The period of childhood and adolescence represents a critical stage for psychological development, with mental health during formative years exerting a profound impact on an individual's lifelong health and social development. In recent years, the prevalence of mental disorders among children and adolescents in China has continued to rise; however, the utilization rate of mental health services remains significantly low, highlighting a prominent contradiction of high demand and low uptake. The current service system faces multiple challenges: widespread lack of public mental health knowledge, particularly among parents; significant disparities in service accessibility between urban and rural areas, with severe resource shortages in rural regions; stigma that hinders help-seeking behavior; and an insufficient number of professionals, coupled with an urgent need for capacity enhancement, particularly a severe shortage of child psychiatrists. Moving forward, development should focus on four key areas: (1) establishing a multi-tiered service network that encompasses prevention, screening, intervention, and rehabilitation, while strengthening collaborative mechanisms among families, schools, and communities; (2) enhancing the construction of professional talent teams and conducting cultural competence training; (3) shifting the service model from a treatment-focused approach to a prevention-prioritized one, emphasizing early identification and health promotion; and (4) fully leveraging technological means to develop digital mental health services, thereby improving accessibility and precision of services. Only through systematic policy support, cross-departmental resource integration, and innovative social concepts can we build a child- and adolescent-centered, accessible, effective, and friendly mental health service system that supports high-quality population development.