A quarter of all 14-year-old girls are depressed, research shows

A new study by the UCL Institute of Education (IOE) and the University of Liverpool finds that a quarter of girls and one in 10 boys are depressed at age 14.

The findings are based on information provided by more than 10,000 children born in 2000-01, who are taking part in the Millennium Cohort Study.

This suggests that about 166,000 girls and 67,000 boys across the UK are depressed at that age.

Interestingly, the researchers found that the teenagers' responses about emotional problems differed from their parent's perceptions, as parents identified more boys and fewer girls with depressive symptoms. This may mean that some parents may not be aware of their daughters' depression.

The data has prompted fresh questions about how social media, body image issues and school-related stresses affect young people's mental welfare.

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