What Kids Are Carrying is a HuffPost UK series focusing on how the nation’s youngest generation is *really* feeling right now – and how parents and caregivers can support them.

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health concerns children brought up in therapy last year, according to therapists and counsellors.

As part of a new series uncovering the key mental health issues facing young children and teenagers right now, HuffPost UK spoke to a range of mental health professionals about the trends they noticed in the therapy room in 2025.

And every professional we spoke to cited anxiety as a common mental health concern among both children and teenagers.

In October last year, the NSPCC revealed anxiety was the most common mental health concern for children reaching out to Childline. The service delivered more than 12,000 counselling sessions to children and young people with concerns about anxiety.

A poll by Counselling Directory of over 100 therapists also found 47% cited anxiety as the most common concern brought up by children in therapy.

What might be driving anxiety in younger children?

Belinda Gidman-Rowse is a school counsellor in a primary school in Devon who is seeing more children with anxiety.

Discussing what could be driving this, she told HuffPost UK: “We are living in an increasingly fear-based, fast-paced world that often lacks connection, consistency, and emotional support, and children absorb this climate.”

Among the children she sees in counselling sessions, she also noticed that over-exposure to screens from a young age, including prolonged tablet use and gaming, “appears to contribute to heightened anxiety and reduced emotional regulation”.

On top of this, there’s also a growing number of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Over 1.7 million pupils in England have special educational needs (SEN) – an increase of 5.6%........

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