What the UN’s World Youth Report means for young Australians facing addiction
A new global report confirms what we see every day: mental health and substance use are deeply connected, and young people need support that addresses both.
Three out of four adult mental health conditions first appear before the age of 24. For many young people, that window is also when substance use begins, often as a way to cope with the very distress that hasn’t yet been recognised or treated.
This is one of the central findings of the United Nations’ World Youth Report: Youth Mental Health and Well-being, launched in February 2026. While the UN formally defines “youth” as those aged 15 to 24, the report’s survey and consultations drew on the experiences of young people aged 15 to 29, with the 20 to 24 age group making up the largest cohort. Across nearly 3,000 respondents from 137 countries, it’s the most comprehensive global snapshot of youth mental health in years and its findings speak directly to our work at Sir David Martin Foundation.
A global picture that mirrors what we see locally
The report found that 43 per cent of young people rated their general mental health as “poor” or “fair.” Close to 40 per cent reported that a family member had difficulty managing emotions, lived with a mental health disorder, or used alcohol or drugs. These aren’t distant statistics – they reflect the experiences of many of the young Australians who come through the programs we fund.
When asked what stopped them seeking help, young people’s most common answers were a lack of trust in other people, fear of not being taken seriously, and the worry of being a burden. Stigma, shame, and not knowing where to turn featured strongly and are barriers that the young people we support work to overcome every day.
“Everybody has mental health; you have to learn how to take care of it.”
— Young person, UN World Youth Report focus group
Substance use and mental health: why they can’t be treated in isolation
Globally, alcohol and other drug use ranks among the top 10 causes of disability for young people aged 10 to 24. The WHO reports that 22 per cent of 15 to 19-year-olds worldwide were using alcohol in 2019, and cannabis use among adolescents exceeded adult rates.
The report highlights that adolescence is a period of brain development second only to infancy. Young people are especially sensitive to social cues, peer acceptance, and emotional pressures which makes them more vulnerable to substances, and more likely to use them as a coping strategy when distressed.
This cycle is something we understand deeply. Many young people arriving at Triple Care Farm are dealing with both substance use and underlying mental health challenges. They may have started drinking or using drugs to manage anxiety, depression, or trauma – only to find their mental health worsening over time. Effective treatment needs to address both, and that’s exactly what the youth-specific programs we fund are designed to do.
What the data tells us about young Australians
Australia featured directly in the report through an interview with a 19-year-old Indigenous young man with out-of-home care experience, whose story illustrated how cultural disconnection, systemic disadvantage, and mental health challenges compound one another.
The report’s survey found that 51 per cent of respondents from the Australia and New Zealand subregion had wanted to talk to someone about their mental health but didn’t know where to turn. That’s more than half of young people feeling unable to access the help they need.
Domestic data reinforces the urgency. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare:
- One in three Australians aged 18-24 experienced an alcohol-related incident in the past year—the highest rate of any age group
- Illicit drug use among young women aged 18-24 rose from 27 per cent to 35 per cent in 2022-23, matching young men for the first time in two decades
- 31 per cent of all alcohol and drug treatment clients were aged 10-29
- For clients aged 20-29, the most common drugs of concern were alcohol (28%), amphetamines (26%), and cannabis (26%)
Why this matters for the work we do
The World Youth Report calls for a fundamental shift in how we approach youth mental health. It argues that treatment alone isn’t enough—we need to address the social conditions that shape young people’s wellbeing: their education, their family environments, their financial stability, their experiences online, and the communities around them.
This is the approach that has guided our Foundation for 35 years. Through our funding of Mission Australia’s Triple Care Farm, we support young people aged 16-24 through a holistic recovery journey that addresses substance use alongside the underlying factors that contributed to it – trauma, mental health conditions, disconnection from education and employment, and fractured family relationships. And through our Youth Network initiative, we’ve expanded Aftercare support to young people leaving residential treatment, funding dedicated Aftercare Workers across four Mission Australia sites in Robertson, Batemans Bay, Dubbo and Perth – because recovery doesn’t end when a young person walks out the door.
The report also emphasises that young people must be active participants in the solutions that affect their lives, not passive recipients of care. When young people have genuine agency in their recovery, they’re more likely to engage with treatment, sustain positive change, and build the confidence they need to move forward. It’s why we ensure a strong youth voice guides and influences our ongoing efforts through our Youth Advisory Group.
“Addressing youth mental health in ways that genuinely meet the needs of young people is a key priority.”
— UN World Youth Report 2025
Looking ahead
The UN’s findings reinforce what our community of supporters has long understood: that young people in crisis deserve compassion, not judgement. They deserve programs that see the whole person, not just the substance use. And they deserve a society that invests in their futures before it’s too late.
If you or someone you know needs support, visit martinfoundation.org.au/get-support.
Sources
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2025). World Youth Report: Youth Mental Health and Well-being. social.desa.un.org
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2024). Young people’s use of alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarettes and other drugs. aihw.gov.au
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2025). Alcohol, tobacco & other drugs in Australia: Children and young people’s experiences. aihw.gov.au
- World Health Organization (2024). Mental health of adolescents. who.int
