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Less than half ( 45 %) of parents said they would seek external support from friends and family , experts or support groups and this is even lower for dads at 39 %.

Emma Taylor , Mental Health NHS Nurse Specialist and Co-founder of Embers , said : “ Understanding and supporting children ' s emotional development can be a complex and challenging task for parents and caregivers . Feelings aren ’ t things you can see or touch , they vary between people , over time and in different situations . The problem is that this sort of decoding skill isn ’ t something we are necessarily born with , and sometimes for a whole range of reasons related to our own history , personality types and life circumstances , it can be surprisingly difficult to learn .

educators , has developed an app , which is undergoing a major clinical trial run by the School of Applied Sciences at London South Bank University .

Daniel Frings , Professor of Social Psychology at London South Bank University , said : “ We are seeing rises in identified mental health needs in children and the current provision is woefully inadequate .

" It is our hope that identifying any barriers to access or usage can help develop a more effective way to reach all groups , especially those in greater need . There is much needed scientific evidence for the effectiveness of digital technologies for the growing number of children needing wellbeing support , however with widespread use of digital , this could be an effective solution to reach large numbers of children and their families with every day emotional support .”

Parents also expressed significant worries about their ability to understand and support their child ’ s emotional wellbeing , especially around the time their child enters primary school education with just one in four parents saying they feel completely tuned into their child ’ s emotions .

There is a need for accessible and clinically endorsed support , especially in the digital age , to help parents navigate these challenges and foster healthy emotional development in children from a young age . That ’ s why programmes like Embers the Dragon , a proactive approach to preventing issues and alleviating pressure on health services through clinically backed mental health support , has the potential to improve child behaviour , confidence , and academic potential and in turn reduce the need for clinical mental health interventions among young children .”

When it comes to parental priorities , parents ranked understanding and managing emotions ( 23 %) and learning daily living skills ( 22 %) as top priorities for their child ' s development , over literacy and numeracy .

Almost all parents in the research allowed screen time for their children , with many citing the educational benefits . However , they expressed caution and desired more clarity on its impact on child development and emotional health .

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