New findings using SHRN data by Public Health Wales in partnership with The School Health Research Network at DECIPHer, Cardiff University reveals that over 20% of girls from lower-income families in Wales report problematic social media use. The 2023 SHRN Student Health and Well-Being Survey, involving nearly 130,000 learners, found that girls from low and middle affluence households have significantly higher rates of problematic social media use compared to boys.
Emily van de Venter, Consultant from Public Health Wales expressed concern over the impact of social media on young people’s relationships and mental health, particularly among lower affluence groups. Dr. Kelly Morgan, SHRN Director, emphasised the importance of monitoring trends to understand how social media use affects health behaviours.
Dr. Kelly Morgan, Director of SHRN, recently took the stage at the Healthy and Active School Journeys Conference in March 2025, hosted by Welsh Government in Cardiff. This premier event brought together educators, policymakers, and urban planners to explore innovative strategies for promoting active travel to schools.
Ken Skates, the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, officially opened the event, underscoring the Welsh Government’s commitment to active travel and accessibility in education. In his remarks, he emphasised the importance of promoting walking, wheeling, and cycling as essential components of a healthier and more sustainable approach to school travel. His speech reinforced the government’s vision for a future where active travel is not just encouraged but fully integrated into daily life.
During her presentation, Dr. Morgan highlighted the crucial role of The School Health Network Research Network (SHRN) in monitoring and shaping policies that support safer, healthier, and more sustainable active journeys for learners. She emphasised how SHRN’s data-driven evidence-based approach helps schools and communities implement effective active travel initiatives, ensuring accessibility and engagement for all learners.
Dr. Morgan said: ‘SHRN is committed to supporting schools in integrating health-focused travel solutions, reinforcing the importance of collaboration between education and public health sectors. It was inspiring to hear the incredible stories from Radnor Primary School about their Bike Bus initiative – a brilliant example of how schools can champion active travel in creative, community-driven ways.’
The conference featured interactive workshops, expert panels, and real-world case studies, highlighting successful programmes such as walking and cycling buses. Discussions also covered community engagement, infrastructure development, and the long-term benefits of active travel on learner well-being.
SHRN remains committed to supporting schools in integrating health-focused travel solutions, reinforcing the importance of collaboration between education and public health sectors.
SHRN bids a heartfelt farewell to Professor Simon Murphy, who retires after 12 years of leadership, transforming it into a global model for school health research.
Under his tenure, SHRN has influenced over 30 national policies, shaping school health and well-being research and action in Wales and beyond.
SHRN’s achievements extend far beyond Wales. The network has been instrumental in launching partner initiatives across the UK, including SHINE in Scotland and regional school research networks in England. Internationally, SHRN’s model has guided research pilots in Namibia and Saudi Arabia, reinforcing its global impact.
In ‘Reflections From The Director: Twelve Years of SHRN’ Professor Murphy reflects on SHRN’s incredible journey, highlighting the power of partnerships in its success: ‘At its core, SHRN has always been about partnership, co-production, and translating knowledge into real-world impact’.
SHRN now enters an exciting new chapter under the leadership of Dr Kelly Morgan, who has served as the Deputy Director for several years. In her blog, ‘Looking Ahead: A Shared Vision for the Next Chapter of SHRN,’ she expresses her deep commitment to SHRN’s mission and values: ‘Our commitment to collaboration, delivering high-quality data, and co-producing impactful work with schools will continue to be central to our mission’ .
Dr Morgan expertise in public health research will focus on school health and well-being interventions and data linkage. She has led SHRN’s expansion into primary schools, amplifying younger learners’ voices in the network. Moving forward, she will oversee:
The launch of an innovative school-level dashboard for secondary schools, providing customised insights to empower educators.
Strengthening partnerships between schools, policymakers, and researchersto drive evidence-based improvements in learner health and well-being.
Continued global collaborations, building on SHRN’s international impact to expand school health initiatives worldwide.
SHRN remains committed to its mission of driving research-informed and evidence-based improvements in school health and well-being. With a strong leadership transition, the network is poised for further growth and impact.
We’re happy to announce that an update to the Secondary School Health and Well-being SHRN Data Dashboard is launching on 8th May!
This latest release will introduce nearly 30 new topics, providing fresh insights into the health and well-being of secondary school learners in Wales, on both a national and regional, with results from the 2023 SHRN survey.
Some of the new topics included in this update are:
Vaping data – Understanding the prevalence of e-cigarette use among young people.
Problematic social media use – Exploring the online behaviours of students in Wales.
Gambling – Looking into particular patterns within certain age groups and genders.
Join Our Webinar on 8 May!
To coincide with the launch, Public Health Wales will be hosting a webinar open to all. This session will cover:
A detailed overview of the new data and changes to the dashboard
Our future plans for developing the dashboard further
An opportunity to ask questions with colleagues from Public Health Wales (PHW) and The School Health Research Network (SHRN)
To register for the webinar please follow this link. We look forward to seeing you there on the 8 of May!
We are thrilled to announce that our organisation is transitioning from Twitter / X to Bluesky and LinkedIn for our social media updates and engagement. This move allows us to better connect with our community, share more in-depth content, and engage in meaningful conversations.
You can now follow us on Bluesky @shrnwales.bsky.social and on LinkedIn at ‘The School Health Research Network’. On these platforms, we will continue to share the latest news, updates, and insights about SHRN. We look forward to engaging with you in new and exciting ways.
We encourage you to follow us on Bluesky and LinkedIn to stay updated with our latest content.
A recent study using SHRN data, has revealed a concerning trend among secondary school learners in Wales. It reveals that perceived pressure from schoolwork has doubled over the past two decades. This increase in academic stress is closely linked to a rise in emotional problems among young peoples, raising public health and well-being concerns.
The comprehensive analysis revealed that since 2009, the number of learners reporting intense schoolwork pressure has nearly doubled, with 26% feeling significant pressure in 2021. Older female learners are particularly affected.
‘It’s concerning to see how many young people in Wales are overwhelmed by perceived schoolwork pressure, especially girls. We must investigate further why these pressures are escalating. Understanding the root causes of these pressures is crucial for developing effective interventions to support young people.
‘Future research must urgently explore whether changes in perceived schoolwork pressure are due to more pressurised school environments, shifting expectations, or other challenges. This understanding is vital to prevent further increases in schoolwork pressure and young people’s mental health problems’.
A recent journal article drawing on data from The SHRN Student Health and Well-being Survey, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, examined teenagers’ mental and physical health complaints before and two-years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study analysed data from 792,606 teenagers aged 11, 13 and 15 years across 35 countries (including Wales), as part of the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. Drawing on four waves of HBSC data between 2010 and 2022, the study found that, cross-nationally, both mental and physical health complaints reported by teenagers in 2022 were considerably higher than what would have been expected based on pre-pandemic trends, particularly among adolescent girls.
Key Findings:
Gender Differences: Both boys and girls reported substantially higher levels of mental health issues in 2022 (e.g. feeling low, nervous, irritable, and having difficulty sleeping), compared to past trends from 2010 to 2018. For physical health issues (e.g. feeling dizzy, headache, stomach ache, and back ache), a small but significant increase was observed only among girls.
Sociodemographic Differences: Pre-existing inequalities by age widened between 2018 and 2022, with 13- and 15-year-olds reporting more complaints than 11-year-olds. In contrast, differences between socioeconomic groups observed prior to the pandemic for physical health issues got smaller: this was due to a greater increase in physical health issues reported by young people from higher compared to lower affluent families.
Family Structure Impact: Young people living in single-parent households reported considerably higher levels of mental and physical health issues compared to those living with both parents, with this gap widening between 2018 and 2022.
One of the article’s co-authors, Dr Nick Page (Research Fellow and SHRN analytical lead), said:
“Drawing on data from 35 countries, our study highlights how changes in young people’s mental and physical health were substantially worse than expected following the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among girls and those living in single-parent homes. Given youth mental health was declining before the pandemic, this international evidence supports a narrative that COVID exacerbated an already existing crisis that needs urgently addressing.”
SHRN’s partner, Public Health Wales, is seeking feedback on new standards for a whole school approach to health and well-being in Welsh schools. These standards will replace the National Quality Award from 2009 and focus on core components rather than specific health topics, allowing schools to set their own health priorities and promote continuous improvement.
The proposed standards cover seven areas: Leadership, Understanding Need, Involvement, Workforce, School Culture, Curriculum, and Support Services. Each standard includes detailed descriptions of necessary practices.
SHRN is embedded into the whole school approach to health and well-being in Wales by providing essential data and evidence-based practices. SHRN conducts comprehensive surveys to gather data on learner health and well-being, which helps schools identify specific needs and areas for improvement. This data-driven approach is supported by feedback reports and national benchmarks, guiding schools in self-evaluation and action planning.
Additionally, by offering resources and facilitating continuous improvement, SHRN ensures that schools can effectively implement and sustain health and well-being initiatives.
Over the last four months, the SHRN survey has been rolled out to all primary schools in Wales.
We have been overwhelmed by the fantastic support of primary schools Wales, and the hard work they have put in to make sure we have heard from as many learners as possible. Over 600 schools took part.
I am delighted that so many primary schools took part in our 2024 survey, enabling SHRN to support public health improvement efforts across Wales by providing actionable data about learners’ health and wellbeing.
A key strength of SHRN data is that it provides evidence at national, regional, and local levels, enabling schools to identify the health and wellbeing needs of learners and target appropriate action.
SHRN is delivering real world impacts, and I very much look forward to the next phase of our work together when the findings from the Autumn 2024 survey will be released in Spring 2025.
Professor Simon Murphy, Professor in Social Interventions and Health, Director of DECIPHer and The School Health Research Network
We are thrilled to announce the launch of The SHRN School Environment Questionnaire (SEQ) 2023 Report. This report offers valuable insights into how school policies—such as leadership, ethos, and community engagement—affect student health and well-being.
The SEQ not only assesses learner health well-being but also informs policy development at national and local levels, promoting a Whole-school Approach to emotional and mental health whilst also servings as a monitoring tool for the Welsh Network of Health and Well-being Promoting Schools (WNHWPS), guiding schools in implementing and evaluating their health initiatives. Further, by identifying areas for improvement and fostering collaboration, the SEQ helps schools reflect on their practices and share innovative strategies.
