Nation.Cymru staff
More than one in five boys in Year 11 in Wales reported spending their own money on gambling in the previous week, according to a school health survey.
The proportion rose from 18.2% in 2023 to 21.4% in 2025 among boys aged 15 and 16, compared with 6.5% of girls in the same school year.
Across all pupils surveyed, from Years 7 to 11, 11.5% said they had spent their own money on gambling activities during the previous seven days.
The findings come from the School Health Research Network’s 2025 Student Health and Well-being Survey, which asks young people aged 11 to 16 about their health and experiences.
The results have been published by Public Health Wales in partnership with the research network at Cardiff University, with Welsh Government funding.
Helen Erswell, consultant in public health at Public Health Wales, said: “It is concerning to see these levels of gambling among young people in Wales, particularly the increase reported among year 11 boys.
“While not every young person who gambles will experience harm, gambling can have significant impacts on financial wellbeing, mental health and relationships, both now and later in life.”
Public Health Wales has developed teaching resources to help schools discuss gambling, gaming and online risks with pupils. The materials, called Behind the Screen: Understanding Gaming and Gambling Harms, include classroom activities and guidance for teachers.
The organisation is also working with partners on a national prevention programme. A new research framework identifies areas where more evidence is needed, including early intervention, treatment and recovery.
Ms Erswell said support was available for people experiencing difficulties, including tools such as Gamban, which can block access to gambling websites and apps.
The survey also examined pupils’ relationships with teachers and the pressure they felt from schoolwork.
The proportion agreeing that their teachers cared about them as a person reached its highest level since 2017, although there were differences between groups.
Among boys, 65.9% agreed with the statement, compared with 56% of girls. Fewer than half of girls from mixed or multiple ethnic backgrounds — 49.8% — felt the same.
Schoolwork pressure
Reported schoolwork pressure fell from its peak in 2023, with levels among Year 10 and Year 11 pupils at their lowest across the five survey rounds since 2017.
However, 44.9% of Year 11 girls still reported feeling a lot of pressure from schoolwork in 2025, compared with 14.2% of Year 7 girls.
The findings are available through Public Health Wales’s Secondary School Children’s Health and Well-being Dashboard, which covers almost 80 topics, with breakdowns by age, gender, ethnicity, region and family affluence.
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