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Why Young People Need Hope: Mental Health, Online Pressure and Finding Purpose Through Faith

Writer: Nin Sidhu
Nin Sidhu
Aug 11
8 min read

Why I Created BIBLE MADE CLEARER | NKJV Bible Verses Explained | MVE by MMP 

By Nin Sidhu | 11 August 2026

Why young people need hope today: growing up in a world that can offer incredible opportunities, but it can also feel relentless.


Anxiety. Pressure to succeed. Difficulty finding work. Money worries. Friendship breakdowns. Family problems. Loneliness. Bullying. Drugs and alcohol. Violence. Sexual exploitation. Social media comparison. And an online world that rarely seems to switch off.


For some young people, it can become difficult to see where they fit, what their future holds, or even whether what they are doing with their life has any real purpose.


These concerns are not just something parents and grandparents imagine. The statistics show that a significant number of young people are genuinely struggling.


In early 2026, the Office for National Statistics found that among adults aged 16 to 29, 43% reported high anxiety, 16% reported low life satisfaction, 16% reported low happiness, and 14% reported a low sense that the things they do in life are worthwhile.[1]


The latest NHS Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing also found that 25.8% of 16–24-year-olds in England had a common mental health condition in 2023/24. That was substantially higher than the 14.6% recorded for this age group in 2000.[2]

These are not insignificant numbers.


Behind every percentage is somebody's son, daughter, grandchild, friend, brother or sister.


When young people lose direction


Employment and opportunity are another part of the picture.


Between January and March 2026, an estimated 1,012,000 young people aged 16 to 24 in the UK were not in education, employment or training — 13.5% of that age group.[3]

Being unemployed or outside education does not mean somebody is lazy, lacks ambition or has no future. There can be many reasons for it.


But imagine being young, struggling to find work, having little money, watching other people's apparently perfect lives online and not knowing what direction your own life is taking.


Then add anxiety, relationship problems, loneliness or difficulties at home.

For some people, that combination can become overwhelming.


The NHS survey found that common mental health conditions were much more prevalent among unemployed and economically inactive working-age adults than among those in employment, although that is an association and does not prove that unemployment itself caused the mental-health difficulty.[2]


Their online world is their real world


This is one of the reasons I believe digital evangelism matters. If we want to reach younger people, we have to recognise where many of them already spend enormous amounts of their time.


The latest Ofcom research found that online 8–14-year-olds spent an average of around 3 hours and 36 minutes online each day, increasing to more than four hours among 13–14-year-olds. YouTube alone was used by 93% of online 8–14-year-olds in the latest study.[4]


That online world can provide education, friendship, creativity and community.

But it also carries genuine risks.


Recent Ofcom research found that nearly three-quarters of 11–17-year-olds said they had seen harmful content online.[5]


ONS research has also found that 19.1% of children aged 10–15 experienced online bullying during the year studied. Of those who experienced online bullying, 22.7% said it affected them emotionally “a lot”, and some told nobody about what had happened.[6]

Then there are much darker online risks.


The NSPCC reports that more than 9,000 child sexual abuse offences involved an online element in 2023/24.[7] However, official figures may not reflect the full scale of abuse, as child abuse statistics are limited by what is identified, reported and recorded.


The Internet Watch Foundation's latest 2025 data identified 311,610 reports containing or leading to child sexual abuse material worldwide.[8]


Young people can also become vulnerable to grooming, sexual exploitation, blackmail and harmful relationships formed through digital platforms.


It is endless sometimes, and as adults it can be difficult to comprehend the environment in which today's young people are growing up.


Drugs and alcohol can become another escape


When somebody feels anxious, lonely, angry, rejected or directionless, unhealthy ways of coping can become attractive.


Government statistics show that 16,212 children aged 17 and under were in specialist alcohol and drug treatment in England between April 2024 and March 2025, an increase of 13% from the previous year.[9]


Of course, the vast majority of young people experiencing difficulties will not develop problems with drugs or alcohol, just as most young people experiencing anxiety will not become suicidal.


But these figures show why we should not dismiss the pressures some young people are facing.


And then there is suicide


This is the hardest part of this article for me to write.

Recently, a young woman close to my family died by suicide.

She was only around 20 or 21 years old.


When something like that happens close to you, statistics stop feeling like numbers.

You think about a young life that should have had decades ahead of it. You think about the people left behind, and you wonder what that young person must have been experiencing to reach a point where life no longer felt bearable.

Sadly, she is far from alone.


The latest provisional ONS figures show that 5,728 suicides were registered in England during 2025.[10] Because suicide deaths require a coroner's investigation, registrations can occur many months after the death, so these figures should not be interpreted as 5,728 deaths necessarily occurring during 2025 itself.


The latest final figures for England and Wales recorded 6,190 registered suicides in 2024.[11]


And the latest NHS Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing found that 31.5% of 16–24-year-olds surveyed reported having experienced suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives. The same research found particularly high levels of reported self-harm among younger adults.[12] These are lifetime measures and should not be interpreted as saying that one-third of young people are currently suicidal, but the figures show how serious the issue is.


Why am I talking about this as a Christian?


Because I feel compelled to help.


As a Christian, I increasingly feel that I should use the skills I have in digital media to share the words and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.


I don't believe Christianity means pretending that depression, anxiety, trauma, abuse or mental illness disappear simply because somebody has faith. But faith can become an important source of strength and a way of coping, while also creating values, purpose, hope, belonging and a sense of direction when life feels overwhelming.


It can remind someone that their worth is not defined by their circumstances, mistakes, relationships, finances, appearance or what other people think of them. Faith can also encourage forgiveness, compassion, responsibility, self-respect and connection with a supportive community.


And I would never suggest that watching a Bible video is a replacement for professional mental-health treatment, safeguarding, medical care or practical support when somebody needs it.


They need to know that their worth is not determined by how many followers they have, how much money they earn, what they look like, whether somebody rejected them, what somebody said about them online, or whether their life currently looks successful.


  • They need people who will listen.

  • They need healthy communities.

  • And I believe there is an extraordinary amount that a young person can gain through understanding Jesus Christ, the Bible, and the Christian faith.


If young people are online, why shouldn't the Gospel be there too?


This is the thought that keeps coming back to me:

  1. Young people are already online

  2. They are already watching videos

  3. They are already searching for answers

  4. They are already hearing thousands of messages about who they should be, what they should look like, what they should own, and what supposedly makes somebody valuable.


So why shouldn't some of the content they encounter offer something completely different?


Something that says:


  • Your life has value

  • There is hope

  • There is forgiveness

  • There is purpose

  • You are not defined by today's circumstances

  • There is another way to live


And perhaps, somewhere amongst everything else on their screen, they might encounter the words of Jesus Christ.


This is why I created - BIBLE MADE CLEARER


BIBLE MADE CLEARER | NKJV Bible Verses Explained | MVE by MMP is the Scripture side of the video work I am developing through Mish Mash Publications.


The aim is straightforward.


To take passages from the New King James Version of the Bible and present them through modern digital storytelling, contemporary imagery, and simple explanations that help people understand what the Scripture is actually saying.


The Scripture remains at the centre.


I am not trying to rewrite the Bible or replace it with my interpretation.

I want to help make passages easier to approach for somebody who might otherwise read them and think:


“What does that actually mean?”


The videos are particularly intended for younger Christians, people exploring Christianity, and people who may have little or no previous knowledge of the Bible.

But I also hope they become useful to parents, grandparents, friends, churches and the wider Christian community.


Something you can send to somebody and say:

“Have a look at this. I thought it might help.”


When anxiety feels overwhelming


One of the first subjects I wanted to address was anxiety.

Philippians 4:6–7 is one of the Bible passages that speaks directly about anxiety, prayer, and the peace of God.


My Bible Made Clearer video looks at the passage and asks a very simple question:


How Do I Pray When I Feel Anxious?



How Do I Pray When I Feel Anxious? | Philippians 4:6–7 NKJV Biblehttps://youtu.be/-2fw7eKDsLU 


The video isn't intended to tell somebody that they should simply “pray harder” and ignore whatever they are facing.


It is about helping somebody understand what this passage of Scripture says about bringing our worries to God.


If it helps even a handful of people, it matters


Why Young People Need Hope: I don't know how many people Bible Made Clearer will eventually reach.

Perhaps thousands.

Perhaps hundreds.

Perhaps only a handful who genuinely need it.


But if one young person finds some hope through something I have produced, if one parent finds a video that helps them start a conversation with their child, if one grandparent sends a Scripture film to a grandchild, or if someone who has never previously considered Christianity begins asking questions about Jesus Christ, then it has achieved something worthwhile.


For me, this is one way of evangelising in the digital age.

I believe Jesus Christ calls Christians to share the Gospel.

Digital media happens to be one of the skills I can use to do that.


If you know somebody who may benefit from the video above, please like it and share it with them.


Sometimes reaching one person is enough.

BIBLE MADE CLEARER NKJV Bible Verses Explained | MVE by MMP

MMP Creates. MVE Delivers.


Mish Mash Publications Ltd https://www.mishmashpublications.com/



_______________________________________________________________________________________


Research & Further Reading


The statistics used in this article were checked against the latest relevant official or specialist publications available as of August 2026.


[1] Office for National Statistics — Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: February 2026. Mental wellbeing, life satisfaction, sense of worth, happiness and anxiety.https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/publicopinionsandsocialtrendsgreatbritain/february2026

[2] NHS England — Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England 2023/24: Common mental health conditions. Includes prevalence among 16–24-year-olds and employment-status comparisons.https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/adult-psychiatric-morbidity-survey/survey-of-mental-health-and-wellbeing-england-2023-24/common-mental-health-conditions

[3] Office for National Statistics — Young people not in education, employment or training, UK: May 2026https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/unemployment/bulletins/youngpeoplenotineducationemploymentortrainingneet/may2026

[4] Ofcom — Children's Passive Online Measurement. Latest research into children's time spent online and platform use.https://www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-and-attitudes/media-habits-children/childrens-passive-online-measurement

[5] Ofcom — Latest research into UK children's online lives. Includes children's exposure to harmful online content.https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/younger-phone-owners-the-rise-of-ai-and-consumption-over-creation-our-latest-look-at-uk-childrens-media-lives

[6] Office for National Statistics — Bullying and online experiences among children in England and Wales https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/bullyingandonlineexperiencesamongchildreninenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2023

[7] NSPCC Learning — Online harm and abuse: statistics briefing https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-resources/statistics-briefings/online-harm-abuse

[8] Internet Watch Foundation — 2025 Annual Data & Insights Reporthttps://www.iwf.org.uk/annual-data-insights-report-2025

A note for anyone struggling

This article discusses suicide because it is a real issue affecting young people, families and communities. If you are struggling to cope or having thoughts of suicide, Samaritans can be contacted free on 116 123, or through the Samaritans website.

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