A woman has been awarded £20,000 so she can develop an app to help young people improve their mental health.

Juanita Agboola won a competition run by smartphone manufacturer Huawei, and has been awarded £20,000 to develop the technology.

This week, as the UK marks Mental Health Awareness Week, a new study was published which revealed students are four times more likely to seek mental health advice from their smartphone and through social media than from a counsellor.

The study by UniHealth, an online student health and wellbeing network, also found students do not ask for help because they are embarrassed.

Juanita's app - Half Full Not Empty - will provide students with the necessary resources to maintain a positive mental state, and book appointments with counsellors.

She won the competition, which received more than 800 entries and aims to help people follow their dreams, after impressing the judges with her ambition to use technology as a means to prevent the rise of poor mental health among the so called Generation Z - people born in the mid 1990s to the early 2000s - who are more prone to mental health issues according to some studies.

The 21-year-old, of Stour Close, Strood, said: “I am so unbelievably grateful for this opportunity.

“The development of Half Full Not Empty and impacting and encouraging others to live a mentally healthy life means the world to me.”

Huawei will support Juanita, in the development of the app - through the planning, prototype and launch phases.

This week kmfm, along with radio stations around the country, took part in the Mental Health Minute, broadcasting a one-minute message from some famous voices including princes Harry and William and Lady Gaga.