• Mental health has declined in almost 40% of schoolchildren1

• ITV’s Britain Get Talking is setting the nation a different kind of homework for World Mental Health Day

• A task designed to help ease stress and reduce anxiety, by helping young people open up about the hardest subjects on their minds.

Today, ITV and STV launch a new initiative from the UK’s most recognised mental health campaign, Britain Get Talking. The broadcaster is encouraging every school in the country to set a different kind of homework ahead of World Mental Health Day on 10th October. Designed in collaboration with a psychologist and the teaching community, the task encourages young people to have a proper chat with an adult they trust about the hardest subject on their minds.

Building on moments when millions of households across the country sit down together to do homework, the task is created to make starting a conversation easier, and also to remind everyone that our daily lives present valuable opportunities to have a meaningful conversation.

This homework task comes at a time when we’ve never needed it more - a cost of living crisis, a pandemic and troubling world events have all had a negative impact on our children’s mental health like never before. In fact, mental health has declined in almost 40% of schoolchildren1.

To promote this message further, ITV has created a rousing ad, running across ITV and ITVX. The short film features a cast of children from across Britain, sending a powerful rallying cry to the adults in their lives: encouraging them to “do their homework and get talking.”

The new initiative launches with the ambition to reach every British school and create an important national conversation - and in doing so, help children across Britain share what’s on their minds through this unique homework exercise. ITV is working directly with schools and charity partners - Mind, YoungMinds and the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) -on the roll-out.

Ant and Dec continue to front ITV’s Britain Get Talking campaign, following on from the initial launch in 2019. The iconic duo feature in a fun and interactive assembly film which teachers are able to use to help explain the homework to their pupils and parents or carers. Then the homework task, developed in partnership with a children’s clinical psychologist, will act as a prompt to help children to open up. This will be available to download as a printout at: itv.com/BritainGetTalking alongside further advice and support.

ITV will also have a special hour of Britain Get Talking programming on World Mental Health Day, introduced by Ant and Dec, including a Martin Lewis Money Show Live special as well as a Tonight exclusive with Susanna Reid who investigates children’s mental health and the importance of us talking together as a family.

ITV's landmark Britain Get Talking campaign has led to over 100 million new or meaningful conversations since launch, but mental health having declined in almost 40% of British school children is a devastating statistic. This year, we're continuing to focus on young people, as simply asking a child what's on their mind can be key to them opening up and easing their worries. And this is homework for the adults too, so kids can finally get their own back! Come on Britain, Get Talking.

Susie Braun, Director of Social Purpose ITV 

Whether it’s exam pressure or the climate crisis, body image or bullying, it can be really hard for children and young people to open up about what’s troubling them. And it can be hard for adults to know how to start those conversations - talking about what’s on your mind can help. We hope this simple homework exercise initiates thousands of helpful conversations across the country.

Laura Bunt, Chief Executive of YoungMinds

It’s so important we hold space to ask the children in our lives, ‘What’s on your mind?’ That's why we’re proud to support ITV’s Britain Get Talking campaign. Talking isn’t the whole solution, but it can help us feel more able to cope and encourage us to seek support if we need to. And we know that the earlier a person can get support for their mental health, the more effective it’s likely to be.

Dr Sarah Hughes, CEO of Mind

We know that the pandemic has had, and continues to have, huge implications for young people's lives. Add to this anxieties around cost-of-living and climate change; and it’s clear that it’s more important than ever that we support young people to talk about their worries and to ask for help should they need it. SAMH is proud to support Britain Get Talking, and we hope to see people across Scotland taking part.

Billy Watson, Chief Executive of SAMH

In schools it’s becoming increasingly apparent that our children are burdened by many worries. We know that through encouraging children to talk about issues that are playing on their minds, we help share the load. At the Chartered College of Teaching we are very pleased to support ITV's Britain Get Talking homework campaign. We are encouraging as many teachers and schools as possible to participate by telling their pupils about this special 'homework' task.

Professor Dame Alison Peacock, CEO Chartered College of Teaching

Talking is often the first step in helping ease stress and reduce anxiety. According to research conducted by YoungMinds, 87% of young people worry about climate change and 82% of young people worry about political issues2 such as war and conflict. Often parents shy away from talking about these ‘adult’ topics, as they don’t want to worry their children, but their children are already aware of and, sadly, worrying about these issues.

This new campaign was created in partnership with Uncommon Creative Studio - ITV’s long standing creative partner.

There’s a natural inclination for parents to want to shield their children from bad news or scary headlines, but we know that children are already discussing - and worrying about - these issues with their peers. Whether it’s the cost of living, the pressures of social media, or the threat of climate change, it can be challenging for children - and their parents - to share their feelings with one another, which is why this campaign and the homework 'task' is so important.

Lucy Jameson, Co-Founder of Uncommon Creative Studio

“We are very proud to be working with ITV on the return of Britain Get Talking. We’ve paused the nation’s TVs and sparked over 100 million conversations, but this is our most ambitious Britain Get Talking campaign yet.”

Notes to Editors:

Source: 1 NHS Digital

Source: 2 Deconstructing the System

OnePoll survey of 1000 parents of 9-15 year old/ 1000 children aged 9-15; September 2023 found:

• Over half (52%) of children aged 9-15 said they felt anxious last week
• Over 3/4 (78%) of parents with children aged 9-15 agree that their children comprehend what's going on in the news
• Two thirds (67%) of parents with children aged 9-5 agree that young people have enough to worry about without worrying about what’s going on in the news as well
• Parents of children aged 9-15 are more likely to talk to their kids about child-focused topics such as school work and exams (74% say “very likely”) and social media (50%) than they are bigger external factors such as war and conflict (17%) or money worries (22%)
• Parents of children aged 9-15 feel more comfortable talking to their kids about school work and exams (68% say “very likely”) than they do those trickier external issues such as money worries (35%) or war and conflict (32%)
• Nearly two thirds (65%) of parents of children aged 9-15 aren't sure their children always tell them how they're feeling with regards to their mental health

More about Britain Get Talking:

Britain Get Talking is supported by Mind and YoungMinds, and by SAMH in Scotland, to encourage people to look after their mental health by connecting with others. Created with Uncommon Creative Studio, it originally launched in 2019 by pausing the live broadcast of Britain’s Got Talent, and then as lockdown beckoned, Ant and Dec invited the nation to send their messages of support for broadcast and to stay in touch with the message that we’re ‘apart, but never alone.’

Since its initial launch, research indicates that Britons have had 100 million new or more meaningful conversations as a result of the campaign, which has featured over 100 celebrities including the likes of Will.I.am, Gordon Ramsey, Emma Willis, Harry Redknapp and Anne-Marie.

Creative credits:

Uncommon Creative Studio

About ITV’s Social Purpose:

ITV entertains and connects with millions of people globally, reflecting and shaping culture with brilliant content and creativity. Reflecting and shaping the world we live in gives us a great opportunity: to change ITV for the better, and to use our content to reach and inspire positive change in the wider world. This is ITV's Social Purpose - shaping culture for good. We do this across four focus areas: Better Mental and Physical Health, Diversity & Inclusion, Climate Action and Giving Back.

For more information, please visit: itvplc.com/socialpurpose