🚨 The data is clear: Europe & Central Asia are failing their children. 🔷 Hard-earned progress in reducing child mortality is reversing or stagnating. 🔷 Mental health concerns have doubled since COVID-19 - 1 in 4 children is affected. 🔷 Immunization rates are stagnant, measles outbreaks are back. 🔷 5M children are at risk of developmental difficulties. 🔷 1 in 3 primary school children is living with overweight or obesity. This is not just a health crisis – it’s a crisis for the future of our societies. As Regional Directors for @UNICEF_ECA & @WHO_Europe, we are calling for urgent actions. We need a renewed focus on child and adolescent health and wellbeing, built on 5 key principles: 1️⃣ Investing in child & adolescent health - early interventions = lifelong benefits. 2️⃣ Ensuring duty of care & protection - from quality healthcare to nutritious school meals. 3️⃣ Regulating against commercial harm - protecting children from targeted marketing of unhealthy products. 4️⃣ Strengthening cross-sector governance - aligning health, education, environment & social policies. 5️⃣ Measuring progress & ensuring accountability - @UNICEF_ECA and @WHO_Europe will work together to fill data gaps & assess policy impact. We must act now. The health and wellbeing of children today will shape the world of tomorrow. 📖 Read my joint letter with @R_DeDominicis in @TheLancet: bit.ly/40SQYuu

🚨 Mental health crisis affecting youth in Europe: 👥 1 in 4 young people experience mental health conditions 😔 Most affected: girls, older teens & those from poorer backgrounds ⚠️ Suicide is among the top 3 causes of adolescent death bit.ly/48XB6cy

📱 Digital dilemma: Teen social media use is rising 🔍 11% experience problematic social media use, up from 7% in 2018 👥 1 in 3 maintain continuous online contact 🎮 1 in 5 game for 4+ hours daily Read our analysis: bit.ly/3CNc2bZ #DigitalHealth #YouthWellbeing