TOO much time glued to social media is fueling a sleep crisis in children, with the number of pills dished out doubling in just seven years.
Doctors dolled out more than 700,000 prescriptions in 2022 to youngsters who are struggling to switch off at night - some of whom were babies.
It is an increase of a quarter in three years and a "worrying "concerning" jump of 110 per cent in seven years
Experts believe a toxic cocktail of more time spent on social media, the cost-of-living crisis and disruption to children's lives caused by the Covid pandemic has made sleeping more difficult.
Children aged 11 were most often given the pills, according to NHS figures, accounting for 80,274 prescriptions - or more than 1,500 a week.
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Some 154 were worryingly issued to babies under the age of one.
The revelation comes as separate statistics show hundreds of children and teenagers in England are being admitted to hospital with sleep disorders, with admissions for conditions such as insomnia almost doubling in recent years.
Under-25s are struggling to cope, and this is having a knock-on impact on sleeping patterns
Zoe Bailie
"This rise in sleeping tablets is a real concern because, as doctors, we try to avoid sleeping tablets at any age and only give them out in extreme cases," Dr Sarah Jarvis, a clinical director at patient.info told Sun Health.
She said there is "very good evidence" to suggest young people are "really struggling with their mental health", which can lead to sleep issues.
"Depression and anxiety both commonly lead to problems sleeping – whether it’s not getting to sleep, waking up often during the night or waking early in the morning," she explained.
"While the Covid-19 pandemic made things worse, the rise in mental health problems started long before that.
"Young children are using social media more than ever before, and that has been linked to mental distress, self-harm, depression, anxiety and low self-esteem," she said.
Zoe Bailie, of The Mix, a charity for young people, said the rise in sleeping pills is "extremely concerning" but unfortunately "not surprising in the context of the enormous pressures young people are facing.
"Due to the long-term impacts of Covid, the anxiety and uncertainty caused by the cost-of-living crisis and the reduction of youth services, under-25s are struggling to cope, and this is having a knock-on impact on sleeping patterns," she told MailOnline.
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'Unprecedented pressures faced by children'
NHS guidelines say doctors should not normally prescribe sleep medication to kids unless it is for a short-term treatment.
The figures from 2022 show medics issued 716,464 prescriptions for hypnotics - sleeping tablets and liquid medicine - to children under 16 in England.
This increased from 643,998 in the previous 12 months, from 570,147 in 2020 and 339,848 in 2016.
An NHS spokesperson said: "These figures show the continued unprecedented pressures faced by children and young people and reflect the increased demand for children’s mental health services — the NHS is providing mental health support to more children than ever before and is expanding provision as quickly as possible within the current five-year funding arrangements.
"We know there is even more to do to meet the increased demand and that’s why plans are in place to ensure 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 target.'
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "The decision to prescribe a particular medication is a clinical one and should be based on the patient’s medical needs and best interests."
"We want to ensure every young person gets the mental health support they need. That’s why we’ve increased spending by more than £4.7billion in cash terms since 2018/19, and we are increasing the coverage of mental health support teams in schools to reach at least 50 per cent of pupils in England by March 2025.
"On top of this, 24 existing early support hubs across the country will receive additional funding, and the number of children and young people under 18 supported through NHS-funded mental health services has gone up by 31 per cent since March 2021."
