Mental health crisis and lack of places to socialise biggest issues for Irish young people

A lack of places to socialise and a growing mental health crisis are two of the biggest issues impacting young people in Ireland today.

That’s according to spunout who are urging the Government to prioritise young people in Budget 2026 in light of International Youth Day tomorrow.

Increased funding for youth mental health services and investment in Youth Hubs, where young people can socialise and access services, are two of the key asks in spunout’s pre-budget submission. This submission was drafted in consultation with spunout’s Youth Action Panel and focuses on the most important issues for young people in Ireland.

Ireland’s adolescents are among the least happy in the developed world according to recent UNICEF data. This is supported by the latest Growing Up in Ireland survey which found that 25% of 25-year-olds had been diagnosed with depression or anxiety, an increase of 5% from when the participants were last surveyed five years previous. Despite this clear crisis as of June 2025 over 4,500 children and adolescents were waiting to be seen by CAMHS with 763 young people waiting more than one year.

Young people in Ireland are also facing the decline of spaces where they can socialise and access services without having to pay money. Research commissioned by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth, published last year, found that play and recreation amenities targeting adolescents are under-resourced and under-facilitated in relation to their play and recreation needs, compared to younger children.

Spunout’s pre-budget submission sets out potential solutions to these urgent problems. It stresses that investment in youth mental health services and the hiring of mental health professionals is desperately needed. It also proposes the development of one stop shop Youth Hubs across the country. These hubs would be social spaces which would also provide access to key state services, filling the gap that exists in relation to social spaces for young people while also making state services more approachable and relevant to them.

Maria Towey, Acting CEO at spunout, said: “This International Youth Day, we are urging the Government to listen to the concerns of young people in Ireland. Currently too many young people are waiting too long for access to mental health services. Young people are also being left without any space to hang out with friends and simply exist, contributing to increased loneliness and social isolation.

“Budget 2026 provides an opportunity to prove that young people are a political priority. By investing in the issues that young people have raised in our pre budget submission, like mental health, youth work, housing, climate action and transport, the Government can demonstrate their clear commitment to this generation. We cannot afford another year of inaction on these topics.”