond Foundation’s freephone helpline 1770. OLLI Chat is also Richmond’s mental health live chat service.

You can also call the government 24/7 mental health helpline with the number 1579 or the national support line 179.

One can also speak to professionals operating 24/7 in Malta through the online platform Kellimni.com, as well as the Crisis Resolution Malta, providing 24/7 crisis consultation, on 9933 9966