Teen mental health is poor and has been on the decline for decades. In my last column, I described U.S. teens’ declining mental health, increasing thoughts of suicide, and increasing attempts at suicide. In today’s column, I explain why teen mental health is so bad today.
Adolescent mental health and well-being deteriorated between 2011 to 2021, according to data from the most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2021, 42% of high school students reported feeling so sad or hopeless that they could not engage in their regular activities for at least two weeks during the year while 22% of high school students seriously considered suicide and 10% reported attempting suicide during the last year. The statistics are even worse for teen girls.
No single theory can explain declining mental health among teens. However, the rapid decline in mental health among teens can likely be attributed to sociocultural changes in how young people are interacting with others and their environment.
Stressful life events are correlated with depression and many other mental health conditions. Physical or emotional abuse, dropping out of school, a parent losing their job, financial difficulties at home, parental divorce, exposure to suicide, illness, or loss of a loved one are all correlated with poor mental health outcomes. The stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these existing issues.
Parenting also plays a role in teens’ mental health. Low levels of parental warmth, perception of being rejected by parents, and weaker support from parents are all correlated with poor mental health among youth. Declining marriage rates and high rates of single parenting put kids at risk of childhood poverty, worsening their risk of poor mental health outcomes.
Relationships at school and with peers often impact children’s mental health, including dealing with unresolved grief, interpersonal disputes, and challenges transitioning into new social roles. Many of these are perennial challenges associated with coming of age.
Is teen mental health declining because of smartphone usage, social media, or the internet? There is always fear that new technologies will ruin our youth.
Mass and social media consumption are correlated with mental health outcomes. Social scientists have linked internet or social media use with depression and eating disorders. Similarly, research has documented that exposure to unrealistic beauty standards in media is correlated with a range of mental health challenges, especially for girls.
Smartphone or social media usage itself may not be the cause of teens’ poor mental health. The popularity of social media is symptomatic of a society in which face-to-face community has atrophied. Young people are spending less time with other young people than prior generations. To make matters worse, teens’ social support systems further eroded during the pandemic. Browsing social media or texting with friends does not yield the same mental health benefits as face-to-face interaction with one’s peers.
Alternatively, declining social stigma associated with mental illness and suicide may result in more teens self-reporting these challenges. Compared to prior generations, it may be that Gen Z is simply more comfortable self-reporting mental health challenges, thoughts of suicide, and suicide attempts.
There is no singular cause of declining mental health among teens. As a sociologist, I tend to prioritize institutional or cultural explanations of behavior. These seem apt to explain the rapid deterioration of teen mental health.
Fortunately, this means that institutional reforms can reverse declines in teen mental health. Increasing access to mental health services is essential. Other practical reforms include training teachers in trauma-responsive classroom strategies, expanding the focus on mental health in the K-12 curriculum, and expanding public health efforts to promote mental health and connect those in need with available resources.
