However, in the mid-2000's, smoking, alcohol and general anti-social behaviour amongst teenagers was far more common than it is now.

Researchers from Liverpool and London carried out surveys amongst 2 groups of people; the first born in and around Bristol between 1991 and 1992, and the second group born across the UK between 2004 and 2005. The first group consisted of 5,600 people, and the second group consisted of 11,000 people. Both groups were surveyed when the average age was 14 in each group. The survey, based off of a standard questionnaire on mood and feelings, showed that depression rates had gone from 9% to 15%.

Self harm rates had risen by 16%, and girls were shown to be more likely to self-harm. At the same time, teenage obesity and poor body image had gone up. Teens were more likely to have had sex, tried alcohol or have smoked then than now. Even cannabis use rates had fallen from 5% to 4.3%.

But, when it came to sleeping, the second group (surveyed in 2019) were more likely to have gone to bed late and woken up early, meaning that more and more of them hadn't slept the recommended 8 hours a day.

Dr Praveetha Patalay, associate professor at UCL and co-author of the study in the International Journal of Epidemiology, said the research gave a bigger picture of adolescent health, not only mental health in isolation.

"It's a holistic view, with some things getting worse and some improving. We have to remember that lots of things are changing for young people - in different directions."

She stated that the study couldn't point out what were the causes of teen depression, but it could be extremely valuable in helping to identify certain risk factors for mental health issues.

In her teenage years, Lauren Nicole Coppin Campbell, began to suffer with body image and low self-esteem. To her, the images of the "perfect" people we see in our social media feeds and in popular culture has a negative impact

"I didn't feel like the people I was seeing on my feed were representative of me. On social media you often see stereotypes, with the bigger woman being the comedian, the one you're laughing at or you feel sorry for."

Before she turned 16, she began forcing herself to be sick (a condition called Bulimia Nervosa) in order to attain, what she called, "a twisted image of perfection".

She stated that it felt like there was no escape for her, and that it wasn't just something online, but even when with friends or family. She is now an ambassador for the Be Real Campaign, an organisation determined to end help people become more comfortable with their own bodies, instead of them feeling like they need to look diferent or they need to conform to the "perfect body" idea.

One of the main issues about this is that it is often almost impossible for teens to get help with mental health issues. This is for a multitude of reasons; the NHS cutting the budget for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), schools arent able to provide help effectively, and most teens become withdrawn and find it hard to talk to people about their issues.

Dr Bernadka Dubicka, chair of the child and adolescent faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: "This study makes it clear that young people today are facing and struggling with mental health problems far more than their 1990's counterparts had to. The sharp rise in depression and self-harm rates are worrying, as are the concerns adolescents have about their bodies."