Rates of antidepressant prescribing to children aged 3–17 doubled between 2006 and 2015 in the UK. Females aged 15–17 accounted for 61% of first ever antidepressant prescriptions issued in 2015. Only 21% of first ever antidepressant prescriptions were linked to a depression diagnosis in 2015. The incidence of prescriptions linked to depression increased between 2012 and 2015.