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INSIDE THE CITY

Lockdown loneliness is boost for anxiety app Kooth

The Sunday Times

Kooth has finally found its groove. Twenty years after being founded by former counsellor Elaine Bousfield, the online therapy service for children is on the way up.

The AIM-listed app, which floated in the autumn for £66m, said in an expectation-busting trading update on Friday that full-year sales growth would be up to 49%, compared with analyst estimates of 39%. Its shares have climbed more than 39% since the listing, giving it a valuation of about £92.5m.

It is clear what is behind the rapid upturn in an app designed to help children and young people suffering from mental health problems. Covid-induced lockdowns have accelerated the adoption of digital mental health services. At the same time, children have been affected by loneliness because of school