Children suffer from a sleep crisis and the number of pills given to them has doubled in just seven years.
The stresses of modern life, including the widespread use of phones and tablets, have prevented young people from switching off at night.
Prescriptions for sleeping pills have soared according to official NHS data, with more than 700,000 issued in 2022.
This is a jump of a quarter in three years and more than double the 339,848 in 2016.
Experts believe the struggle to disconnect from modern life is fueling a sleep crisis, with stresses such as the cost of living and the fallout from Covid leaving a generation of children struggling to sleep.
According to official figures, 11-year-old children were the ones who received the pills most frequently: 80,274 prescriptions, that is, more than 1,500 per week.
It comes as separate statistics show hundreds of teenagers are being admitted to hospital with sleep disorders, with admissions for conditions such as insomnia almost doubling over a similar period.
NHS figures for 2022 show that doctors issued 716,464 prescriptions for hypnotics (sleeping pills and liquid medicines) to children under 16 in England.
This represents an increase of 643,998 in the previous 12 months, from 570,147 in 2020 and 339,848 in 2016.
Zoe Bailie, of The Mix, a youth charity, said: “The continued rise in the number of young people being prescribed sleeping pills is extremely worrying, but sadly not surprising in the context of the enormous pressures they are under. young people face.
“Due to the long-term impacts of Covid, the anxiety and uncertainty caused by the cost of living crisis and the reduction in youth services, under-25s are struggling to get by – and this is having an impact.” in chain in the dream.’
NHS guidelines say doctors should not normally prescribe sleep medicines to children unless it is for short-term treatment.
But parents were given almost 14,000 weekly prescriptions for medication to help their children fall asleep.
Some 154 of the prescriptions were issued to babies who were not yet one year old.
It comes after the Children’s Commissioner warned that the challenges of modern life are taking an unprecedented toll on young people’s emotional well-being.
NHS guidelines say doctors should not normally prescribe sleep medicines to children unless it is for short-term treatment. But parents were given almost 14,000 weekly prescriptions for medication to help their children fall asleep. The NHS currently advises that children with long-term sleep problems can take melatonin (pictured) if a specialist recommends it.
Earlier this year, Rachel de Souza said the NHS is unprepared to deal with the fallout caused by “harmful” social media, the cost of living crisis and the pandemic.
He said this generation of children has experienced “exceptionally uncertain and challenging times”, noting that an increasing number are “exposed to the harmful impact of social media, cyberbullying and online exploitation”.
“I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to talk about a crisis in children’s mental health and the services needed to support them,” he said at the beginning of the report.
Dr Susie Davies, founder of Parents Against Phone Addiction in Young Adolescents, said: “The increasing use of potentially addictive hypnotics in children highlights the negative impact of 24/7 exposure to technology. the week, has on the quality and quantity of our children’s sleep.
«Quality sleep is essential for good mental health, while poor sleep is linked to bad mood, anxiety, decreased concentration and obesity. It’s essential that we work together to help our children disconnect from devices at night and sleep better.’
An NHS spokesperson said: “These figures show the continuing unprecedented pressures faced by children and young people and reflect the growing demand for children’s mental health services – the NHS is providing mental health support to more children than ever before and is expanding delivery as quickly as possible. possible within the current five-year financing arrangements.
“We know there is even more to do to meet the increase in demand and that is why plans are in place to ensure that more than half of pupils can access an NHS mental health support team offering early support in schools by spring 2025, significantly ahead of the original goal.’