Children of the 90s

Home
United Kingdom
Bristol
Children of the 90s

Want to take part? If you aren't sure, get in touch! Children of the 90s are a group of nearly 20,000 young people, born in 1991 and 1992 in and around Bristol.

If you were born around Bristol between April 1991 and December 1992 - you might be in the Children of the 90s research project and eligible to get involved! Scientists have studied these young people to aim to help discover the causes of the most important health and social problems facing the world today so that we can help prevent those problems. Taking part is voluntary and 100% confidential. It includes attending our research centre, filling out questionnaires and in the future giving us permission to use the routine information that's collected on all of us by health, social and other services and official organisations. If you were born in 1991 or 1992 in Bristol or Weston send us a message and we'll let you know how you can take part. Discoveries made by scientists working on Children of the 90s are making a difference to lives around the world.

21/10/2025

It's been 30+ years of sending birthday cards to our participants! Throwback to the card we sent when our original 90s children turned 18 🔞⬇️

16/10/2025

Social media use at night is linked with worse mental wellbeing 🤳

Watch Dan Joinson discussing his latest research on BBC News Points West 🎬

His study suggests that when it comes to screen time it’s not how long we scroll for that matters, it’s what we do and when we do it 🕟

The research, from University of Bristol, has found that people who post on social media between 11pm and 5am tend to report 'worse mental wellbeing' than those active during the day 😴

The effect of late-night posting on Twitter (now X) was as strong as binge drinking in previous studies — suggesting that nighttime social media use could harm sleep and mood.

“Research like ours could help inform interventions or legislation that aim to deter harmful social media use... This is made possible by having access to actual social media data, which is essential if we are to build a deeper understanding of the relationship between social media and mental health.” - Dan Joinson.

View a recent in article in The Conversation UK:

https://theconversation.com/its-not-screen-time-that-matters-its-what-you-do-and-when-you-do-it-new-study-266845

14/10/2025

Today we're celebrating women in STEM as part of Ada Lovelace Day 🔬

Our founder, Professor Jean Golding, has been a foundational figure in how we understand long-term health trajectories from childhood, birth environments, and inherited/genetic influences. Her work has enabled multi generational research data that is used throughout the world 🌎

Professor Jean Golding was appointed an OBE in 2012 for services to medical science and, in 2016, the Jean Golding Institute was established in her honour at the University of Bristol 🎖️

Thank you Jean.

University of Bristol

Ada Lovelace Day is celebrated annually on the second Tuesday of October to honor the contributions of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) 👩🏻‍🔬

Ada Lovelace was the world’s first computer programmer - 100 years before computers were invented! 💻

Images: Jean is pictured here with some of the original Children of the 90s and study leaders Professor George Davey Smith and Professor Nic Timpson.

13/10/2025

Screen time is often thought to be associated with mental health outcomes - but it might not be as simple as that.📱

A new study using Children of the 90s data shows an association between scrolling and posting on X/Twitter at night and poor mental wellbeing.

The study suggested this behaviour could explain almost 2% of variation in mental wellbeing, which is comparable to activities like binge drinking and exercise.

This is one of the first times ever that social media data (from Twitter, in this case) has been linked with longitudinal mental health data, giving a rich and insightful view into this relationship.

Thank you to our participants who were involved in this research - you're making a real difference to helping us understand the impact of social media.

Read the full article in The Conversation UK - link in comments.

10/10/2025

This World Mental Health Day, we want to celebrate how far we've come 🧠❤️‍🩹 TW: self-harm.

Thanks to our wonderful participants and team, Children of the 90s has made a huge contribution to mental health research over the past 35+ years…

🦠 We helped to highlight the issue of anxiety during the first COVID lockdown, showing that rates had doubled to 24% in young people.

🫄 Our data helped researchers discover that depression is at least as common during pregnancy as it is after birth. Also that anxiety and depression symptoms during pregnancy have risen by 51% over a single generation.

📱 Our data has highlighted a link between certain internet content and self-harm in teenagers, providing evidence for stronger regulation.

We're constantly learning more about what impacts mental health and how we can prevent harms in future.

To find out more, visit 'Our Discoveries' page here: www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/participants/discoveries/"

07/10/2025

Calling all Children of the 90s participants! 🗣️📸

We're updating our imagery and are on the lookout for some new faces to get involved.

Would you be willing to be in some photos to help promote the study? We're looking for all generations to get involved, whether you're an original parent, a child of the 90s, or have little ones (particularly 8-9 years+).

Pop us a direct message if you're interested so we know to get in touch.

Please note any photo sessions would likely be during the day in the week and we'd need around an hour of your time. We can do after school sessions for any school-age children!

We already have lots of lovely pictures of young children and babies, so we're not looking for these in this instance 😊

29/09/2025

We have been looking at your arteries since some of you were only nine years old 🫀

We know that between the ages of nine and eleven, some of the risk factors associated with heart disease were already there.

Between 2003 and 2005 we asked 5,500 of you to wear a special ‘accelerometer’ belt to measure the amount of physical exercise you did every day for seven days. We showed that children who do more physical activity every day (even simply walking to school) have lower blood pressure and may be less likely to develop heart disease in later life. We also discovered that only 2.5 percent of you did around sixty minutes of physical activity a day – boys did more than girls. Even just fifteen minutes of daily vigorous exercise can reduce obesity risk by half 🤸

When you were fifteen we analysed your bone shape and bone density, as well as the amount of body fat you have. We discovered that teenagers with more body fat tend also to have larger, denser bones. In other words, their bones were stronger. However, we have also discovered that high body fat can cause problems for your health, including worse risk factors for heart disease and obesity - concluding that while higher body fat can help build strong bones, the risks outweigh the benefits 🦴

As part of your @ 30 clinic we carried out a CPET (cardiopulmonary exercise test) - this is an assessment of the cardiopulmonary system at rest and during exercise. It looks at the health of your heart and blood vessels 🚴

During the course of our study, we've carried out over 3,000 heart echo scans 🫀

Thanks to your participation we have been able to track your heart health over your life course and build up unique a picture of how our bodies can change as we age - helping us to inform future healthcare 💝

22/09/2025

A very happy birthday to the founder of Children of the 90s, Professor Jean Golding. Jean turns 86 today! 🎈

Jean started the study back in the 90s to help understand why people get ill. Her passion and commitment is a huge part of why the study has and continues to be such a success.

Although retired from leading the study, Jean still does academic research using data she helped to collect.

She says: "today, Children of the 90s provides a treasure trove of data, allowing researchers to address the most pressing health issues of our time: from childhood obesity and liver disease to mental health and cardiovascular disease, plus so much more."

We hope you have a lovely day Jean! 🎂

18/09/2025

*Trigger Warning: su***de and gambling harms*

Watch Dr Philip Newall University of Bristol on BBC News Points West discussing the effects of harmful gambling.

Pioneering research, using Children of the 90s data, reveals problem gambling quadruples the risk of su***de among young people four years later.

“Gambling is a part of the government’s su***de prevention strategy, and these results help underscore the need for additional population-wide measures to prevent gambling harms, such as meaningful restrictions on gambling advertising.” - Dr Newall.

The Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research, based at the University of Bristol, is a global hub for interdisciplinary research, which aims to raise awareness of gambling harms, strengthen consumer protection through policy change, and improve support and treatment.

Contact Samaritans on 116 123 if you have been affected by issues raised in this story.

09/09/2025

A new long-term study has just been announced! The Generation New Era birth cohort study will follow 30,000 children born in 2026 across the UK.

With a focus on children and families from diverse backgrounds, the study will aim to improve the health of future generations.

Learn more here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/evidence-scientists-government-work-innovation-b2822685.html

03/09/2025

Listen to Professor Katy Vincent on 🎧

Prof Vincent talks about her new research linking teenage period pain to a higher risk of chronic pain in adulthood - using Children of the 90s data 📈

University of Oxford Medical Research Foundation

Learn more: https://www.medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk/news/teenage-period-pain-linked-to-higher-risk-of-chronic-pain-in-adulthood

Address

Learning & Research Building (Level 1 Atrium), Southmead Hospital
Bristol
BS105FN

Website

http://www.childrenofthe90s.ac.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Children of the 90s posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Featured

Sylvian Care South Gloucestershire
Equinox South, Great Park Road, Bradley Stoke, BS32 4QL

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Bristol?