Ms Suzanne Connolly:

I agree. It is important to engage with people because they are bright, able and interested. We must talk to them in a spirit of equality about recognising that there are links to mental health in the context of alcohol, which is a depressant. The highs are temporary and young people know that. If we are enabling young people to have resources to deal with their emotions, then sportspeople are great role models because many more of them are talking about this subject. They talk about feeling a bit low or of being anxious or depressed, which is great, but we need to recognise that not everyone is a sportsperson. We need to think of other activities. These could be growing vegetables, dancing or singing. The more of these types of activities we introduce, the better. The media are important. We can all focus on the negative. The report from the ESRI does not discuss the positives but focuses on the negatives. That is not helpful for young people. We must also lead by example in talking about their strengths and their passion for climate action. Adults must do that so that young people can then trust us regarding what we might say about what will contribute to their well-being.