In England alone, over 570,000 prescriptions for sleeping pills were issued to children under the age of 16 last year.
Experts blame lockdowns, disrupted schooling and generalized anxiety due to the Pandemic have cumulated in a 67 per cent increase in the doling out of medication to children.
The age group of ten were the most prescribed group attributing to 63,427 prescriptions totalling a massive 1,200 every week.
“The pandemic has turned the lives of under-25s upside, down leaving them feeling overwhelmed by stress and anxiety,” explained Chris Martin, CEO of The Mix, a charity for young people.
“The disruption to young people’s education and support networks through months of isolation has led to loneliness and depression, causing considerable mental health challenges.”
Sleep medication for children should generally not be prescribed for children unless it is specified for short-term treatment.
Taking sleeping tablets regularly can create addiction and deteriorate the ability to get to sleep naturally.