Kate Middleton to launch new hashtag to raise awareness of children's mental health issues

Kate Middleton will help with the launch of a new hashtag aimed at spreading awareness about mental health issues in children. The Duchess of Cambridge will be a part of the launch when she will guest-edit The Huffington Post news website on 17 February.

Huffington Post UK editor-in-chief Stephen Hull has said that Kate, 34, will specifically help the website launch Young Minds Matter during her one-day stint as the guest editor. "On 17 February, Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge, will join editors at HuffPost UK as guest editor to specifically help raise awareness of this issue and help us launch Young Minds Matter," Hull wrote in his blog. "Using the hashtag #youngmindsmatter we will discuss the problems, causes and also most importantly the solutions to the stigma surrounding the UK's mental health crisis among children."

He said that the Duchess' keenness on the subject will help them focus on specific areas concerning the cause of and cure for mental health problems. "Under guidance from Kensington Palace, my team has been working on a series of original articles, blogs and videos commissioned by the Duchess. They all aim to inspire families and teachers to lead the conversation with children about mental health, so youngsters feel loved, valued and listened to," Hull said.

"[Hashtag]#youngmindsmatter will launch by focusing on the areas she [Kate] values highly, including programmes aimed to help primary aged children, efforts at early intervention, the importance of breaking the cycle of multi-generational mental health issues and the progress being made through art therapy."

The new hashtag will help users read about anecdotes of children affected by mental health issues who were helped by art therapy, he said. It will offer readers a number of stories on the role of innovative science in solving the mental health problems in primary school children and how mindfulness in schools is critical to supporting good mental health in children, Hull added.

Both Kate Middleton and Prince William have been particularly open about raising awareness of mental health in young people. According to a royal aide, their role as parents to Prince George and Princess Charlotte is shaping their perceptions on the issues.

The royal couple is also expected to meet executives of social media giants, Facebook and Twitter, this year to discuss the issue of cyber bullying and other forms of harassment faced by young children online.