Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to fund research into the impact of social media on young people’s mental health.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) supports a portfolio of mental health research through various funding streams.  In 2020/21, the NIHR’s expenditure on mental health research was £109.5 million. The NIHR has funded a systematic review to explore the relationship between social media and other online content, body image and disordered eating in children and young people. While it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions, the NIHR’s funding is available through open competition and we encourage researchers to submit applications in this area.