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In both the United States and the United Kingdom, a series of surveys of the mental health of children and, in particular, adolescents have suggested that there appear to be significant increases in measured levels of anxiety and depression among more recently‐born populations. Here, 16 studies are selected of children in North America, which adds to the body of evidence suggesting that rates of depression among adolescent girls do appear to be rising (p=0.024) to rates of above one in seven suffering in the most recent of surveys, as opposed to almost seven times fewer being depressed among their mothers' generation. The results for boys also show a rise, but not yet significant at the p<0.05 level (p=0.108). These studies are taken from a wider worldwide set, which, in aggregate, do not show a sustained rise. In the worldwide set of studies, most of the more recent surveys have been taken in more equitable affluent countries away from North America or the United Kingdom. By inference, this review suggests that it is the particularly competitive and divisive social environments of North America and the United Kingdom that may well have led to levels of anxiety rising for children in countries in these regions more significantly than elsewhere in affluent countries. Geography appears to matter to children's mental health. The review begins and ends by raising concerns over the possible effects of the current economic crash given this social context, and the political desire to return to economic business as usual.

COVID-19 is bringing hardship and tragedy. Health workers are having to take appalling risks; loved ones are being lost; lockdown is causing great distress. And, as always in testing times, the disadvantaged are being hit worst. As we emerge from the shadows, the call from the vested interests, from the systems current winners, will be for a rapid return to business as usual. We must resist this; business as usual got us into this mess.

COVID-19 is trying to tell us something; we health educators and social marketers must listen, think and, above all, take action.

This paper argues that by shackling the future of work to a vision of full employment, alternative futures are closed off. At present, employment creation is seen as the sole route out of poverty. Here, however, we reveal that a complementary additional pathway is to help people to help themselves and each other. To show this, evidence from a survey of 400 households in deprived neighbourhoods of Southampton and Sheffield is reported. This reveals that besides creating job opportunities, measures that directly empower people to improve their circumstances could be a useful complementary initiative to combat social exclusion and open up new futures for work that are currently closed off.