Brighton5 is a youth project led by teenage girls who are on a mission to tackle tech addiction and the negative threat it poses on body image, mental health and anti social behaviour.
Brighton mum, Daisy Creswell, founded the movement in response to current political and economic turbulence. She expresses that we are living in a world where Trump and Brexit dominate the headlines, along with recent revelations about widespread sexual assault and the gender pay gap. These common issues have a remarkable affect on young peoples’ mental health. Consequently, it is an issue that must be addressed as the demand for NHS mental health care is “expanding at its fastest rate in a decade”.
Social Media has a Crippling Affect on Mental Health
In what seems like an epidemic of mental health issues, Brighton5 is a video-production project that hopes to unite teens through creating content for schools and colleges. The project also involves a parent podcast, hoping to break the silence on discussion of mental health between teens and their parents.The ongoing pressures of social media and its affect on society has led to 1 in 4 girls being diagnosed across the UK with depression before they are 14.
Brighton5 express that their project will “work with teens and get them thinking and creating with – and without – their smartphones”, the latter being a difficult task for a generation that are undoubtedly addicted to social media. The team of young girls have regularly spoken on radio, and televised news, about the impact their phones have on their daily lives. Brighton5 hope to inform young people about how they can find a balance between the good and bad of technology, working to achieve positive change.
Sussex Police have teamed up with Brighton5 to help create a programme that can be distributed in schools and colleges. The content will aim to improve the relationship between police and teens, as well as combat anti-social behaviour in young people.
Founder Daisy Cresswell highlights the importance of seeing everyone as equal: “The officers we are working with may be in uniform but they are also mums, dads, godparents, aunties, and uncles”. Ultimately, the collaboration will aim to help keen young people safe. Breaking down the barrier between police and teens will be a step in the right direction towards a safer online environment.
For more information about the work Brighton5 are doing, see their website.
