Public Health Wales and the School Health Research Network at Cardiff University have published findings from a survey of pupils aged 11 to 16 in Wales.
The 2025 Student Health and Well-being Survey covers Years 7 to 11 and examines health, experiences and gambling-related behaviour, with support provided by the Welsh Government.
Among boys aged 15 and 16 in Year 11, 21.4% reported gambling with their own money during the preceding seven days, up from 18.2% in 2023.
The equivalent figure for girls was 6.5%.
Across all year groups surveyed, 11.5% of pupils said they had used their own money for gambling activities in the previous week.
Public health consultant Helen Erswell said the figures were concerning, particularly because of the rise recorded among Year 11 boys.
Although not every young gambler will experience harm, gambling can affect financial wellbeing, mental health and relationships both in the present and later in life.
Public Health Wales has produced educational materials intended to help schools address gambling, gaming and online risks with pupils.
Titled Behind the Screen: Understanding Gaming and Gambling Harms, the package offers classroom exercises and teaching guidance.
The organisation is also involved with partners in a national prevention programme, while a new research framework highlights evidence gaps connected with early intervention, treatment and recovery.
Support is available for people facing gambling difficulties, including Gamban, a tool that blocks access to gambling websites and apps.
The survey also considered pupils’ relationships with teachers and the pressure associated with schoolwork.
The share of pupils who felt their teachers cared about them as individuals reached its highest level since 2017, although results varied across groups.
Agreement stood at 65.9% among boys and 56% among girls.
Among girls from mixed or multiple ethnic backgrounds, 49.8% felt that their teachers cared about them as people.
Reported pressure from schoolwork declined from its 2023 peak.
For pupils in Years 10 and 11, it reached the lowest level recorded across the five survey rounds since 2017.
Nevertheless, 44.9% of Year 11 girls described experiencing considerable pressure from schoolwork in 2025, compared with 14.2% of girls in Year 7.
Details are available in the Public Health Wales Secondary School Children’s Health and Well-being Dashboard, which presents almost 80 topics and provides breakdowns by age, gender, ethnicity, region and family affluence.