essay on growing health problems in youth today

Along with Stanford news and stories, show me:

• Student information
• Faculty/Staff information

We want to provide announcements, events, leadership messages and resources that are relevant to you. Your selection is stored in a browser cookie which you can remove at any time using “Clear all personalization” below.

Image credit: Getty Images

One of the most alarming developments across the United States in recent years has been the growing mental health crisis among children and adolescents.

The already dire situation is evolving 2024 already presenting a new set of challenges that Vicki Harrison, the program director at the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing , is closely monitoring and responding to.

Stanford Report sat down with Harrison to find out what concerns her the most about the upcoming year. Harrison also talked about some of the promising ways she and her colleagues are responding to the national crisis and the importance of bringing the youth perspective into that response.

Challenging current events

From the 2024 general election to evolving, international conflicts, today’s dialed-in youth have a lot to process. As teens turn to digital and social media sources to learn about current events and figure out where they stand on particular issues, the sheer volume of news online can feel overwhelming, stressful, and confusing.

One way Harrison is helping teens navigate the information they consume online is through Good for Media , a youth-led initiative that grew out of the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing to bring teens and young adults together to discuss using social media in a safe and healthy way. In addition to numerous youth-developed tools and videos, the team has a guide with tips to deal with the volume of news online and how to process the emotions that come with it.

Harrison points out that the tone of political discourse today – particularly discussions about reining in the rights a person has based on aspects of their identity, such as their religion, race, national origin, or gender – affects adolescents at a crucial time in their development, a period when they are exploring who they are and what they believe in.

“If their identity is being othered, criticized, or punished in some way, what messages is that sending to young people and how do they feel good about themselves?” Harrison said. “We can’t divorce these political and cultural debates from the mental health of young people.”

Harrison believes that any calls for solving the mental health crisis must acknowledge the critical importance of inclusion, dignity, and respect in supporting the mental health of young people.

Talking about mental health

Adolescence is a crucial time to develop coping skills to respond to stressful situations that arise – a skill not all teens and youth learn.

“It hasn’t always been normalized to talk about mental health and how to address feeling sad or worried about things,” Harrison said. “It’s not something that all of us have been taught to really understand and how to cope with. A lot of young people aren’t comfortable seeking professional services.”

The Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing is helping young people get that extra bit of support to deal with problems before they get worse.

This year, they are rolling out stand-alone “one-stop-shop” health centers that offer youth 12-25 years old access to a range of clinical and counseling services with both trained professionals and peers. Called allcove , there are three locations open so far – Palo Alto, Redondo Beach, and San Mateo. More are set to open across the state in 2024.

“If we can normalize young people having an access point – and feeling comfortable accessing it – we can put them on a healthier track and get them any help they may need,” Harrison said.

Another emerging issue Harrison is monitoring is the growing role of social media influencers who talk openly about their struggles with mental health and well-being.

While this is helping bring awareness to mental health – which Harrison wants to see more of – she is also concerned about how it could lead some teens to mistake a normal, stressful life experience for a mental disorder and incorrectly self-diagnose themselves or to overgeneralize or misunderstand symptoms of mental health conditions. Says Harrison, “We want to see mental health destigmatized, but not oversimplified or minimized.”

“We can’t divorce these political and cultural debates from the mental health of young people.” —Vicki Harrison Program Director at the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing

Eyes on new technologies

Advances in technology – particularly generative AI – offer new approaches to improving teen well-being, such as therapeutic chatbots or detecting symptoms through keywords or patterns in speech.

“Digital solutions are a promising part of the continuum of care, but there’s the risk of rolling out things without the research backing them,” Harrison said.

Social media companies have come under scrutiny in recent years for inadequately safeguarding young adult mental health. Harrison hopes those mishaps serve as a cautionary tale for those applying AI tools more broadly.

There’s an opportunity, she says, to involve adolescents directly in making AI applications safe and effective. She and her team hope to engage young people with policy and industry and involve them in the design process, rather than as an afterthought.

“Can we listen to their ideas for how to make it better and how to make it work for them?” Harrison asks. “Giving them that agency is going to give us great ideas and make a better experience for them and for everyone using it.”

Harrison said she and her team are hoping to engage young people with policy and industry to elevate their ideas into the design process, rather than have it be an afterthought.

“There’s a lot of really motivated young people who see potential to do things differently and want to improve the world they inhabit,” Harrison said. “That’s why I always want to find opportunities to pass them the microphone and listen.”

Sorry, we did not find any matching results.

We frequently add data and we're interested in what would be useful to people. If you have a specific recommendation, you can reach us at [email protected] .

We are in the process of adding data at the state and local level. Sign up on our mailing list here to be the first to know when it is available.

Search tips:

• Check your spelling

• Try other search terms

• Use fewer words

What are the biggest mental health issues facing young Americans?

One in five children ages 3-17 had a diagnosed mental, emotional, developmental or behavioral disorder prior to the pandemic.

Updated on Mon, August 22, 2022 by the USAFacts Team

Before the pandemic, mental health challenges were the leading cause of disability and poor life outcomes in young people, according to a Surgeon General’s Office report . Rates for anxiety and depression grew 3 percentage points between 2003 and 2012. By 2019, one in five children ages 3-17 had a reported mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers cited in the Surgeon General’s report point to the growing use of digital media, increasing academic pressure, and limited access to mental health care. Other stressors mentioned as causes for worsening mental health among young people include rising income inequality, racism, gun violence, and climate change.

What are common mental health diagnoses among young people?

The quality of mental health in a child affects how well they handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.

Poor mental health can lead to diagnosable disorders. [1] The most common mental health disorders for children are attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, and behavioral disorders.

According to data collected from the CDC, between 2016-2019 about 8.7% of children ages 3-17 years old were diagnosed with ADHD at the time of the survey. About 7.8% of this age group had a current anxiety diagnosis, followed by 7% with a behavioral problem diagnosis. Depression affected about 3.4% of surveyed children ages 3-17.

What factors contribute to mental health issues for young Americans?

Mental health challenges can impact young people differently depending on their identity. For instance, girls are much more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety, depression, or an eating disorder. Boys are more likely to die by suicide or be diagnosed with a behavioral disorder, such as ADHD, according to the report from the Surgeon Generals Office.

Social and economic inequalities, discrimination, and racism can also poorly impact a child’s mental health.

Children who were discriminated against based on race or ethnicity had higher percentages of one or more mental health conditions (28.9% versus 17.8%), according to the CDC .

Kids growing up in poverty are two to three times more likely to develop mental health conditions than peers with higher socioeconomic status.

Some children were more at risk of developing mental health disorders during the pandemic, according to the report. Pandemic risk factors include having a family member die from COVID-19 or living in an urban area with a severe outbreak of the virus. Children living in financially unstable situations due to the pandemic also faced mental health challenges.

What are some positive impacts on youth mental health?

Access to green space, reliable housing, healthy food, and healthcare all positively impact youth mental health. Relationships with parents, caregivers, teachers, friends and mentors can also shape a child’s mental health — among many other factors.

Some positive behavioral indicators of a child’s mental health include curiosity, affection, positivity, resilience, persistence, and self control. According to the CDC, 91.3% of kids 6 months old to 17 years old usually or always show interest and curiosity in learning new things. And 76.8% of 6- to 17-year-olds usually or always stay calm and in control when faced with a challenge.

What are the impacts of mental health issues?

According to the National Institute of Mental Health , mental disorders can contribute to substance use and substance use disorders. About 4% of kids ages 12 to 17 reported having a substance use disorder in the past year according to CDC data collected in 2018-2019.

Suicide affects young people at higher rates than other age groups. According to a National Vital Statistics System report, suicides went up by 57% for 10 to 24-year-olds between 2007 to 2018. It was the 10th leading cause of death in 2019, the latest year available.

Suicide rates are higher among American Indian/Alaska Native and non-Hispanic White populations. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) , suicide was the second leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Native youth ages 8-24 in 2019.

LGBTQ youth also have a higher rate of suicidal ideation in comparison to their straight peers.

How did the pandemic impact youth mental health?

A report from the Department of Health and Human services found that the pandemic had a negative impact on youth behavior and mental health. Social isolation, disruption in routines, stress, and concerns about the health and safety of loved ones, had a negative impact on the emotional and behavioral health of young kids, according to the report.

Nearly one in four parents of children ages 5 to 12 reported their kids were experiencing worsened mental or emotional health. One in four youth ages 13 to 19 reported losing sleep because of worry, feeling unhappy or depressed, feeling constantly under strain, or experiencing a loss of confidence in themselves during the pandemic.

The report found that kids from lower income households, single-parent families, and Black households, as well as young children with disabilities, experienced the largest increases in emotional or behavior problems, including depression.

Learn more from USAFacts and get the data directly in your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.

Mental health disorders are, "any serious change in the way children typically learn, behave or handle their emotions, causing distress and problems getting through the day,” according to CDC.

Explore more of USAFacts

Related articles, the affordable care act and the data: who is insured and who isn't.

Share of uninsured Americans increases for the first time since ACA went into effect, Census data shows

5 things you might not know about Medicare

US obesity rates have tripled over the last 60 years

Related Data

Children enrolled in Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

9.06 million

People with substance use disorders, including alcohol or drugs

20.4 million

Percent of people covered by public or private health insurance

Data delivered to your inbox.

Keep up with the latest data and most popular content.

SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

• View all journals
• Explore content
• About the journal
• Publish with us
• Sign up for alerts
• 07 October 2021

Young people’s mental health is finally getting the attention it needs

You have full access to this article via your institution.

A kite-flying festival in a refugee camp near Syria’s border with Turkey. The event was organized in July 2020 to support the health and well-being of children fleeing violence in Syria. Credit: Muhammed Said/Anadolu Agency/Getty

Worldwide, at least 13% of people between the ages of 10 and 19 live with a diagnosed mental-health disorder, according to the latest State of the World’s Children report , published this week by the United Nations children’s charity UNICEF. It’s the first time in the organization’s history that this flagship report has tackled the challenges in and opportunities for preventing and treating mental-health problems among young people. It reveals that adolescent mental health is highly complex, understudied — and underfunded. These findings are echoed in a parallel collection of review articles published this week in a number of Springer Nature journals.

Anxiety and depression constitute more than 40% of mental-health disorders among young people (those aged 10–19). UNICEF also reports that, worldwide, suicide is the fourth most-common cause of death (after road injuries, tuberculosis and interpersonal violence) among adolescents (aged 15–19). In eastern Europe and central Asia, suicide is the leading cause of death for young people in that age group — and it’s the second-highest cause in western Europe and North America.

Collection: Promoting youth mental health

Sadly, psychological distress among young people seems to be rising. One study found that rates of depression among a nationally representative sample of US adolescents (aged 12 to 17) increased from 8.5% of young adults to 13.2% between 2005 and 2017 1 . There’s also initial evidence that the coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating this trend in some countries. For example, in a nationwide study 2 from Iceland, adolescents (aged 13–18) reported significantly more symptoms of mental ill health during the pandemic than did their peers before it. And girls were more likely to experience these symptoms than were boys.

Although most mental-health disorders arise during adolescence, UNICEF says that only one-third of investment in mental-health research is targeted towards young people. Moreover, the research itself suffers from fragmentation — scientists involved tend to work inside some key disciplines, such as psychiatry, paediatrics, psychology and epidemiology, and the links between research and health-care services are often poor. This means that effective forms of prevention and treatment are limited, and lack a solid understanding of what works, in which context and why.

This week’s collection of review articles dives deep into the state of knowledge of interventions — those that work and those that don’t — for preventing and treating anxiety and depression in young people aged 14–24. In some of the projects, young people with lived experience of anxiety and depression were co-investigators, involved in both the design and implementation of the reviews, as well as in interpretation of the findings.

Quest for new therapies

Worldwide, the most common treatment for anxiety and depression is a class of drug called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which increase serotonin levels in the brain and are intended to enhance emotion and mood. But their modest efficacy and substantial side effects 3 have spurred the study of alternative physiological mechanisms that could be involved in youth depression and anxiety, so that new therapeutics can be developed.

Mental health: build predictive models to steer policy

For example, researchers have been investigating potential links between depression and inflammatory disorders — such as asthma, cardiovascular disease and inflammatory bowel disease. This is because, in many cases, adults with depression also experience such disorders. Moreover, there’s evidence that, in mice, changes to the gut microbiota during development reduce behaviours similar to those linked to anxiety and depression in people 4 . That suggests that targeting the gut microbiome during adolescence could be a promising avenue for reducing anxiety in young people. Kathrin Cohen Kadosh at the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK, and colleagues reviewed existing reports of interventions in which diets were changed to target the gut microbiome. These were found to have had minimal effect on youth anxiety 5 . However, the authors urge caution before such a conclusion can be confirmed, citing methodological limitations (including small sample sizes) among the studies they reviewed. They say the next crop of studies will need to involve larger-scale clinical trials.

By contrast, researchers have found that improving young people’s cognitive and interpersonal skills can be more effective in preventing and treating anxiety and depression under certain circumstances — although the reason for this is not known. For instance, a concept known as ‘decentring’ or ‘psychological distancing’ (that is, encouraging a person to adopt an objective perspective on negative thoughts and feelings) can help both to prevent and to alleviate depression and anxiety, report Marc Bennett at the University of Cambridge, UK, and colleagues 6 , although the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are unclear.

In addition, Alexander Daros at the Campbell Family Mental Health Institute in Toronto, Canada, and colleagues report a meta-analysis of 90 randomized controlled trials. They found that helping young people to improve their emotion-regulation skills, which are needed to control emotional responses to difficult situations, enables them to cope better with anxiety and depression 7 . However, it is still unclear whether better regulation of emotions is the cause or the effect of these improvements.

Co-production is essential

It’s uncommon — but increasingly seen as essential — that researchers working on treatments and interventions are directly involving young people who’ve experienced mental ill health. These young people need to be involved in all aspects of the research process, from conceptualizing to and designing a study, to conducting it and interpreting the results. Such an approach will lead to more-useful science, and will lessen the risk of developing irrelevant or inappropriate interventions.

Science careers and mental health

Two such young people are co-authors in a review from Karolin Krause at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada, and colleagues. The review explored whether training in problem solving helps to alleviate depressive symptoms 8 . The two youth partners, in turn, convened a panel of 12 other youth advisers, and together they provided input on shaping how the review of the evidence was carried out and on interpreting and contextualizing the findings. The study concluded that, although problem-solving training could help with personal challenges when combined with other treatments, it doesn’t on its own measurably reduce depressive symptoms.

The overarching message that emerges from these reviews is that there is no ‘silver bullet’ for preventing and treating anxiety and depression in young people — rather, prevention and treatment will need to rely on a combination of interventions that take into account individual needs and circumstances. Higher-quality evidence is also needed, such as large-scale trials using established protocols.

Along with the UNICEF report, the studies underscore the transformational part that funders must urgently play, and why researchers, clinicians and communities must work together on more studies that genuinely involve young people as co-investigators. Together, we can all do better to create a brighter, healthier future for a generation of young people facing more challenges than ever before.

Nature 598 , 235-236 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02690-5

Twenge, J. M., Cooper, A. B., Joiner, T. E., Duffy, M. E. & Binau, S. G. J. Abnorm. Psychol. 128 , 185–199 (2019).

Article   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Thorisdottir, I. E. et al. Lancet Psychiatr. 8 , 663–672 (2021).

Article   Google Scholar  

Murphy, S. E. et al. Lancet Psychiatr. 8 , 824–835 (2021).

Murray, E. et al. Brain Behav. Immun. 81 , 198–212 (2019).

Cohen Kadosh, K. et al. Transl. Psychiatr. 11 , 352 (2021).

Bennett, M. P. et al. Transl Psychiatr. 11 , 288 (2021).

Daros, A. R. et al. Nature Hum. Behav . https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01191-9 (2021).

Krause, K. R. et al. BMC Psychiatr. 21 , 397 (2021).

Download references

Reprints and permissions

Related Articles

• Psychiatric disorders
• Public health

Ketamine for depression: slow-release pills could make treatment more accessible

News 27 JUN 24

Put people at the heart of schizophrenia research

World View 19 JUN 24

MDMA therapy for PTSD rejected by FDA panel

News 05 JUN 24

Combined COVID-flu vaccines are coming: Moderna jab clears major test

News 28 JUN 24

‘Vindicated’: Embattled misinformation researchers celebrate key US Supreme Court decision

News 26 JUN 24

Establish a global day to tackle postpartum haemorrhage

Correspondence 25 JUN 24

I was prevented from attending my own conference: visa processes need urgent reform

Correspondence 18 JUN 24

The global refugee crisis is above all a human tragedy — but it affects wildlife, too

PostDoc Researcher, Magnetic Recording Materials Group, National Institute for Materials Science

Starting date would be after January 2025, but it is negotiable.

National Institute for Materials Science

Tenure-Track/Tenured Faculty Positions

Tenure-Track/Tenured Faculty Positions in the fields of energy and resources.

Suzhou, Jiangsu, China

School of Sustainable Energy and Resources at Nanjing University

Postdoctoral Associate- Statistical Genetics

Houston, Texas (US)

Baylor College of Medicine (BCM)

Senior Research Associate (Single Cell/Transcriptomics Senior Bioinformatician)

Metabolic Research Laboratories at the Clinical School, University of Cambridge are recruiting 3 senior bioinformatician specialists to create a dynam

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire (GB)

University of Cambridge

Cancer Biology Postdoctoral Fellow

Tampa, Florida

Moffitt Cancer Center

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Quick links

• Explore articles by subject
• Guide to authors
• Editorial policies

Kids’ mental health is in crisis. Here’s what psychologists are doing to help

Research is focused on child and teen mental health, exploring why they are struggling and what can be done to help them

Vol. 54 No. 1 Print version: page 63

• Mental Health

[ This article is part of the 2023 Trends Report ]

The Covid -19 pandemic era ushered in a new set of challenges for youth in the United States, leading to a mental health crisis as declared by the United States surgeon general just over a year ago. But U.S. children and teens have been suffering for far longer.

In the 10 years leading up to the pandemic, feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness—as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviors—increased by about 40% among young people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System .

“We’re seeing really high rates of suicide and depression, and this has been going on for a while,” said psychologist Kimberly Hoagwood, PhD, a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine. “It certainly got worse during the pandemic.”

In addition to the social isolation and academic disruption nearly all children and teens faced, many also lost caregivers to Covid -19, had a parent lose their job, or were victims of physical or emotional abuse at home.

All these difficulties, on top of growing concerns about social media, mass violence, natural disasters, climate change, and political polarization—not to mention the normal ups and downs of childhood and adolescence—can feel insurmountable for those who work with kids.

“The idea of a ‘mental health crisis’ is really broad. For providers and parents, the term can be anxiety-provoking,” said Melissa Brymer, PhD, who directs terrorism and disaster programs at the UCLA–Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. “Part of our role is to highlight specific areas that are critical in this discussion.”

Across the field, psychologists are doing just that. In addition to studying the biological, social, and structural contributors to the current situation, they are developing and disseminating solutions to families, in schools, and at the state level. They’re exploring ways to improve clinical training and capacity and working to restructure policies to support the most vulnerable children and teens.

Psychologists were also behind new mental health recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a group of volunteer health professionals who evaluate evidence on various preventive health services. The task force now recommends regular anxiety screenings for youth ages 8 to 18 and regular depression screenings for adolescents ages 12 to 18.

“I see these trends in children’s mental health problems as being critical, but there are solutions,” Hoagwood said. “If we refocus our efforts toward those solutions, we could see some of these tides turn.”

Sources of stress

Across the United States, more than 200,000 children lost a parent or primary caregiver to Covid -19 (“ Covid -19 Orphanhood,” Imperial College London, 2022). In the face of those losses, families had to curtail mourning rituals and goodbye traditions because of social distancing requirements and other public health measures, Brymer said. Many children are still grieving, sometimes while facing added challenges such as moving to a different home or transferring to a new school with unfamiliar peers.

The CDC also reports that during the pandemic, 29% of U.S. high school students had a parent or caregiver who lost their job, 55% were emotionally abused by a parent or caregiver, and 11% were physically abused ( Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey—United States, January–June 2021 , CDC ).

“Schools are crucial for keeping kids safe and connecting them with services, but the pandemic completely disrupted those kinds of supports,” Brymer said.

Those extreme disruptions didn’t affect all young people equally. Echoing pre- Covid -19 trends, the CDC also found that girls, LGBTQ+ youth, and those who have experienced racism were more likely to have poor mental health during the pandemic, said social psychologist Kathleen Ethier, PhD, director of the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health.

Contributing factors likely include stigma, discrimination, and online bullying, Ethier said. Female students also report much higher levels of sexual violence than their male peers, which can further harm mental health.

As much hardship as Covid -19 wrought, it’s far from the only factor contributing to the current crisis. Biology also appears to play a role. The age of puberty has been dropping for decades, especially in girls, likely leading to difficulty processing complex feelings and knowing what to do about them ( Eckert-Lind, C., et al., JAMA Pediatrics , Vol. 174, No. 4, 2020 ). In early puberty, regions of the brain linked to emotions and social behavior are developing more quickly than regions responsible for the cognitive control of behavior, such as the prefrontal cortex, Ethier said.

Those developmental changes drive young people to seek attention and approval from their peers . For some, using social media fulfills that need in a healthy way, providing opportunities for connection and validation to youth who may be isolated from peers, geographically or otherwise.

For others, negative messages—including online bullying and unrealistic standards around physical appearance—appear to have a detrimental effect, but more research is needed to understand who is most at risk.

“There is clearly some aspect of young people’s online life that’s contributing [to the mental health crisis], we just don’t know exactly what that is,” said Ethier.

Finally, structural factors that affect millions of U.S. children, including poverty, food insecurity, homelessness, and lack of access to health care and educational opportunities, can lead to stress-response patterns that are known to underlie mental health challenges.

“Even in very young children, prolonged stress can trigger a cycle of emotion-regulation problems, which can in turn lead to anxiety, depression, and behavioral difficulties,” Hoagwood said. “These things are well established, but we’re not doing enough as a field to address them.”

Building capacity in schools

The biggest challenge facing mental health care providers right now, experts say, is a shortage of providers trained to meet the mounting needs of children and adolescents.

“There’s a growing recognition that mental health is just as important as physical health in young people’s development, but that’s happening just as mental health services are under extreme strain,” said clinical psychologist Robin Gurwitch, PhD, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center.

Schools, for example, are a key way to reach and help children—but a 2022 Pew Research Center survey found that only about half of U.S. public schools offer mental health assessments and even fewer offer treatment services. Psychologists are now ramping up efforts to better equip schools to support student well-being onsite.

Much of that work involves changing policies at the school or district level to provide more support for all students. For example, school connectedness—the degree to which young people feel that adults and peers at school care about them and are invested in their success—is a key contributor to mental health. Youth who felt connected during middle and high school have fewer problems with substance use, mental health, suicidality, and risky sexual behavior as adults ( Steiner, R. J., et al., Pediatrics , Vol. 144, No. 1, 2019 ).

Through its What Works in Schools program , the CDC funds school districts to make changes that research shows foster school connectedness. Those include improving classroom management, implementing service-learning programs for students in their communities, bringing mentors from the community into schools, and making schools safer and more supportive for LGBTQ+ students.

Psychologists are also building training programs to help teachers and other school staff create supportive classrooms and aid students who are in distress. Classroom Wise (Well-Being Information and Strategies for Educators), developed by the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network and the University of Maryland’s National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH), is a free, flexible online course and resource library that draws on psychological research on social-emotional learning, behavioral regulation, mental health literacy, trauma, and more ( Evidence-Based Components of Classroom Wise (PDF, 205KB), NCSMH, 2021 ).

“We’re using evidence-based practices from child and adolescent mental health but making these strategies readily available for teachers to apply in the classroom,” said clinical psychologist Nancy Lever, PhD, codirector of NCSMH, who helped develop Classroom Wise .

The course incorporates the voices of students and educators and teaches actionable strategies such as how to create rules and routines that make classrooms feel safe and how to model emotional self-regulation. The strategies can be used by anyone who interacts with students, from teachers and administrators to school nurses, coaches, and bus drivers.

“What we need is to build capacity through all of the systems that are part of children’s lives—in families, in schools, in the education of everybody who interacts with children,” said psychologist Ann Masten, PhD, a professor of child development at the University of Minnesota.

Other training efforts focus on the students themselves. Given that preteens and teenagers tend to seek support from their peers before turning to adults, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) created conversation cards to equip kids with basic skills for talking about suicide. The advice, available in English and Spanish, includes how to ask about suicidal thoughts, how to listen without judgment, and when to seek guidance from an adult ( Talking About Suicide With Friends and Peers, NCTSN, 2021 ).

While training people across the school population to spot and address mental health concerns can help reduce the strain on mental health professionals, there will always be a subset of students who need more specialized support.

Telehealth, nearly ubiquitous these days, is one of the best ways to do that. In South Carolina, psychologist Regan Stewart, PhD, and her colleagues colaunched the Telehealth Outreach Program at the Medical University of South Carolina in 2015. Today, nearly every school in the state has telehealth equipment (Wi-Fi and tablets or laptops that kids can use at school or take home) and access to providers (psychology and social work graduate students and clinicians trained in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy). Students who need services, which are free thanks to grant funding or covered by Medicaid, meet one-on-one with their clinician during the school day or after hours ( American Psychologist , Vol. 75, No. 8, 2020 ).

“We learned a lot about the use of technology during the pandemic,” Ethier said. “At this point, it’s very much a matter of having sufficient resources so more school districts can access those sources of care.”

Expanding the workforce

Limited resources are leaving families low on options, with some young people making multiple trips to the emergency room for mental health-related concerns or spending more than six months on a waiting list for mental health support. That points to a need for more trained emergency responders and psychiatric beds, psychologists say, but also for better upstream screening and prevention to reduce the need for intensive care.

“Just as we need more capacity for psychiatric emergencies in kids, we also need an infusion of knowledge and ordinary strategies to support mental health on the positive side,” Masten said.

In New York, Hoagwood helped launch the state-funded Evidence Based Treatment Dissemination Center in 2006, which offers free training on evidence-based practices for trauma, behavioral and attention problems, anxiety, depression, and more to all mental health professionals who work with children in state-licensed programs, which include foster care, juvenile justice, and school settings, among others. The center provides training on a core set of tools known as PracticeWise ( Chorpita, B. F., & Daleiden E. L., Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology , Vol. 77, No. 3, 2009 ). It also offers tailored training based on requests from community agency leaders and clinicians who provide services to children and their families.

Hoagwood, in collaboration with a consortium of family advocates, state officials, and researchers, also helped build and test a state-approved training model and credentialing program for family and youth peer advocates. The peer advocate programs help expand the mental health workforce while giving families access to peers who have similar lived experience ( Psychiatric Services , Vol. 71, No. 5, 2020).

Youth peer advocates are young adults who have personal experience with systems such as foster care, juvenile justice, or state psychiatric care. They work within care teams to provide basic education and emotional support to other youth, such as giving advice on what questions to ask a new mental health practitioner and explaining the differences between psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers. Youth peer advocates in New York can now receive college credit for their training in peer specialist work.

“Making community health work into a viable career can also increase diversity among mental health workers and help us address structural racism,” Hoagwood said.

Pediatricians are another group that can provide a first line of defense, drawing on their relationships with parents to destigmatize mental health care.

“Pediatricians are in many ways uniquely positioned to help address the mental health crisis in youth,” said Janine A. Rethy, MD, MPH, division chief of community pediatrics at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and an associate professor of pediatrics at Georgetown University School of Medicine. “We have the privilege of building long-term relationships with children and their families over many years,” with at least 12 well-child checkups in just the first three years of a child’s life, followed by annual visits.

During these visits, they can watch for warning signs of social and behavioral problems and screen for maternal depression and other issues in parents, which is now recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (PDF, 660KB) . Several new resources provide guidance for integrating mental health care into pediatric practices, including the Behavioral Health Integration Compendium (PDF, 4.1MB) and the Healthy Steps program . But most pediatricians need more education on mental health issues in order to effectively respond, Rethy said—yet another area where psychologists may be able to help. Psychologists can provide direct consultations and training to pediatricians through the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access program.

“The more we can weave mental health knowledge, capacity, and checkpoints into places where parents feel comfortable—like the doctor’s office and at school—the better,” Masten said. “All professionals who work with young people really need the knowledge that’s being generated by psychologists.”

11 emerging trends for 2023

Scientists reach a wider audience

Psychologists take aim at misinformation

Psychological research becomes more inclusive

EDI roles expand

Worker well-being is in demand

Efforts to improve childrens’ mental health increase

Partnerships accelerate progress

Suicide prevention gets a new lifeline

Some faculty exit academia

Venture capitalists shift focus

Psychologists rebrand the field

Further reading

Science shows how to protect kids’ mental health, but it’s being ignored Prinstein, M., & Ethier, K. A., Scientific American , 2022

How pediatricians can help mitigate the mental health crisis Rethy, J. A., & Chawla, E. M., Contemporary Pediatrics , 2022

Review: Structural racism, children’s mental health service systems, and recommendations for policy and practice change Alvarez, K., et al., Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , 2022

Six Things Psychologists are Talking About

The APA Monitor on Psychology ® sister e-newsletter offers fresh articles on psychology trends, new research, and more.

Welcome! Thank you for subscribing.

Speaking of Psychology

Subscribe to APA’s audio podcast series highlighting some of the most important and relevant psychological research being conducted today.

Subscribe to Speaking of Psychology and download via:

Contact APA

Related topics.

• Mental health

You may also like

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

• Your Health
• Treatments & Tests
• Health Inc.
• Public Health

Living Better

The truth about teens, social media and the mental health crisis.

Michaeleen Doucleff

For years, the research picture on how social media affects teen mental health has been murky. That is changing as scientists find new tools to answer the question. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

For years, the research picture on how social media affects teen mental health has been murky. That is changing as scientists find new tools to answer the question.

Back in 2017, psychologist Jean Twenge set off a firestorm in the field of psychology.

Twenge studies generational trends at San Diego State University. When she looked at mental health metrics for teenagers around 2012, what she saw shocked her. "In all my analyses of generational data — some reaching back to the 1930s — I had never seen anything like it," Twenge wrote in the Atlantic in 2017.

Twenge warned of a mental health crisis on the horizon. Rates of depression, anxiety and loneliness were rising. And she had a hypothesis for the cause: smartphones and all the social media that comes along with them. "Smartphones were used by the majority of Americans around 2012, and that's the same time loneliness increases. That's very suspicious," Twenge told NPR in 2017.

But many of her colleagues were skeptical. Some even accused her of inciting a panic with too little — and too weak — data to back her claims.

Now, six years later, Twenge is back. She has a new book out this week, called Generations , with much more data backing her hypothesis. At the same time, several high-quality studies have begun to answer critical questions, such as does social media cause teens to become depressed and is it a key contributor to a rise in depression?

In particular, studies from three different types of experiments, altogether, point in the same direction. "Indeed, I think the picture is getting more and more consistent," says economist Alexey Makarin , at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Shots - Health News

How to help young people limit screen time — and feel better about how they look, a seismic change in how teens spend their time.

In Generations , Twenge analyzes mental health trends for five age groups, from the Silent Generation, who were born between 1925 and 1945, to Gen Z, who were born between 1995 and 2012. She shows definitively that "the way teens spend their time outside of school fundamentally changed in 2012," as Twenge writes in the book.

Take for instance, hanging out with friends, in person. Since 1976, the number of times per week teens go out with friends — and without their parents — held basically steady for nearly 30 years. In 2004, it slid a bit. Then in 2010, it nosedived.

"It was just like a Black Diamond ski slope straight down," Twenge tells NPR. "So these really big changes occur."

At the same time, around 2012, time on social media began to soar. In 2009, only about half of teens used social media every day, Twenge reports. In 2017, 85% used it daily. By 2022, 95% of teens said they use some social media, and about a third say they use it constantly, a poll from Pew Research Center found .

"Now, in the most recent data, 22% of 10th grade girls spend seven or more hours a day on social media," Twenge says, which means many teenage girls are doing little else than sleeping, going to school and engaging with social media.

Not surprisingly, all this screen time has cut into many kids' sleep time. Between 2010 and 2021, the percentage of 10th and 12th graders who slept seven or fewer hours each night rose from a third to nearly one-half. "That's a big jump," Twenge says. "Kids in that age group are supposed to sleep nine hours a night. So less than seven hours is a really serious problem."

Teen girls and LGBTQ+ youth plagued by violence and trauma, survey says

On its own, sleep deprivation can cause mental health issues. "Sleep is absolutely crucial for physical health and for mental health. Not getting enough sleep is a major risk factor for anxiety and depression and self-harm," she explains. Unfortunately, all of those mental health problems have continued to rise since Twenge first sounded the alarm six years ago.

"Nuclear bomb" on teen social life

"Every indicator of mental health and psychological well-being has become more negative among teens and young adults since 2012," Twenge writes in Generations . "The trends are stunning in their consistency, breadth and size."

Across the board, since 2010, anxiety, depression and loneliness have all increased . "And it's not just symptoms that rose, but also behaviors," she says, "including emergency room visits for self-harm, for suicide attempts and completed suicides." The data goes up through 2019, so it doesn't include changes due to COVID-19.

All these rapid changes coincide with what, Twenge says, may be the most rapid uptake in a new technology in human history: the incorporation of smartphones into our lives, which has allowed nearly nonstop engagement with social media apps. Apple introduced the first iPhones in 2007, and by 2012, about 50% of American adults owned a smartphone, the Pew Research Center found .

The timing is hard to ignore, says data scientist Chris Said , who has a Ph.D. in psychology from Princeton University and has worked at Facebook and Twitter. "Social media was like a nuclear bomb on teen social life," he says. "I don't think there's anything in recent memory, or even distant history, that has changed the way teens socialize as much as social media."

Murky picture becomes clearer on causes of teen depression

But the timing doesn't tell you whether social media actually causes depression in teens.

In the past decade, scientists have published a whole slew of studies trying to answer this question, and those studies sparked intense debate among scientists and in the media. But, Said says, what many people don't realize is scientists weren't using — or didn't even have — the proper tools to answer the question. "This is a very hard problem to study," he says. "The data they were analyzing couldn't really solve the problem."

Mental Health

The mental health of teen girls and lgbtq+ teens has worsened since 2011.

So the findings have been all over the place. They've been murky, noisy, inconclusive and confusing. "When you use tools that can't fully answer the question, you're going to get weak answers," he says. "So I think that's one reason why really strong evidence didn't show up in the data, at least early on."

On top of it, psychology has a bad track record in this field, Said points out. For nearly a century, psychologists have repeatedly blamed new technologies for mental and physical health problems of children, even when they've had little — or shady — data to back up their claims.

For example, in the 1940s, psychologists worried that children were becoming addicted to radio crime dramas, psychologist Amy Orben at the University of Cambridge explains in her doctoral thesis. After that, they raised concerns about comic books, television and — eventually — video games. Thus, many researchers worried that social media may simply be the newest scapegoat for children's mental health issues.

A handful of scientists, including MIT's Alexey Makarin, noticed this problem with the data, the tools and the field's past failures, and so they took the matter into their own hands. They went out and found better tools.

Hundreds of thousands of more college students depressed

Over the past few years, several high-quality studies have come that can directly test whether social media causes depression. Instead of being murky and mixed, they support each other and show clear effects of social media. "The body of literature seems to suggest that indeed, social media has negative effects on mental health, especially on young adults' mental health," says Makarin, who led what many scientists say is the best study on the topic to date.

In that study, Makarin and his team took advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: the staggered introduction of Facebook across U.S. colleges from 2004 to 2006. Facebook rolled out into society first on college campuses, but not all campuses introduced Facebook at the same time.

For Makarin and his colleagues, this staggered rollout is experimental gold.

"It allowed us to compare students' mental health between colleges where Facebook just arrived to colleges where Facebook had not yet arrived," he says. They could also measure how students' mental health shifted on a particular campus when people started to spend a bunch of their time on social media.

Luckily, his team could track mental health at the time because college administrators were also conducting a national survey that asked students an array of questions about their mental health, including diagnoses, therapies and medications for depression, anxiety and eating disorders. "These are not just people's feelings," Makarin says. "These are actual conditions that people have to report."

They had data on a large number of students. "The data comes from more than 350,000 student responses across more than 300 colleges," Makarin says.

This type of study is called a quasi-experiment, and it allows scientists to estimate how much social media actually changes teens' mental health, or as Makarin says, "We can get causal estimates of the impact of Facebook on mental health."

So what happened? "Almost immediately after Facebook arrives on campus, we see an uptick in mental health issues that students report," Makarin says. "We especially find an impact on depression rates, anxiety disorders and other questions associated with depression in general."

And the effect isn't small, he says. Across the population, the rollout of Facebook caused about 2% of college students to become clinically depressed. That may sound modest, but with more than 17 million college students in the U.S. at the time, that means Facebook caused more than 300,000 young adults to suffer from depression.

For an individual, on average, engaging with Facebook decreases their mental health by roughly 22% of the effect of losing one's job, as reported by a previous meta-analysis, Makarin and his team found.

Facebook's rollout had a larger effect on women's mental health than on men's mental health, the study showed. But the difference was small, Makarin says.

He and his colleagues published their findings last November in the American Economic Review . "I love that paper," says economist Matthew Gentzkow at Stanford University, who was not involved in the research. "It's probably the most convincing study I've seen. I think it shows a clear effect, and it's really credible. They did a good job of isolating the effect of Facebook, which isn't easy."

Of course, the study has limitations, Gentzkow says. First off, it's Facebook, which teens are using less and less. And the version of Facebook is barebones. In 2006, the platform didn't have a "like" button" or a "newsfeed." This older version probably wasn't as "potent" as social media now, says data scientist Chris Said. Furthermore, students used the platform only on a computer because smartphones weren't available yet. And the study only examined mental health impacts over a six-month period.

Nevertheless, the findings in this study bolster other recent studies, including one that Gentzkow led.

Social media is "like the ocean" for kids

Back in 2018, Gentzkow and his team recruited about 2,700 Facebook users ages 18 or over. They paid about half of them to deactivate their Facebook accounts for four weeks. Then Gentzkow and his team looked to see how a Facebook break shifted their mental health. They reported their findings in March 2020 in the American Economic Review.

This type of study is called a randomized experiment, and it's thought of as the best way to estimate whether a variable in life causes a particular problem. But with social media, these randomized experiments have big limitations. For one, the experiments are short-term — here only four weeks. Also, people use social media in clusters, not as individuals. So having individuals quit Facebook won't capture the effect of having an entire social group quit together. Both of these limitations could underestimate the impact of social media on an individual and community.

Nevertheless, Gentzkow could see how deactivating Facebook made people, on average, feel better. "Being off Facebook was positive across well-being outcomes," he says. "You see higher happiness, life satisfaction, and also lower depression, lower anxiety, and maybe a little bit lower loneliness."

Gentzkow and his team measured participants' well-being by giving them a survey at the end of the experiment but also asking questions, via text message, through the experiment. "For example, we sent people text messages that say, 'Right now, would you say you're feeling happy or not happy,'" he explains.

Again, as with Makarin's experiment, the effect was moderate. Gentzkow and his colleagues estimate that temporarily quitting Facebook improves a person's mental health by about 30% of the positive effect seen by going to therapy. "You could view that meaning these effects are pretty big," he explains, "or you could also see that as meaning that the effects of therapy are somewhat small. And I think both of those things are true to an extent."

Scientists still don't know to what extent social media is behind the rising mental health issues among teenagers and whether it is the primary cause. "It seems to be the case — like it's a big factor," says MIT's Alexey Makarin, "but that's still up for debate."

Still, though, other specifics are beginning to crystallize. Scientists are narrowing in on what aspects of social media are most problematic. And they can see that social media won't hurt every teen — or hurt them by the same amount. The data suggests that the more hours a child devotes to social media, the higher their risk for mental health problems.

Finally, some adolescents are likely more vulnerable to social media, and children may be more vulnerable at particular ages. A study published in February 2022 looked to see how time spent on social media varies with life satisfaction during different times in a child's life (see the graphic).

The researchers also looked to see if a child's present use of social media predicted a decrease of life satisfaction one year later. That data suggests two windows of time when children are most sensitive to detrimental effects of social media, especially heavy use of it. For girls, one window occurs at ages 11 through 13. And for boys, one window occurs at ages 14 and 15. For both genders, there's a window of sensitivity around age 19 — or near the time teenagers enter college. Amy Orben and her team at the University of Cambridge reported the findings in Nature Communications .

This type of evidence is known as a correlative. "It's hard to draw conclusions from these studies," Gentzkow says, because many factors contribute to life satisfaction, such as environmental factors and family backgrounds. Plus, people may use social media because they're depressed (and so depression could be the cause, not the outcome of social media use).

"Nevertheless, these correlative studies, together with the evidence from the causal experiments, paint a picture that suggests we should take social media seriously and be concerned," Gentzkow adds.

Psychologist Orben once heard a metaphor that may help parents understand how to approach this new technology. Social media for children is a bit like the ocean, she says, noting that it can be an extremely dangerous place for children. Before parents let children swim in any open water, they make sure the child is well-prepared and equipped to handle problems that arise. They provide safety vests, swimming lessons, often in less dangerous waters, and even then parents provide a huge amount of supervision.

Alyson Hurt created the graphic. Jane Greenhalgh and Diane Webber edited the story.

• mental health
• smartphones
• social media

• Fact sheets
• Facts in pictures
• Publications
• Questions and answers
• Tools and toolkits
• HIV and AIDS
• Hypertension
• Mental disorders
• Top 10 causes of death
• All countries
• Eastern Mediterranean
• South-East Asia
• Western Pacific
• Data by country
• Country presence 
• Country strengthening 
• Country cooperation strategies 
• News releases
• Feature stories
• Press conferences
• Commentaries
• Photo library
• Afghanistan
• Cholera 
• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
• Greater Horn of Africa
• Israel and occupied Palestinian territory
• Disease Outbreak News
• Situation reports
• Weekly Epidemiological Record
• Surveillance
• Health emergency appeal
• International Health Regulations
• Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee
• Classifications
• Data collections
• Global Health Estimates
• Mortality Database
• Sustainable Development Goals
• Health Inequality Monitor
• Global Progress
• Data collection tools
• Global Health Observatory
• Insights and visualizations
• COVID excess deaths
• World Health Statistics
• Partnerships
• Committees and advisory groups
• Collaborating centres
• Technical teams
• Organizational structure
• Initiatives
• General Programme of Work
• WHO Academy
• Investment in WHO
• WHO Foundation
• External audit
• Financial statements
• Internal audit and investigations 
• Programme Budget
• Results reports
• Governing bodies
• World Health Assembly
• Executive Board
• Member States Portal
• Spotlight /

Coming of age: adolescent health

The world now has more young people than ever before – of the 7.2 billion people worldwide, over 3 billion are younger than 25 years, making up 42% of the world population. Around 1.2 billion of these young people are adolescents aged between 10 and 19 years.

Adolescence is a critical time of life. It is a time when people become independent individuals, forge new relationships, develop social skills and learn behaviours that will last the rest of their lives. It can also be one of the most challenging periods.

WHO Database on Youth Violence

Story: Protecting adolescents with HPV vaccine

Story: The invisible boys and girls in Nigeria

Youth voices from around the world

Prioritizing adolescent health

WHO Implementation Tool for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) of HIV Infection

Adolescent health is starting to attract the attention it deserves, and is increasingly prominent in global health initiatives. This includes the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health , areas such as mental health (young people’s mental health is the theme of 2018’s World Mental Health Day on 10 October) and management of sexually transmitted infections (growing rates of infections in adolescents was much discussed at the 2018 International AIDS conference in Amsterdam ).

Yet, a comprehensive approach to adolescent health is often lacking, with this critical age group very much at risk of being left behind in the development agenda. “For a long time there has been an assumption – sustained by critical gaps in data - that adolescents are healthy. Most of them indeed are, but much less so than we used to think. Data show that the considerable gains from investments in maternal and child health programmes are not sustained in adolescence: the reduction in child mortality was not mirrored by a similar reduction in adolescent deaths,” says Dr Princess Nothemba (Nono) Simelela, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Family, Women, Children and Adolescents.

“Youth are central partners and collaborators because of their inherent strength to create change. WHO remains committed to meaningfully engage youth in our work and to implement youth lens in our planning and actions,” says Ms Diah Saminarsih, WHO’s Advisor on Gender and Youth.

Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016 -2030)

In 2017, WHO and other UN partners launched a major initiative called Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (AA-HA!) to change the way countries tackle adolescent health. The AA-HA! guidance calls for a systematic inclusion of adolescents’ expectations and perspectives in health planning processes.

“With this guidance, we wanted countries to have an AA-HA! moment - not only as in, ‘aha, now I know what the problem is’, but also as in, ‘aha, now I know what the solution is’,” explains Dr Valentina Baltag, at the Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health, at WHO, who helped develop the guidance. “The guidance is not only about facts and figures to show where to invest, but is also a compilation of the most up-to-date, tangible information from research and practice on what works.”

How young people can engage in global health and development

Partners such as UNICEF, UNAIDS and UNFPA were critical in developing the guidance. “Health is made at home and is a result of many sectors' direct or indirect interventions,” says Dr Stefan Peterson, Chief of Health at UNICEF. “The AA-HA! guidance sets out a broad approach to addressing the various aspects of adolescent health, helping governments to design comprehensive responses that meet the needs of adolescents and their communities,” he says.

Peterson says that UNICEF is prioritizing adolescents now because “Two decades of multisectoral investment are needed to produce a healthy, educated young adult. If we only focus on the first five years of a child’s life, adolescents end up falling through the cracks. Investing in adolescent health is key to unlocking lifelong health, productivity and national prosperity.”

A new  WHO report on youth, health and development  launched this week articulates how adolescent global and national leadership could be institutionalized and actively supported in WHO’s work with Member States and a diverse range of partners, including groups led by young people, to embed engagement with young people in every aspect of the health ecosystem.

WHO's work on adolescence

The report refers to young people as a “powerhouse of human potential” and describes strategic opportunities to meaningfully engage them in transforming health and sustainable development. Young people can be critical agents of change, it says, if they are allowed to be part of the conversation in a fundamental way.

“With over 40% of the world’s population under the age of 24 years, young people have to be part of any meaningful solution to the world’s challenges—and this is their right. Ensuring young people’s meaningful, safe and effective engagement for health and sustainable development is a matter of urgency for Member States, WHO and partners, and young people themselves,” says Dr Shyama Kuruvilla, in WHO’s department for Family, Women’s and Children’s Health.

Gender differences

Fact sheet: Gender and health

Story: Gender inequality in early adolescence

As boys and girls enter adolescence, health risks become increasingly skewed along gender lines. Some of the differences are biological, such as complications from teenage pregnancy or being at risk of being infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) that can lead to cervical cancer later in life - but many are shaped by societal gender norms  such as expectations on girls to get married or on boys to earn an income at an early age.

Violence is one of the biggest threats that young people face – and much of this violence happens between peers. In the past year alone, one billion children worldwide – over half of all young people aged 2–17 years – have experienced emotional, physical or sexual violence. Both boys and girls experience high levels of violence, and policies developed need to be appropriate for the types of violence faced. 40% of 13-15 year olds were involved in a physical fight in the past 12 months.

Infographic: Gender and health

Violence has a strong gender component: one in five girls under the age of 20 report experiencing sexual violence, compared to 8% of boys. Girls are more likely to experience sexual or physical violence from partners, or be forced into child marriage, trafficking, child labour, or genital mutilation.

Boys are more likely to be both victims and perpetrators of homicide, involving weapons such as firearms and knives: homicide is among the top five causes of death in adolescents, and males comprise over 80% of victims and perpetrators. Boys are also more likely to be in road traffic accidents, which can cost them their lives.

Social and economic inequalities always have a detrimental effect on health, and nowhere is this more apparent than with young people. Adolescents from ethnic minorities, refugees, young offenders, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, may face greater health challenges, including mental health problems, disabilities, or autism spectrum disorders, in part due to stigma, social exclusion, discrimination and rejection by their family or community.

“Social norms affect young people, whether they are rich or poor. A classic example is attitudes to menstruation in India, which can lead to the ostracization of girls from educational or social activities with lifelong repercussions, and barriers to fact-based sexuality education (especially for girls) in a number of countries,” says Dr Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli, Reproductive and Sexual Health Specialist at WHO.

What does "LGBTQIA+" stand for?

FAQ on Health and Sexual diversity

A formative time

Adolescence is a highly formative time for future health. While many of the challenges that emerge at this age are rooted in experiences in the womb or in young childhood, effects of the neurobiological changes in the very early years can emerge in adolescence. This will influence behaviours that can lead to heart disease and other chronic conditions that also tend to be established at this crucial time of life, including levels of physical activity, nutrition, tobacco smoking, and alcohol use. Most smokers start smoking when they are teenagers – one in two people who start and who continue to smoke will be killed by tobacco-related illnesses. Risky behaviours can begin as experiments but then become lifelong habits, with profound implications for health and well-being.

The impact of such health issues can affect not only current youth, but also future generations. If young people are exposed to violence, they are in turn more likely to perpetuate it themselves. Meanwhile, mental health issues that develop in adolescence can affect the way people later parent their own children, incurring potential consequences for generations to come.

“Half of mental health disorders arise before the age of 14,” explains Dr Tarun Dua, mental health expert at WHO. “If these are left untreated, they extend into adult life, thus impacting educational attainment, employment, relationships or even parenting.”

Self-harm is the third leading cause of deaths in 15-19 year olds. 80% of depression begins in adolescence, but many cases go undetected and untreated.

Moreover, many unhealthy behaviours and health conditions are interlinked. For instance, bullying can lead to self-harm, eating disorders, or anxiety disorders that can persist throughout their lifetime, as well as making it more likely that a young person will have suicidal thoughts.

Opinion: Adolescents aiming high for healthy futures

The converse can also be true, however. Although this period of life can be fraught with difficulty, there is also an enormous opportunity to protect future health. Often for the first time, young people will be making independent decisions about what to eat and how much, whether to do regular sports and exercise, whether to engage in safe or unsafe sexual practices, or whether or not to try addictive substances such as drugs or alcohol. 

Thus, positive development is critical for young people, in particular learning specific social skills, being able to form bonds with other people, developing a sense of self-worth, gaining a sense of right and wrong, and building the ability to empathise with others.

“Some adolescents will make healthy choices but some will start making unhealthy choices. These may start as experimental behaviours, but without adequate support can become lifelong habits. The challenge for us is to design policies that will make healthy choices easy, and unhealthy choices difficult, expensive and inaccessible,” says Baltag.

INSPIRE: Seven strategies for Ending Violence Against Children

When young people are protected by age-appropriate policies and programmes, and given safe spaces in which to not only survive but actually thrive, they can develop resilience that ensures they grow into healthy, well-adjusted adults. Effective interventions at this time, will therefore yield lifelong benefits and longlasting returns.  A particular challenge in addressing risks that young people face is that prohibitive approaches (e.g. laws restricting the sale of alcohol and tobacco use) do not always work without adequate family and societal support and protection. The widespread availability of pornography coupled with a lack of adequate sex education in many countries can mean that young people are not aware of risks they may face, or understand healthy sexual behaviour. Education (both at home and at school) is critical in teaching young people how to behave responsibly. “Sexuality education is about much more than talking to young people about sex and condoms, but rather aims to prepare young people for a healthy, and a pleasurable sexual and reproductive life,” explains Chandra-Mouli. “There is ample evidence from countries around the world that well-designed, well-delivered sexuality education programmes do good and do not result in harm, that they improve knowledge and understanding, promote positive behaviours and when combined with a healthy dose of gender, actually reduce health problems such as unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.” Young people navigate almost every element of their lives, especially their social lives, through technology. While it can sometimes lead to obsessive behaviours such as internet or gaming addiction, technology can also be a way to provide them with such critical information, connect them with services or empower them in their own healthcare. For example, digital health programmes about sexual health, physical activity or diet; or providing adolescents the ability to provide confidential online feedback to health providers on their experience with care.

Story: Digitizing sexual health information in Kenya and Peru

Investing in adolescent health

Many of the health challenges that young people face – noncommunicable diseases , violence, road traffic accidents – are set to rise as the world continues to become more crowded, more urban, and more mobile. Increasing exposure to tobacco, drugs and alcohol via the internet and the media, and ever-increasing marketing of unhealthy products to young people, is ensuring that young people continue to be at risk of obesity or alcohol or substance abuse at a time when they are most vulnerable, and when their bodies are still in crucial phases of development. The need to invest in the health of adolescents has become urgent.

“Investing in the health and well-being of adolescents, especially adolescent girls, should be a top priority for national and international policymakers. These investments are not only the right thing to do, they also yield tremendous economic and social returns and are vital to achieving the global sustainable development agenda,” says Dr Natalia Kanem, Executive Director, UNFPA.

WHO’s AA-HA! guidance aims to support countries to improve adolescent health. Many countries have inadequate insight of the main causes of adolescent health issues or causes of death. AA-HA! supports countries in mapping the health needs of their adolescents, and brings together evidence-based policies to show what works.

The partnership that was created while developing this guidance sets the stage for a new era in global adolescent health. Coordinated by WHO, it was developed with the active participation of United Nations agencies, civil society organizations, academics, governments, and, most importantly, young people themselves.

AA-HA workshops map

And now it is paying off. In every country where the AA-HA! guidance has been used, coalitions of UN partners, nongovernmental organizations, community groups and young people have been formed to steer national action. “In the past, agencies and programmes tended to work in isolation, each looking after a particular health issue that affects adolescents – for instance, HIV, pregnancy or anaemia. Now we hope the focus will change from the diseases to the adolescent - the person, in the entirety of her or his needs,” explains Baltag. 

In just over a year, teams from 68 countries have been trained in applying the AA-HA! guidance for national priority-setting, programming, monitoring and evaluation, and 18 countries are in the process of using the AA-HA! approach to update national strategies and policies.

“The AA-HA! strategy is a critical step in the right direction. It supports countries to advance the respect, protection and promotion of the right to health of adolescents, especially for those who are the most marginalized from society and face high levels of inequality, discrimination, exclusion and violence, which jeopardizes their access to services and health outcomes,” says Mr Tim Martineau, acting Deputy Executive Director, Programme Branch at UNAIDS.

Alongside efforts to strengthen adolescent health in a holistic manner, a number of key commitments have been made in specific areas. One example is preventing unintended and unwanted pregnancy through improving access to and use of contraception. Recognizing the benefits of preventing adolescent pregnancy both for the health of adolescent girls, and for the population as a whole, a number of countries have included bold commitments to step up efforts and financing for adolescent contraception at the Family Planning Summit in London in 2017.

AA-HA! at a glance

Improving health: what works

Adolescent alcohol-related behaviours: trends and inequalities in the WHO European Region

In tackling adolescent health challenges, building resilience is key. For mental health conditions, for example, resilience comes from having emotional, psychological and social support such as strong peer networks, being able to speak openly to adults at school or at home, but also being physically healthy through a good diet, physical activity, and sleeping well. “Interventions that can impact multiple health issues at the same time are essential, such as life skills training for mental health, drug and alcohol abuse and violence prevention,” says Dr Berit Kieselbach, violence prevention expert at WHO. It is also a time to proactively engage young people in measures that promote positive attitudes to sexuality and sexual health across genders, while ensuring youth are protecting themselves against chronic diseases in the future. Early adolescence is the critical period for vaccination of young girls against HPV, the leading cause of cervical cancer cases. When given before young people become sexually active, the HPV vaccination provides an immense opportunity to reduce the burden of cervical cancer later in life.

Tackling gender norms that have a negative effect on health is critical. Studies of gender norms shows that during adolescence, in many countries, boys see an expansion of their horizons – they gain access to new opportunities, whereas girls can have fewer options, and their worlds shrink. At the same time, boys also are put at risk through the reinforcement of negative gender stereotypes, which encourage risk-taking behaviours and can perpetuate violence. Engaging young people  in conversations about their own perceptions of gender norms, promoting gender equity in parenting and education, and tapping into the reach of media and technology could all help counter harmful gender norms that begin from infancy.

Both girls and boys require support in overcoming barriers to accessing healthcare. In Nepal, for example, the Ministry of Health realized its adolescent sexual and reproductive health programme did not account for barriers such as distance and cost of travel, inability to come during opening hours, and a lack of privacy and confidentiality. It is now planning to introduce measures to address such constraints, including an increased focus on outreach services in disadvantaged areas and enhanced community engagement.

A push to improve primary health care, led by the Global Conference on Primary Health Care in Astana this October, is an opportunity to shape primary care services that are responsive to adolescents’ needs, including through youth engagement. Such a system would need to ensure that: adolescents know when and where to access services and pay no fees at the point of care; that providers are trained and have incentives for delivering adolescent-responsive care, including preventive care; and that no mandatory third party authorizations (e.g. parental or guardian permissions) are required for adolescents to use sexual and reproductive health services.

At the same time, while it will be important both to strengthen the ability of existing health services to respond to adolescents’ health needs, it will also be important to reach young people where they are. This might include new uses of technology, as well as programmes that support active youth outreach at homes and schools. 

An initiative led by WHO and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) aims to make every school a ‘health-promoting school’. The two organizations are working to develop and promote a set of global standards to guide schools and their communities to become healthy and safe places for learning.

What Are The Biggest Health Challenges Facing Youth? WHO Releases Fact-Sheet

Express yourself blog.

In May 2014, WHO published a major report called “Health for the world’s adolescents” . The report analyses what is known about adolescents’ health, including what promotes or undermines it, highlights gaps in policies and services, and draws together guidance and recommendations from across WHO. The report, which focuses on the health sector, examines areas of significant improvements and innovative approaches.

Overall, WHO carries out a range of functions to improve the health of young people, including:

• Drawing up evidence-based guidelines to support health services and other sectors;
• Making recommendations to governments on adolescent health and adolescent friendly health services;
• Raising awareness of health issues for young people among the public and special groups.

An estimated 1.3 million adolescents died in 2012, mostly from preventable or treatable causes.

Road traffic injuries were the leading cause of death in 2012, with some 330 adolescents dying every day.

Other main causes of adolescent deaths include HIV, suicide, lower respiratory infections and interpersonal violence.

Globally, there were 49 births per 1000 girls aged 15 to 19, according to 2010 figures.

Half of all mental health disorders in adulthood appear to start by age 14, but most cases are undetected and untreated.

Adolescents

Around 1 in 6 persons in the world is an adolescent: that is 1.2 billion people aged 10 to 19.

Most are healthy, but there is still significant death, illness and diseases among adolescents. Illnesses can hinder their ability to grow and develop to their full potential. Alcohol or tobacco use, lack of physical activity, unprotected sex and/or exposure to violence can jeopardize not only their current health, but often their health for years to come.

Promoting healthy practices during adolescence, and taking steps to better protect young people from health risks are critical for the prevention of health problems in adulthood, and for countries’ future health and social infrastructure.

Main health issues include:

Early pregnancy and childbirth Complications linked to pregnancy and childbirth are the second cause of death for 15-19-year-old girls globally.

Some 11% of all births worldwide are to girls aged 15 to 19 years, and the vast majority are in low- and middle-income countries. The 2014 World Health Statistics put the global adolescent birth rate at 49 per 1000 girls this age – country rates range from 1 to 229 births per 1000 girls. This indicates a marked decrease since 1990. This decrease is reflected in a similar decline in maternal mortality rates among 15-19 year olds.

One of the Millennium Development Goals, MDG 5, is to achieve universal access to reproductive health, for which one of the indicators is the pregnancy rate among the 15 to 19 age group.

Better access to contraceptive information and services can reduce the number of girls becoming pregnant and giving birth at too young an age. Laws that specify a minimum age of marriage at 18 and which are enforced can help.

Girls who do become pregnant need access to quality antenatal care. Where permitted by law, adolescents who opt to terminate their pregnancies should have access to safe abortion.

HIV More than 2 million adolescents are living with HIV. Although the overall number of HIV-related deaths is down 30% since the peak 8 years ago, estimates suggest that HIV deaths among adolescents are rising. This increase, which has been predominantly in the WHO Africa Region, may reflect the fact that although more children with HIV survive into adolescence, they do not all then get the care and support they need to remain in good health and prevent transmission. In sub-Saharan Africa only 10% of young men and 15% of young women aged 15 to 24 are aware of their HIV status.

MDG 6 to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS has indicators including the prevalence among 15 to 24 year olds and the proportion of this age group with comprehensive correct knowledge of HIV/AIDS.

Young people need to know how to protect themselves and have the means to do so. This includes being able to obtain condoms to prevent sexual transmission of the virus and clean needles and syringes for those who inject drugs. Better access to HIV testing and counselling is also needed.

Other infectious diseases Thanks to improved childhood vaccination, adolescent deaths and disability from measles have fallen markedly – for example, by 90% in the African Region between 2000 and 2012. But diarrhoea, lower respiratory tract infections and meningitis are among the top 10 causes of death for 10 to 19 year olds.

Mental health Depression is the top cause of illness and disability among adolescents and suicide is the third cause of death. Violence, poverty, humiliation and feeling devalued can increase the risk of developing mental health problems.

Building life skills in children and adolescents and providing them with psychosocial support in schools and other community settings can help promote good mental health. Programmes to help strengthen ties between adolescents and their families are also important. If problems arise, they should be detected and managed by competent and caring health workers.

Violence Violence is a leading cause of death. An estimated 180 adolescents die every day as a result of interpersonal violence. Around 1 of every 3 deaths among adolescent males in the low- and middle-income countries in the WHO Americas Region is due to violence. Globally, some 30% of girls aged 15 to 19 experience violence by a partner.

Promoting nurturing relationships between parents and children early in life, providing training in life skills, and reducing access to alcohol and firearms can help to prevent violence. Effective and empathetic care for adolescent survivors of violence and ongoing support can help deal with the physical and the psychological consequences.

Alcohol and drugs Harmful drinking among adolescents is a major concern in many countries. It reduces self-control and increases risky behaviours, such as unsafe sex. It is a primary cause of injuries (including those due to road traffic accidents), violence (especially by a partner) and premature deaths. It also can lead to health problems in later life and affect life expectancy.

Setting a minimum age for buying and consuming alcohol and regulating how alcoholic drinks are targeted at the younger market are among the strategies for reducing harmful drinking. Drug use among 15 to 19 year olds is also a concern.

Injuries Unintentional injuries are a leading cause of death and disability among adolescents. In 2012, some 120 000 adolescents died as a result of road traffic accidents. Young drivers need advice on driving safely, while laws that prohibit driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs need to be strictly enforced. Blood alcohol levels need to be set lower for teenage drivers. Graduated licences for novice drivers with zero-tolerance for drink-driving are recommended.

Drowning is also a major cause of death among adolescents – 60 000, two-thirds of them boys, drowned in 2012.

Malnutrition and obesity Many boys and girls in developing countries enter adolescence undernourished, making them more vulnerable to disease and early death. The number of adolescents who are overweight or obese is increasing in both low- and high-income countries.

Exercise and nutrition Available survey data indicate that fewer than 1 in every 4 adolescents meets the recommended guidelines for physical activity – 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily.

Anaemia resulting from a lack of iron affects girls and boys, and is the third cause of years lost to death and disability. Iron and folic acid supplements help to promote health before adolescents become parents.

Developing healthy eating and exercise habits at this age are foundations for good health in adulthood. Reducing the marketing of foods high in saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, free sugars, or salt and providing access to healthy foods and opportunities to engage in physical activity are important for all but especially children and adolescents.

Tobacco use The vast majority of people using tobacco today began when they were adolescents. Prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors and increasing the price of tobacco products through higher taxes, banning tobacco advertising and ensuring smoke-free environments are crucial. Globally, at least 1 in 10 younger adolescents (aged 13 to 15) uses tobacco, although there are areas where this figure is much higher. Cigarette smoking seems to be decreasing among younger adolescents in some high-income countries.

Rights of adolescents The rights of children to survive, grow and develop are enshrined in international legal documents. The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which oversees the child rights convention, in 2013 published guidelines on the right of children and adolescents to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health.

In 2003, the CRC issued guidelines on states’ obligations to recognise the special health and development needs and rights of adolescents and young people. The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) also sets out the rights of women and girls to health and adequate health care.

SOURCE : WHO

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Privacy Overview

• Work & Careers
• Life & Arts
• Currently reading: What problems are young people facing? We asked, you answered
• A new deal for the young: saving the environment
• A new deal for the young: funding higher education fairly
• A new deal for the young: building better jobs
• A new deal for the young: ensuring fair pensions
• A new deal for the young: how to fix the housing crisis
• ‘We are drowning in insecurity’: young people and life after the pandemic

What problems are young people facing? We asked, you answered

• What problems are young people facing? We asked, you answered on x (opens in a new window)
• What problems are young people facing? We asked, you answered on facebook (opens in a new window)
• What problems are young people facing? We asked, you answered on linkedin (opens in a new window)
• What problems are young people facing? We asked, you answered on whatsapp (opens in a new window)

Lucy Warwick-Ching

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

A series of FT View editorials and daily online debates will make the case for a new deal for the young. Beginning on Monday 26 April, they will address housing, pensions, jobs, education, the climate and tax over the course of the week.  Click to register for the events and see all the other articles

Growing inequality between generations has been exacerbated by the pandemic and has left many people in their teens, twenties and thirties feeling like they have got a raw deal.

The Financial Times wanted to bring those young people into a discussion about shifts in asset prices, pensions, education and the world of work so we launched a global survey. We asked people aged between 16 and 35 to tell us what life has been like for them in the pandemic, and which problems need fixing most urgently.

The survey was only open for one week but we had a record number of responses, with 1,700 people replying to the callout and spending an average of 30 minutes each on their responses.

While the majority of respondents were from the UK and US, others who shared their views were from Europe, Brazil, Egypt, and Asia-Pacific. Many of the respondents, though not all, were graduates who worked in sectors such as law, banking, media, education, science and technology. Many did not want to share their full names or personal details for fear of professional and personal repercussions.

People spoke of the difficulties — and benefits — of being young in today’s difficult economic times compared with their parents’ generation, and about issues relating to housing, education, jobs, pensions and the environment.

The responses formed the starting point for an in-depth analysis of the problems faced by young people today by Sarah O’Connor, our employment columnist. It is the first article in an FT series on what policies would make the economy work better for today’s youth.

Here we highlight some of the many hundreds of comments we received from readers:

Cramped housing

I absolutely cannot relate to mid career professionals being glad to be at home in their leafy three bedroom houses with gardens, when I have to have mid afternoon calls with the sound of my flatmates frying fish for lunch in the background. — A 20-year-old female reader living in London

The burden of student loans

Student loans feel like a unique problem for our generation. I can’t think of a similarity in the past when youth had such large financial burdens that can’t be discharged in most cases. Not that cancellation is necessarily the right choice. I knew what I signed up for, but what was the alternative, work in a coffee shop while the rest of my generation bettered themselves?

Mortgages and car payments just aren’t comparable to the $100k in loans I’ve been forced to deal with since I was 22. The rest seems similar. We have climate change and equality, my parents generations had communist totalitarian governments, nuclear war and . . . equality. — Matt, who works in Chicago, US

Mismatched ideas

The older generation has never understood that while our pay has increased it has been wiped out by extortionate rise in property prices. The older generation also thinks young people only enjoy spending money on experiences rather than saving money, which is not true. — A 30-year-old engineer living in the UK

Living with uncertainty

Older generations don’t feel the uncertainty we younger generation live with. Now it is more common for us to have more temporary jobs, for example, the gig economy. This uncertainty makes planning for future harder and makes taking risks impossible. — Ahmed, a lecturer living in Egypt

Scrap stamp duty on housing

The government needs to sort out house prices and stop inflating them. It should also scrap stamp duty and introduce annual property taxes instead. — A 25-year-old investment banker living in London

Emotionally better off than my parents

I know I’ll be better off than my parents. My mom came from an Italian immigrant family with seven siblings. I’m one of the first people to graduate from college with a four-year degree and one of the only people employed. Neither of my parents really ‘did’ therapy through their adult lives despite needing it, whereas I’ve had a therapist since my second year in college.

I think a common misperception about being better off is the focus on wealth — being better off also means being more emotionally and mentally healthy, which I know I am already better off than many of my family members. — Alicia, a financial analyst living in America

London feels increasingly full of anxious, burnt out 20- and 30-something-year-olds who spend half their income on a cramped flat with a damp problem and spend their weekends in the foetal position on their landlord’s Ikea sofa, endlessly scrolling through the latest app.

We have so much more than our parents did at our age, but also so much less. — A 25-year-old woman from the UK

Artificially high property prices

Current policies like Help to Buy are making things worse for young people in Britain. The prices of new builds are artificially inflated as builders know HTB can only be used on new builds! £450,000 for a one bed flat in London? Jog on. It’s insane. — Chris, in his late twenties living in London

Gen X doesn’t understand Gen Y

Generation X, doesn’t understand Generation Y, who doesn’t understand Generation Z — Andreas, a young doctor from Bulgaria

Regulate financial markets

I also have a feeling that regulating the financial markets would create more stability which would reduce the constant fear of a market meltdown — Kasper from Finland

Who is accountable?

Sustainability (renewable energy, mindful meat consumption, plastic usage awareness, social responsibility, ESG) are utmost key, and older generations seem to miss this. It feels they have put us in a stage where there is no going back, and there is no accountability whatsoever. — Renato, a risk manager from Brazil

Soaring rents

Many items that are considered a luxury to older generations, holidays, clothes, going out to eat, for example, are cheaper these days, but buying a house or renting is so much more expensive compared to when my parents were young. A lot of young people can afford the former not the latter, but for many older generations it seems the opposite was true, which creates contrasting views from each side about who has it worse. — Sophie, in her mid-twenties, from London

Young vs old

A number of older people I know are relatively sympathetic to a lot of the issues we face. There is a young versus old narrative pushed by certain sections of the media which, at least for many older people with families, has rung hollow with me. Generally they do recognise that we live in a more competitive world than they grew up in, for university places, jobs, housing etc. If anything I feel older generations probably understand younger people better than we understand them — Alex, a student solicitor in London

Cannot afford to buy a house

There is no acceptance that working from home is not feasible for younger people where you’re in significantly smaller accommodation. My company released an internal communication informing us how to be more efficient working in shared accommodation or working from your bedroom at the same time as starting consultation on closing all offices and homeworking permanently. — Lewis, who is working and studying in Bristol, UK

I have a mildly dystopian view

I feel older generations don’t understand the value of money, and it feels strange because my parents have lived a frugal life and I am doing well enough for myself, yet, given the economy, I feel compelled to save, while they don’t understand why I think thrice before every purchase.

On the issue of non-renewable resources, I feel that my parents have a particularly different mindset compared to mine; I have a mild compulsion to turn off any running tap or switch if it’s not being used. They have this comfort and faith that there will be enough for the coming generations, while I have a mildly dystopian view of the future Water/Resource Wars — Pia, a woman in her twenties in India

Steep housing costs

At my age on an apprentice’s salary my dad owned his own house and was buying and flipping more houses. I’ve got a masters degree, earning about 40 per cent more than the national average and I’m still struggling to find anywhere. They just don’t seem to understand, my dad refused to believe me until I showed him the tiny studio flats selling in my area for almost £300k — A data scientist in his late twenties, working in the UK

My generation is worn out

In many ways I think I am better off than my parents were. I’ve been able to travel and live in different countries. I had more choices than women before me. Where I live, I can love whomever I want to love. I do not have a physical job that wears down my body. But I guess each generation faces different challenges.

My generation is perhaps more likely to be mentally worn out. Housing is less affordable and returns are relatively less certain and I don’t have a pension or a pensions saving account that is protected from double taxation. — Deborah from the Netherlands

Change the voting system

It is probably an unrealistic policy change, but I would like to see some kind of weighting system applied to future voting (be it elections or referendums). The older you are, the fewer years you have left to live and the less you will have to suffer from poor long-term choices.

Brexit is a good example of this. Foolish and impressionable members of the older generation selfishly voted to leave the EU — a decision which will cause long-term damage for my generation well after they are deceased. Older people’s votes should have counted for less in the referendum. — David, working in fintech in London

Introduce a ‘meat licence’

I would introduce a “meat license” which every adult in the UK would require before they purchase/consume meat. To get this license, once a year they would have to go to an abattoir and slaughter a cow or pig. Once they have done this, they are allowed to consume as much meat as they want during the year.

This would encourage others to switch to alternatives that are available or at least reduce meat waste which is a tragically growing issue in the rich world. — Dan, working in London, UK

Replace student fees

Instead of tuition fee loans and maintenance loans I would give all young people a lump sum at regular intervals for their first several years post 18. They could use this towards going to uni, getting training, buying a house, etc. It would help diversify the paths people take post 18 whilst redistributing wealth. — A man in his mid-twenties living in Sheffield, UK

*Comments have been edited for length, style and clarity

Feel free to join the conversation by sharing your thoughts and experiences in the comment section below.

Have you recently graduated? Tell us about the jobs market

The FT wants to hear from graduates and other young people about their experiences of getting their careers off the ground in these uncertain times. Tell us about your experiences via a short survey .

Promoted Content

Explore the series.

Follow the topics in this article

• Lucy Warwick-Ching Add to myFT
• Millennials Add to myFT
• Coronavirus Add to myFT

International Edition

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Indian J Med Res
• v.140(2); 2014 Aug

Health behaviours & problems among young people in India: Cause for concern & call for action

Singh sunitha.

Department of Epidemiology, Centre for Public Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Injury Prevention & Safety Promotion, National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, India

Gopalkrishna Gururaj

The young people in the age group of 10-24 yr in India constitutes one of the precious resources of India characterized by growth and development and is a phase of vulnerability often influenced by several intrinsic and extrinsic factors that affect their health and safety. Nearly 10-30 per cent of young people suffer from health impacting behaviours and conditions that need urgent attention of policy makers and public health professionals. Nutritional disorders (both malnutrition and over-nutrition), tobacco use, harmful alcohol use, other substance use, high risk sexual behaviours, stress, common mental disorders, and injuries (road traffic injuries, suicides, violence of different types) specifically affect this population and have long lasting impact. Multiple behaviours and conditions often coexist in the same individual adding a cumulative risk for their poor health. Many of these being precursors and determinants of non communicable diseases (NCDs) including mental and neurological disorders and injuries place a heavy burden on Indian society in terms of mortality, morbidity, disability and socio-economic losses. Many health policies and programmes have focused on prioritized individual health problems and integrated (both vertical and horizontal) coordinated approaches are found lacking. Healthy life-style and health promotion policies and programmes that are central for health of youth, driven by robust population-based studies are required in India which will also address the growing tide of NCDs and injuries.

Introduction

Young people form precious human resources in every country. However, there is considerable ambiguity in the definition of young people and terms like young, adolescents, adults, young adults are often used interchangeably. World Health Organization (WHO) defines ‘adolescence’ as age spanning 10 to 19 yr, “youth” as those in 15-24 yr age group and these two overlapping age groups as “young people” covering the age group of 10-24 yr 1 . Adults include a broader age range and all those in 20 to 64 yr 2 . Adolescence is further divided into early adolescence (11-14 yr), middle adolescence (15-17 yr), and late adolescence (18-21 yr) 3 . Individuals in the age group of 20 - 24 yr are also referred to as young adults 4 . The National Youth Policy of India (2003) defines the youth population as those in the age group of 15-35 yr 5 .

Population aged 10-24 years accounts for 373 million (30.9%) of the 1,210 million of India's population with every third person belonging to this age group. Among them, 110 and 273 million live in urban and rural India, respectively. Males account for 195 million and females 178 million, respectively 6 . As per the National Sample Survey (NSS), (2007-08) 32.8 per cent of this group attend educational institutions and 46 per cent (2004-05) are employed 7 .

What characterizes adolescents and youth?

Youth - the critical phase of life, is a period of major physical, physiological, psychological, and behavioural changes with changing patterns of social interactions and relationships. Youth is the window of opportunity that sets the stage for a healthy and productive adulthood and to reduce the likelihood of health problems in later years. A myriad of biological changes occur during puberty including increase in height and weight, completion of skeletal growth accompanied by an increase in skeletal mass, sexual maturation and changes in body composition. The succession of these events during puberty is generally consistent among the adolescents often influenced by age of onset, gender, duration, along with the individual variations. These changes are also accompanied by significant stress on young people and those around them, while influencing and affecting their relationships with their peers and adults. It is also an age of impulsivity accompanied by vulnerability, influenced by peer groups and media that result in changes in perception and practice, and characterized by decision making skills/abilities along with acquisition of new emotional, cognitive and social skills 3 .

Young people's health is vital and crucial

Most young people are presumed to be healthy but, as per WHO, an estimated 2.6 million young people aged 10 to 24 yr die each year and a much greater number of young people suffer from illnesses ‘behaviours’ which hinder their ability to grow and develop to their full potential. Nearly two-thirds of premature deaths and one-third of the total disease burden in adults are associated with conditions or behaviours initiated in their youth ( e.g . tobacco use, physical inactivity, high risk sexual behaviours, injury and violence and others) 8 . The behavioural patterns established during this developmental phase determine their current health status and the risk for developing some chronic diseases in later years 9 . A significant reduction in the mortality and morbidity of communicable, maternal and neonatal disorders since 1990 due to concerted and integrated efforts 10 , 11 led to a shift in focus towards the health, safety and survival of the young people. It is crucial to understand health problems of this population, processes and mechanisms that affect their health, identify interventions and strategic approaches that protect their health and develop and implement policies and programmes.

The present review focuses on the health behaviours and problems affecting young people in the age group of 10-30 yr in India. The review also examines some policy initiatives and interventions and identifies issues that need to be addressed for health and safety of young people in India.

Review methods

All available population based studies (with large sample size, being multicentric in nature, covering urban and rural areas), independent studies and reports published since 2001 were considered. Searches were conducted using PubMed, Medline, Ovid, Karger, ProQuest, Sage Journals, Science Direct, Springer, Taylor & Francis and Wiley Online Library. Various search terms and key words were used, including young, youth, adolescent, young adult and outcomes of interest namely undernutrition, obesity, overweight, common mental health problems, stress, depression, suicide, alcohol, tobacco use, substance use, violence and road traffic injury. All efforts were made to retrieve the unpublished reports by contacting individual researchers. Case reports and case series were excluded from the search.

From a methodological perspective, majority of the studies were cross-sectional in nature, on varying sample size and undertaken in urban and rural (or both) areas. As there are no comprehensive studies that have focussed on all health problems of this age group, studies have been individualistic in nature based on researchers’ and/or organisational interest. Further, definitions used for age cut-offs and condition under investigation, screening and diagnostic assessments, nature of study, reporting bias, statistical methods add to the complexities of the problem and thus, studies are non-comparable in nature.

Health problems of young people

Although adolescence and young adulthood are generally considered healthy times of life, several important public health and social behaviours and problems either start or peak during these years 12 . Most of these problems are linked with social determinants and lifestyles operating and interacting in complex environments that precipitate or trigger these conditions or behaviours. Developmental transition of young people make them vulnerable particularly to environmental, contextual or surrounding influences 13 . Environmental factors, including family, peer group, school, neighbourhood, policies, and societal cues, can both support or challenge young people's health and well-being 12 .

Available evidence indicates that young people are prone to a number of health impacting conditions due to personal choices, environmental influences and lifestyle changes including both communicable and non-communicable disorders and injuries. Others include substance use disorders (tobacco, alcohol and others), road traffic injuries (RTIs), suicides (completed and attempted), sexually transmitted infections (STI) including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, teen and unplanned pregnancies, homelessness, violence and several others. In all countries, whether developing, transitional or developed, disabilities and acute and chronic illnesses are often induced or compounded by economic hardship, unemployment, sanctions, restrictions, poverty or poorly distributed wealth at both individual and country level 14 .

Undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies

Data shown in Table I indicate a high prevalence of undernutrition and stunting in the age group of 10-30 yr that has an adverse bearing on their health. Data from Nutrition Survey of National Institute of Nutrition during 2001 and 2006 showed that more than half the population aged 10-18 yr was undernourished 15 , 16 . This observation is also supported by other studies with sample size varying from 500 to 1000 with the prevalence of undernutrition in 10 to 24 yr ranging from 56.4 to 68.5 per cent 17 , 18 , 19 . A school based study showed that 38.8 per cent of boys and 36.9 per cent of girls were stunted 20 , while a community based study showed that 51.7 per cent adolescents were stunted 18 . The prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in rural area was as high as 25 per cent as reported by Choudhary et al 19 with high prevalence of anaemia, more among girls, ranging from 30-82 per cent 17 , 18 , 21 . Anaemic adolescent mothers are at a high risk of miscarriage, maternal mortality and still births; also, low birth weight babies with low iron reserves 24 . Poor nutritional status of adolescents is an outcome of socio-cultural, economic and public policies relating to household food security compounded by behavioural dimensions.

Status of undernutrition and micronutrient deficiency in India

Overweight and obesity

Conversely, overweight and obesity - another form of malnutrition with serious health consequences is increasing among other young people in India and other Low Middle Income Countries (LMICs) 8 . A meta-analysis of nine studies in 2012 showed 12.6 per cent of children to be overweight and 3.3 per cent to be obese indicating the seriousness of the situation 23 . A review of a few select studies ( Table II ) during 2001 to 2012 showed a prevalence of overweight among children aged 10-19 yr to be 9.9 to 19.9 per cent; high in both boys (3 to 15.1%) and girls (5.3 to 13.3%) indicating early onset of obesity 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 33 affecting more of urban school adolescents (3.4 to 6.5%) 26 , 27 , 28 , 32 as compared to 0.6 per cent among the rural adolescents 15 with significant gender variations 26 , 29 , 32 . Studies from Karnataka 27 , 32 have shown a higher prevalence of obesity as compared to studies from northern India 26 , 28 , 30 . It is clear that India is facing the dual burden of undernutrition and overnutrition as also seen from other reports 34 , 35 . There is also a challenge of nutritional transition as Indians are moving away from traditional diets high in cereal and fiber to more western pattern diets high in sugars, fat, and animal-source food (fast food culture) that are closely associated with different non communicable diseases (NCDs) seen in later years 36 , 37 .

Prevalence of overweight and obesity as reported in Indian studies

High risk sexual behaviour

High-risk sexual behaviour is a broad term covering early sexual activity especially before 18 years of age and includes unprotected intercourse without male or female condom use except in a long-term, single-partner (monogamous) relationship, unprotected mouth-to-genital contact except in a long-term monogamous relationship, having multiple sex partners, having a high-risk partner (one who has multiple sex partners or other risk factors), exchange of sex (sex work) for drugs or money, having anal sex or having a partner who does except in a long-term, single-partner (monogamous) relationship and having sex with a partner who injects or has ever injected drugs 38 . It is a known risk factor that puts individuals at risk for contracting HIV/AIDS and a range of other sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhoea, herpes, genital warts, Chlamydia, syphilis, trichomoniasis, etc . The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 3 (2005-06) indicated that 4 per cent of young women and 15 per cent of young men had ever experienced sex before marriage and only 14.1 per cent (14.7% urban vs 13.9% rural) of unmarried sexually active adolescent females used a contraceptive 39 . Young people aged 15 to 24 yr commonly engage in premarital sex more so in men (15-22%) as compared to women (1-6%) 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 . Kumar et al 40 in a study of 2,475 never married boys and girls noticed that only 22.3 per cent males and 6.3 per cent females reported consistent condom use for premarital sex in the last 6 months. A study from Gujarat observed that nearly 40 per cent males and 7.4 per cent females in the age group of 15 to 24 yr reported having multiple-partner sex, while 32.1 per cent males and 3.2 per cent females reported having paid/exchange (money/gift) sex 44 . Thus, data shown in Table III indicate that prevalence of high risk sexual behaviour among the young people is not only high but vary widely across studies and needs immediate attention to reduce the occurrence of HIV and related diseases.

Prevalence of high risk sexual behaviour among young Indians

Common mental disorders

At least 20 per cent of young people are likely to experience some form of mental illness - such as depression, mood disturbances, substance abuse, suicidal behaviours, eating disorders and others 8 . A meta-analysis of five psychiatric epidemiological studies yielded an estimated prevalence of mental morbidity including 16 mental and behavioural disorders (classified into eight groups of organic psychosis, schizophrenia, manic affective psychosis, manic depression, endogenous depression, mental retardation, epilepsy, phobia, generalized anxiety, neurotic depression, obsession and compulsion, hysteria, alcohol/drug addiction, somatisation, personality disorders and behavioural/emotional disorders) of 22.2 per 1000 population among 15 to 24 years 47 .

Data available from community based studies on common mental disorders in India depict a high prevalence among the young people ( Table IV ), but comparisons and extrapolations need to be cautiously made due to variations across studies. The prevalence of overall psychiatry morbidity (depression, conduct disorder, social anxiety, panic disorder) among adolescents has varied from 12 to 16.5 per cent 48 , 49 . Pillai et al observed a low prevalence of 1.8 per cent of DSM-IV disorders among adolescents aged 12-16 yr which was attributed to methodological factors and the presence of protective factors 50 . A six years follow up study in Chandigarh showed the incidence rate of psychiatric disorder to be 0.18 per cent per year among the 10-17 yr old adolescents 51 . Among the few specific common mental disorders, the prevalence of depression has varied from 0.1 to 18.5 per cent 48 , 49 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , conduct disorders from 0.2 to 9.2 per cent 48 , 49 , 53 , and anxiety from 0.1 to 24.4 per cent 48 , 49 , 50 , 53 , 55 , 56 across different studies. Two studies showed prevalence of severe and extreme grade of depression in 11.2 per cent of the school dropouts and 3 per cent among the school going adolescents aged 13 to 19 yr and 18.4 per cent among the 9 th standard students using Beck's depression Inventory 52 , 54 . Promoting mental health and responding to problems on a continuous basis requires a range of adolescent-friendly health care and counselling services in communities 57 .

Common mental disorders among young Indians

Stress is a consequence of or a general response to an action or situation arising from an interaction of the person with his environment and places special physical or psychological demands, or both, on a person. The physical or psychological demands from the environment that cause stress, commonly known as stressors and the individual reaction to them take various forms and depends on several intrinsic and/or extrinsic factors. Significant difficulties have been experienced in quantifying and qualifying stress. Some studies have tried to quantify the stress levels among young people, while others have given a mean stress score (influenced by methods of measuring stress) 58 , 59 . Sahoo et al 55 using Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) observed that 20 per cent young adults experienced stress. Dabut et al 60 using life stress scale found that among adolescent girls studying in 12 th standard from Hisar and Hyderabad, 47.5 and 72.5 per cent, were in the moderate category of family stress; financial stress was reported by 60 and 50 per cent and, 90 and 85 per cent had moderate level of social stress, respectively. Sharma & Sidhu in a study, among adolescents aged 16-19 yr using self-made questionnaire based on Bisht Battery of Stress found that 90.6 per cent adolescents had academic stress 61 .

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates about one million people commit suicide each year 62 . In India, nearly 1,36,000 persons voluntarily ended their lives in a suicidal act as per official reports in 2011 63 . The official report indicates that age specific suicide rate among 15-29 yr is on the rise increasing from 3.73 to 3.96 per 1,00,000 population per year from 2002 to 2011 63 ( Fig. 1 ). About 40 per cent of suicides in India are committed by persons below the age of 30 yr 64 . The Million Death Study using RHIME (Representative, Re-sampled, Routine Household Interview of Mortality with Medical Evaluation) method revealed the annual mortality rates to be 25.5 and 24.9 per 1,00,000 population among males and females aged 15-29 yr 65 , respectively. Other studies have shown incidence among young individuals to vary from 100.1 to 72.2 per 1,00,000 population 66 . Study from Bangalore showed that of the 5115 attempted suicide covering all age groups, 2.1, 8.4 and 28.6 per cent individuals were in the age group 10-15, 16-20 and 21-25 yr, respectively; and among 912 completed suicides, 2.2, 16.2 and 21.6 per cent were in the age group 10-15, 16-20 and 21-25 years, respectively 67 . The suicide rates among young females were high (152 per 1,00,000) compared to suicide rates among young men being 69 per 1,00,000 as reported by Aaron et al 66 with similar observations by other authors 65 , 68 . Soman et al 69 found an age specific suicide incidence rates among males and females aged 15-24 yr to be 5.1 and 8.1 per 1,00,000 population per year 69 . Suicidal ideas and attempts were also found to be high in Chandigarh 70 and South Delhi 71 with nearly 6 per cent of individuals aged 11-17 yr and 15.8 per cent adolescents aged 14 to 19 yr reporting suicidal ideas, while 0.4 per cent students aged 11-17 yr and 5.1 per cent students aged 14 to 19 yr reported suicidal attempts.

Completed suicide among 15-29 yr per 100,000 population from 2002 to 2011 (rate/1,00,000 population). Source : Ref. 63 .

Tobacco use

The vast majority of tobacco users worldwide begin the use of tobacco during adolescence. Currently, more than 150 million adolescents use tobacco, and this number is increasing globally 57 . NFHS-3 revealed that 40 per cent of males and 5 per cent of females aged 15 to 24 yr consumed tobacco nationwide 21 . Systematic review of 15 studies across India aged 13-15 yr showed a median prevalence of tobacco use (ever users) to be 18.2 per cent; 14 per cent among males and 6.3 per cent among females 72 . Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2006 and 2009 across India covering 13 to 15 yr old adolescents in 180 schools highlighted an increase in the current users of any form of tobacco from 13.7 to 14.6 per cent and current users of cigarette from 3.8 to 4.4 per cent from 2006 to 2009 73 . A study from Karnataka showed 4.9 per cent point prevalence and 5.1 per cent life-time prevalence of tobacco use among adolescents aged 13-15 yr 74 , while a study from Noida city indicated that 11.2 per cent of adolescents aged 11 to 19 yr were users of any kind of tobacco 75 . Other studies have shown 9.8 to 20.3 per cent life time prevalence of any tobacco products among adolescents 76 , 77 . Gender variations for usage of any kind of tobacco varied from 2.9 to 8.5 per cent in boys and 1.5 to 9.8 per cent in girls 78 . The study in Noida city also found that 8.8 per cent of adolescents aged 11 to 19 yr were ‘ever smokers’ (including current smokers), 4.6 per cent were ‘ever tobacco chewers (including current chewers), 3.7 per cent were ‘exclusive smokers’ and 2.5 per cent were ‘exclusive tobacco chewers’ 75 . Data from several studies ( Table V ) clearly point to the fact that tobacco addiction is emerging as a big threat among young Indians.

Prevalence of tobacco use in young people

Harmful alcohol use

Harmful drinking among young people is an increasing concern in many countries and is linked to nearly 60 health conditions. It increases risky behaviours and is linked to injuries and violence resulting in premature deaths 57 . A national review on harmful effects of alcohol reported greater social acceptability of drinking, increasing consumption in rural and transitional areas, younger age of initiating drinking, and phenomenal socio-economic and health impact, more so among young people 81 . Data from the National Household Survey (NHS) by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 2002 covering urban and rural areas of 24 States of India revealed a prevalence of 21.4 per cent of alcohol use among men aged 12 to 18 yr 82 . The World Health Survey - India reported that among individuals aged 18 to 24 yr, 3.9 per cent were infrequent heavy drinkers and 0.6 per cent were frequent heavy drinkers 83 . The NFHS-3 survey showed that 1 per cent women and 11 per cent men aged 15-19 yr and 1.4 per cent women and 28.8 per cent men aged 20-24 yr consumed alcohol 21 . Other population based studies have shown the prevalence of alcohol consumption varying from 1.3 to 15.6 per cent across studies 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 with a high consumption among males (12.6 to 20.7%) 88 , 89 and more in urban (5.2%) as compared to rural (7.3%) areas 90 ( Table VI ).

Alcohol use prevalence and patterns among young adults

Other substance use disorders

Substance abuse apart from tobacco and alcohol is one of the major emerging problems among the young population and needs to be tackled effectively. The National Household Survey by UNODC showed that 3.0 per cent of males consumed cannabis and 0.1 per cent opiates 82 with common substances used being alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, cocaine and heroin 84 , 86 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 . Studies have shown that non tobacco substance abuse is common, nearly 30 per cent, among street children 92 with 57.4 per cent of the male street children aged 6 to 16 years having indulged before coming to the observation home 88 . Around 43 per cent adolescents indulge in substances abuse 93 with 58.7 per cent of the students having used one or more substances at least once in life, while 31.3 per cent regularly use one or more substances 94 . Chaturvedi et al reported that among 10-29 yr old individuals, apart from tobacco and alcohol use, 2.2 per cent of men and 0.3 per cent of women were opium users 84 . The use of prescription drugs (benzodiazepines and opiods) has also been a matter of great concern with its overuse being 16.2 per cent 91 . Data on prevalence of injecting drug users available in India, showed that 5.6 and 14.4 per cent of the males in the age group of 20-24 yr and 25-29 yr, respectively were injecting drug users 95 . The data from the National Health Survey suggested that about 0.1 per cent of the male population (12-60 yr) reported ever injecting any illicit drug. Injecting drug use was reported more often from the NE region of the country 82 .

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs)

NCDs include a number of conditions that are behaviour linked and lifestyle related in nature. Indian population, especially young people, is passing through a nutritional transition and is expected to witness higher prevalence of adult non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and chronic lung diseases in the coming years.

At the Indian level, a few studies have shown hypertension among the young people to vary from 2.4 to 5.9 per cent comparable to global level (4.5%) 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 . In another Indian study, hypertension (first instance) was seen in 10.10 per cent of normal weight, 17.34 per cent of overweight and 18.32 per cent of obese children 100 . The prevalence of youth-onset type 2 diabetes is increasing worldwide in parallel with the obesity epidemic. Study from Chennai reported a temporal shift in the age at diagnosis of type 2 diabetes to a younger group with a prevalence of 3.7 per cent among 20-29 yr 101 . A study from Delhi also reported a high prevalence of insulin resistance in post pubertal children which was associated with excess body fat and abdominal adiposity 102 . Chronic lung diseases are also increasing among the young and globally, approximately one in ten young people have asthma 99 . A study among the school going children (5-15 yr) using modified ISAAC questionnaire in Jaipur city showed 7.59 per cent children to have asthma (in last 12 months) 103 and 4.9 per cent in another study in South India 104 .

Road traffic injuries (RTIs)

Road traffic injuries (1,85,000 deaths; 29 per cent of all unintentional injury deaths) are the leading cause of unintentional injury mortality in India 105 . National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report of 2011 of India showed that 31.3 per cent of the road traffic deaths were seen among 15 to 29 years individuals 63 ( Fig. 2 ). Transport Research Wing of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MORTH) revealed that of the total road accident casualties, 30.3 per cent were in the age group of 15-24 yr 106 . The Registrar General of India (in 2001-03) showed that motor vehicle injuries contributed to 3.7 per cent of deaths in 5-14 years and 6.9 per cent deaths in 15-24 years (1.7 and 12.4% in females and males, respectively) 107 . A survey of 20,000 households covering 96,414 individuals in Bangalore found that deaths due to RTIs among children aged 6-15 yr ranged from 5 to 20 per cent and serious injuries from 10-21 per cent and over half of all killed and seriously injured in RTIs occurred to the young adults aged 16-45 yr, more so among those aged 16-30 yr 108 . The Bangalore Injury Surveillance Project has reported that 38.9 and 36 per cent in 15-29 yr age group had fatal RTI in urban and rural areas, respectively, while 36 per cent had non-fatal RTI in both areas among the same age group 109 . Sharma et al from Chandigarh 110 reported that RTI constituted 11 per cent of the total unnatural deaths among 16-20 yr age group. The incidence of non fatal RTIs among children examined in a few studies revealed that the age-sex adjusted incidence rate among 5-14 yr age group was 18.5 per cent and the age-sex-adjusted annual rate of RTI requiring recovery period of >7 days was 5.8 per cent 111 . The same authors reported an annual non-fatal RTI incidence rate adjusted for sex among 10-14, 15-19 and 20-29 yr of 23.5, 30.1 and 20.9 per 100 persons per year, respectively 112 .

Trend of road traffic injuries among 15-29 yr old individuals from 2002 to 2011 in India. Source : Ref. 63 .

The WHO defines violence as “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, mal development or deprivation” 113 . Interpersonal violence among youth ranging from minor acts of bullying to severe forms of homicide contribute greatly to the burden of premature death, injury and disability; harming not just the affected but also their families, friends and communities. An average of 565 adolescents and young adults between the ages of 10 and 29 yr die each day as a result of interpersonal violence across the world 114 . NFHS-3 from India revealed that 27 per cent married young females experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence by their spouse and 7 per cent of all females and 11 per cent of married females experienced sexual violence 21 . Studies from India ( Table VII ) reported that 19 to 42.8 per cent of adolescent females had experienced domestic violence 115 , 116 and 25.3 and 32.2 per cent of young married women experienced physical and sexual violence within marriage, respectively 117 . Deb et al 118 in a sample of students aged 14 to 19 yr showed that 20.9, 21.9 and 18.1 per cent of the children experienced psychological, physical and sexual violence, respectively. Sharma et al 121 showed that 13.5 per cent adolescents aged 14 to 19 yr had threatened or injured someone with a weapon in the past 12 months; 49.1 per cent boys and 39.6 per cent girls reported being involved in a physical fight in the past 12 months. Both the genders were commonly involved in inter-personal violence as shown by Baruah and Baruah 119 where 42 per cent males and 49.6 per cent female aged 15-29 yr had indulged in interpersonal violence and 48 per cent males and 60.4 per cent females had indulged in self inflicted violence.

Prevalence and pattern of violence among young people

Multiple health behaviours and co-morbid conditions

It is important to highlight that some behaviours and conditions listed above and several others not covered here do not occur in isolation but are often seen as coexisting behaviours and as co-morbid conditions. It is widely acknowledged that tobacco and alcohol use coexists, while binge drinking is closely linked to road crashes and violence. Alcohol is linked to more than 60 health problems and a variety of social issues ranging from domestic violence to diabetes. Similarly, depression and obesity are closely linked to a number of NCDs and depression in particular with suicides. The Health Behaviour Study in Bangalore covering nearly 10,000 individuals aged 18 to 45 yr from urban, rural, slum and transitional areas reported that 30 per cent had more than five behaviours/conditions existing in the same individual 122 . Evidence from National Household Survey showed that over 26 per cent adult men found to be alcohol users also had higher prevalence of STIs 123 . Thus, it becomes apparent that while addressing one problem becomes critical, addressing multiple issues in an integrated manner becomes a need in health policies and programmes.

Responding to the challenge

The importance of investing in youth has been recognized in India's Constitution. One of the Directive Principles of State Policy, states that “…it is imperative that children are given opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity and that childhood and youth are protected against exploitation and against moral and material abandonment” 124 . Policies and programmes focussing on education [National policy on education (1986 modified in 1992) 125 , Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan 126 , Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan ] 127 , welfare [National Policy for the Empowerment of Women (2001) 128 ; Balika Samridhi Yojana , 1997 129 ; National Policy on Child Labour, 1987] 130 , employment ( Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana ) 131 and others (National Policy for Persons with Disabilities) 132 have included young people and highlight health as one of the components. In many of these, the detailed implementation – monitoring and evaluation plan are not elaborated in detail and their impact needs to be examined in detail.

Some of the health policies and programmes have also given a place for youth; a few have a specific youth health focus while others make an indirect mention. The Implementation Guide for State and District Programme Managers under National Rural Health Mission notes that “friendly services are to be made available for all adolescents, married and unmarried, girls and boys” 133 . Some of these are also focussed on mothers and children. The National Population Policy 2000, the National Health Policy 2002 and the National AIDS Prevention and Control Policy 2002 have all articulated India's commitment to promoting and protecting the health and rights of adolescents and youth, including those relating to mental, and sexual and reproductive health 134 . The Recent National Programme on Prevention and Control of Cancer, Cardiovascular Diseases, Diabetes and Stroke also has a focus on health promotion and early recognition of health impacting behaviours.

The exclusive National Youth Policy of 2003 driven by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has attempted to focus on special requirements of youth, covering 13 to 35 years, further subdivided into 13-19 years and 20-35 years. The adapted strategies include youth empowerment, gender justice, inter-sectoral approach, and an information and research network. The priority target groups under the policy include rural and tribal youth, out-of-school youth, adolescents particularly females, youth with disabilities and adolescents under special circumstances like victims of trafficking; orphans and street children 135 . A number of State-specific policies and programmes also exist that highlight State strategies for meeting the needs of youth 134 . It is also apparent that the impact of these policies on health of youth has not been evaluated for its coverage, comprehensiveness, efficacy and effectiveness.

The present review, though limited in nature highlights that a significant proportion of youth has health impacting behaviours and conditions that affect their growth and development, that the problem is on the increase, many are interlinked and coexist, and likely to increase in the coming years. Some of the major health impacting behaviours and problems among the young people include undernutrition and overnutrition, common mental disorders including stress and anxiety, suicidal tendencies and increased suicidal death rates, increased consumption of tobacco, alcohol and other substance use, NCDs, high risk sexual behaviours including STIs and importantly, injuries mainly RTIs and violence. Many of these problems are closely linked to ongoing nutrition and epidemiological transition and are behaviour related with a life course perspective. There is a strong need for public health community to identify, prepare, integrate and implement activities that help to promote health and healthy lifestyles of young people and establish mechanisms for delivery of population-based interventions along with measuring its impact. There is a need to generate good quality and robust population data that can drive policies and programmes. Strategic investments in health, nutrition, education, employment and welfare are critical for healthy growth of young people and these programmes need to be monitored and evaluated for their efficacy and effectiveness using public health approaches.

Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

Full Topic List

Regions & Countries

• Publications
• Our Methods
• Short Reads
• Tools & Resources

Read Our Research On:

Most in the U.S. say young adults today face more challenges than their parents’ generation in some key areas

About seven-in-ten Americans think young adults today have a harder time than their parents’ generation when it comes to saving for the future (72%), paying for college (71%) and buying a home (70%), according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2021. These findings come at a time when younger Americans are more likely than previous generations to have taken on student debt with tuition costs steadily rising, and to face an affordable housing crisis as rent and housing prices have grown markedly faster than incomes in the last decade.

To learn more about how Americans view the circumstances young adults face across various life measures compared with their parents’ generation, Pew Research Center surveyed 9,676 U.S. adults between Oct. 18-24, 2021. Everyone who took part is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way, nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the  ATP’s methodology .

Here are the questions used for this analysis , along with responses, and  its methodology .

There’s less consensus when it comes to assessing labor market outcomes for young people today compared with their parents’ generation. Similar shares say finding a job is easier (40%) as say it is harder (39%) for young adults today. A smaller share of U.S. adults (21%) say it’s about the same.

When it comes to finding a spouse or partner, Americans are more than twice as likely to say younger adults today have it harder than their parents’ generation (46%) than to say they have it easier (21%). Around a third (32%) say it’s about the same.

On some other measures, Americans are more positive in their assessments of young adults’ circumstances. A significant majority of U.S. adults (74%) say it is easier for younger generations today to stay in touch with family and friends. Only 14% say this is harder for young adults compared with their parents’ generation. A plurality (41%) says getting into college is easier for young adults today compared with their parents’ generation; 33% say it’s harder for young adults today and 26% say it’s about the same.

There are notable age differences when it comes to assessing the circumstances of young adults today.

While majorities across all age groups say young adults have it harder when it comes to buying a home, saving for the future and paying for college, Americans ages 18 to 29 are more likely than older age groups to say this. More than eight-in-ten adults younger than 30 (84%) say buying a home is harder for young adults today, while 80% say the same about saving for the future and paying for college. Among those ages 30 to 49, 72% say buying a home and paying for college is harder for young adults today, and 74% say this about saving for the future. Those 50 and older are the least likely to say these measures are harder for younger generations to reach, with 63% saying this about buying a home, 67% saying this about saving for the future, and 66% saying this about paying for college.

When it comes to finding a job, younger Americans are again the most likely to say this is harder for young adults today. Overall, 55% of 18- to 29-year-olds say finding a job is harder for young adults today than it was for their parents’ generation. About four-in-ten or less of those ages 30 to 49 and those 50 and older say this about young adults (39% and 33%, respectively). There are also double-digit differences between the views of adults younger than 30 and those ages 50 or older when it comes to finding a spouse or partner (52% of 18- to 29-year-olds say this is harder for young adults today vs. 42% in the older group) and getting into college (45% vs. 27%, respectively). In fact, a plurality of adults 50 and older say getting into college is easier today (44%). There are no large differences by age on the measure of staying in touch with family and friends.

Generally, these views differ only modestly by gender, with one exception. On finding a spouse or partner, about half of women (51%) – compared with 40% of men – say this is harder for young adults today than it was for their parents’ generation. This gap is only present among those ages 30 and older; roughly equal shares of women (53%) and men (52%) younger than 30 say this is harder for young adults today. Notably, women in older age groups give similar answers as younger women, while older men are less likely than their younger counterparts to say finding a spouse or partner is harder for young adults today (42% of men 30 to 49 and 34% of men 50 and older say this).

Finally, on most of these measures, there are no significant differences between adults who are parents of children ages 18 to 29 and those who are not. On a few items where such differences exist, they tend to disappear when looking at adults 50 and older. The only item where such differences persist among older adults is on assessments of finding a job. Interestingly, those 50 and older who are parents of adult children ages 18 to 29 are more likely than those in the same age group who do not have young adult children to say young adults today have it easier when it comes to finding a job (47% vs. 42%, respectively).

Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis , along with responses, and  its methodology .

• Homeownership & Renting
• Personal Finances
• Unemployment
• Younger Adults

Stella Sechopoulos is a former research assistant focusing on social and demographic trends research at Pew Research Center .

Methodology: 2023 focus groups of Asian Americans

1 in 10: redefining the asian american dream (short film), the hardships and dreams of asian americans living in poverty, majority of americans prefer a community with big houses, even if local amenities are farther away, single women own more homes than single men in the u.s., but that edge is narrowing, most popular.

1615 L St. NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20036 USA (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax (+1) 202-419-4372 |  Media Inquiries

Research Topics

• Email Newsletters

ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER  Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of  The Pew Charitable Trusts .

© 2024 Pew Research Center

We have Opened a New Hospital! Click here to learn more.

• Find a Doctor
• Patient Resources
• Book Appointment

Common Health Issues of Adolescents & Teenagers

Are you a parent wondering what the common health problems are for a teenager today? This guide will help you identify and address their most common issues.

September 27, 2021

In This Article:

• Adolescents should receive yearly checkups to ensure their development is on track. Here, doctors should focus on the teen and offer an opportunity for them to speak to a provider privately.
• Common health problems of a teenager include puberty, body image, nutrition, substance use, mental health and sexual health.
• To help your teenager during this time, support their passions, encourage open communication and respect their space.

At Valleywise Health , we prioritize health for teenagers with state-of-the-art, adolescent care services that focus on the many unique challenges this age group faces. From dating and body image to substance use and mental health, let’s explore what the common health problems of a teenager are in 2021, as well as what you can do as a parent to support your child during these influential years.

What Does an Adolescent Checkup Look Like?

Since teenagers aren’t kids anymore — but also aren’t quite adults — we make sure to provide our developing patients with an age-appropriate experience . That means keeping mom and dad informed while giving the teen a safe space to speak with their doctor about issues they may not want to bring up around their parents.

It’s also important to always keep the focus on the teen and encourage them to speak for themselves. Beyond medical information, we want to learn about their interests, passions and who they are as a person so we can provide holistic, total-person care.

One of the first issues you should discuss with your adolescent is puberty — the physical change from childhood to adulthood. While you may want to push this off as long as you can, puberty could begin as early as age 8. Prepare your child beforehand by making them aware of things like body hair, a changing voice, acne, periods and breast growth. You should also take your child in for a yearly checkup to ensure their development is on track. Starting these conversations early will help establish trust with your teen.

Body Image and Nutrition

Another common health problem of teenagers is body image. Although it’s important to encourage a healthy weight to avoid chronic conditions like diabetes, adolescents are also the most vulnerable age group for developing eating disorders. Make sure any discussion about their body doesn’t revolve around a number on the scale — but rather their overall nutrition, activity level and lifestyle. These tips may help:

• Eat fresh, colorful foods every day — make food in the kitchen rather than ordering out and keep healthy, plant-based snacks available to your teen at all times.
• Limit foods and drinks loaded with sugar, like soda and desserts.
• Encourage daily physical activity. Whether they walk around the block or play multiple sports, all exercise is good exercise.

Substance Use

When exploring the common health problems of a teenager, substance use should be one of your main areas of concern as a parent. Although teenagers today use less substances compared to earlier decades, they’re now more readily available and highly concentrated. For example, the cigarettes and marijuana you were warned about as a child now come in new, electronic forms — like e-cigarettes and THC cartridges — that are much easier to buy and conceal.

Make sure your teen is aware of the dangers without turning it into a lecture. Adolescents usually won’t respond well to direct criticism or think about the long-term effects, so most doctors use motivational interviewing, instead. Have your teenager practice the following process:

• Identify the consequences of partaking in the risky behavior.
• Find steps to avoid the behavior (or quit if use has already begun).
• Use real-world examples and role play to come up with a plan for future situations.

Mental Health

Mental health for teenagers has changed greatly in recent years. Now that nearly every adolescent has a cell phone, their peers can access them 24/7. Any bullying occurring during the school day can now carry over to the apps they use at home. Pay attention to your teen’s behavior, take their concerns seriously and be proactive about contacting their school if necessary.

Additionally, COVID-19 has led to increased depression and anxiety in teens due to online schooling, family financial struggles, death and other pandemic-related problems. Since adolescents can verbalize their feelings more effectively than children, let your teenager know that they can come to you with any mental issue. Then, help them find a trustworthy psychiatrist.

Sexual Health

As your teen steps into the dating world, they should have all the resources they need to stay safe. Whether that’s birth control, condoms, STD testing or abstinence, it’s incredibly important that you start these conversations with your teenager early – because they likely won’t approach you for help in this area themselves.

What Else Can You Do to Encourage Health for Teenagers?

• Support your teen’s passions. No matter how silly their hobby or interest may seem to you, helping them stay involved in something they care about can keep them on track.
• Encourage open communication. Your teenager should know that they can come to you about anything at any time without judgment.
• Recognize that sometimes teens don’t want to talk. Find a balance between giving them space and letting them know they have support when they need it.
• https://archives.drugabuse.gov/blog/post/teens-drug-use-lower-ever-mostly
• https://valleywisehealth.org/blog/childrens-behavioral-health-mental-illness-causes-symptoms-treatment/
• https://valleywisehealth.org/services/pediatric-care/adolescent-health-care/
• https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/pdfs/ecigarette-or-vaping-products-visual-dictionary-508.pdf

Adolescent Health Care

From checkups and sports physicals to mental and sexual health, our adolescent care program is one of only a select few locations in Arizona to achieve Gold Level Certification in health for teenagers.

About the Author

Dr. michael dobbs - primary care services.

Dr. Michael Dobbs is a District Medical Group physician at Valleywise Health, board certified in Adolescent Medicine. He is also an Associate Program Director for the Phoenix Children’s Pediatric Residency Alliance and works extensively with residents. His areas of clinical focus include general adolescent health, reproductive health, HIV/STI and pregnancy prevention with special attention to …

• Book an Appointment
• Call 1-833-855-9973

The Biggest Health Challenges Facing Youth

Teenagers now face more risks than ever before. Teens are more stressed than ever before , thanks to online bullying and school shootings. Also, alcohol and drug misuse and suicide rates are rising. Are you worried about your child? Arm yourself with information about the top 8 teen health challenges facing youth.

• In 2019, over 1.5 million teenagers and young adults aged 10–24 died, about 5000 every day.
• Young adults aged 10–14 years have the lowest chance of mortality among all age groups.
• The leading causes of death among adolescents and young adults are injuries (including car accidents and drowning), abuse, self-harm, and maternal conditions.
• Half of all mental health conditions in adulthood begin before 14. But most cases remain undetected and untreated.
• Early-onset of substance use is associated with increased chances of developing dependency and other issues later in life. 
• People of younger ages are disproportionately affected by substance use compared to people of older ages.
• There are 43 births per 1000 girls aged 15–19 years, every year

Here is the top 8 The Biggest Health Challenges that Youth Faces:

1. injuries.

Adolescents are the most vulnerable to unintentional accidents. These are the most common causes of death and injury in the United States. About 115,000 teenagers died as a result of traffic accidents in 2019. Many of those killed were “vulnerable road users.” They include pedestrians, cyclists, or riders on motorized two-wheelers. Road safety laws in many countries need to be extended, and the implementation of those laws needs to be strengthened. Furthermore, young drivers need safety guidance. And laws prohibiting driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs must be strictly enforced in all age groups. Young drivers should have lower blood alcohol levels than adults. Graduated licenses with a zero-tolerance for drunk driving are recommended for new drivers.

Drowning is also one of the most common causes of death among youths. More than 30,000 adolescents, nearly three-quarters of whom were boys, drowned in 2019. Swimming education for children and teenagers is a vital intervention in preventing these deaths.

The second leading cause of death by teenagers is suicide. Teen suicide rates increased by 56% between 2007 and 2017. According to statistics, approximately one in every 11 high school students attempts suicide. 

Loneliness, depression, family problems, and drug abuse are all risk factors for suicide. The issues are complex, and they are rarely the result of one or two factors. Teens who communicate well with at least one adult are less likely to engage in risky activities. Also, they are less likely to develop depression.

3. Alcohol and drug use

Adolescent alcohol use is a major problem in many countries. It may reduce self-control and increase risky behaviors such as unsafe sex or unsafe driving. Also, it is a root cause of injuries (including those caused by road accidents), crime, and premature death. It can also cause health issues later in life and reduce life expectancy. More than a quarter of all people aged 15 to 19 in the world are current drinkers. This amounts to 155 million teenagers. In 2016, the prevalence of heavy episodic drinking among adolescents aged 15–19 years was 13.6 percent, with males being the most at risk.

Cannabis is the most commonly used psychoactive drug by young people. About 4.7 percent of 15–16-year-olds used it at least once in 2018. Alcohol and drug use in children and adolescents are linked to neurocognitive changes. This leads to behavioral, emotional, social, and academic problems later in life.

4. Mental health

Depression is one of the leading causes of disease and disability among teenagers. And suicide is the third leading cause of death among those aged 15–19. In people aged 10–19 years, mental health problems account for 16% of the global burden of illness and injury. By the age of 14, half of all adult mental health issues start. But most cases go untreated.

A variety of factors influence adolescent wellbeing and mental health. Violence, poverty, stigma, isolation, and living in humanitarian and fragile settings can raise the risk of developing mental health issues.

5. Early pregnancy and childbirth

Every year, nearly 12 million girls between the ages of 15 and 19 and at least 777,000 girls under 15 get pregnant. Complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading health challenges for girls aged 15 to 19 worldwide.

6. Nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies

In 2016, iron deficiency anemia was the second leading health challenge for teenagers. Taking supplements of iron and folic acid is a solution that also promotes wellbeing before teens become parents. Regular deworming is recommended in areas where intestinal helminths such as hookworm are widespread to prevent micronutrient (including iron) deficiencies. 

Many teenage boys and girls in developing countries are malnourished. This raises the chances of sickness and death. On the other end of the spectrum, the number of overweight or obese teenagers is rising in low-, middle-, and high-income countries.

Globally, more than one in every six teenagers aged 10–19 years was overweight in 2016. Prevalence varied across WHO regions, varying from less than 10% in the WHO South-East Asia region to more than 30% in the WHO Americas region.

7. AIDS/HIV

In 2019, an estimated 1.7 million adolescents (aged 10–19 years) were living with HIV. Approximately 90% of them in the WHO African Region. There has been a significant decrease in new infections among adolescents since a peak in 1994. But, adolescents still account for about 10% of new HIV infections, with adolescent girls accounting for three-quarters. Furthermore, while new infections may have arisen in many of the worst-affected countries, recent testing coverage remains limited. This suggests that many HIV-positive people may be unaware of their status.

8. Other infectious diseases

Adolescent deaths and disability from measles have decreased significantly as a result of increased childhood vaccination. For example, adolescent mortality from measles decreased by 90 percent in the African Region between 2000 and 2012.

In a study of 631 children, over 39% of children had at least 1 infectious disease.

Diarrhoea and lower respiratory tract infections (pneumonia) are thought to be among the top 10 causes of death in adolescents aged 10 to 14. These two diseases, along with meningitis, are among the top five Biggest Health Challenges in low- and middle-income African countries.

Infectious diseases, such as the Human Papilloma Virus, can cause short-term disease (genital warts) during puberty. Also, it can cause cervical and other cancers decades later. Early puberty (9-14 years) is the ideal time for HPV vaccination. And, if 90 percent of girls worldwide receive the HPV vaccine, more than 40 million lives will be saved over the next century. However, only 15% of girls worldwide received the vaccine in 2019.

The Bottom Line

Many parents find the adolescent years difficult. It becomes more difficult to monitor children’s behaviour as they become more independent and make new friends.

Preparing yourself with information in advance will help in the facilitation of a productive discussion. The most important thing for teens to remember is that they are loved. Also, they always have someone to talk to if they have any health challenges.

Stay Up To Date With The Latest Health Trends!

Signup below you may opt out anytime..

John Astran

John is an avid writer. Traveling the world, focused on health and wealth related topics from conceptual ideas to Science.

Can People Become Immortal?

How is cannabis packaging affecting the environment, you may also like, 25 unfortunate things that happen if you do..., 13 surprising health benefits of coffee, artificial intelligence and lung cancer: everything you should..., what to do during this american heart health..., the truth behind using sleeping aids, 7 major differences between organic and non organic..., 5 top reasons for frequent heartburn that may..., valley fever: signs, symptoms, and management, 10 of the most sustainable foods in the..., 17 easy ways to restore your gut health.

June 25, 2024

Teens’ Mental Health May Improve When They Help Others

Volunteering in community programs can reduce youth depression and anxiety, researchers are beginning to learn

By Lydia Denworth

In college my oldest son volunteered as a Big Brother and taught computer science at local elementary and middle schools. After graduating, he said his time with those young students was one of the most rewarding parts of his college experience. According to emerging research, it might also have improved his mental health. There is already considerable evidence from studies with adults that volunteering—doing something for someone else or for one’s community—benefits a person’s physical and mental health and improves overall well-­being. Researchers have found that the sense of mattering to those around you that volunteering provides is one important reason it is as­sociated with psychological well-being.

Now scientists are finding similar links to both physical and mental health in children and adolescents. An early experiment found that 10th graders who volunteered in an elementary school for two months showed fewer signs of harmful inflammation and lower levels of obesity compared with students who didn’t volunteer. A 2023 analysis found that among more than 50,000 children and adolescents in the National Survey of Children’s Health, young people who had participated in community service or had volunteered over the previous 12 months were more likely to be in very good or excellent health and stayed calm and in control when faced with challenges, and the adolescents were less likely to be anxious, among other benefits. This improvement was in comparison with young people who did not volunteer.

Granted, those findings are only correlations. “It could be that the children who were volunteering were already in great health,” says study co-­leader Kevin Lanza, who is an environmental health scientist at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing . By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

But because of an alarming rise in mental health issues among young people, Lanza and others believe this early evidence is promising enough to pursue. A 2021 advisory from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned that the proportion of young people reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness had increased by 40 percent over the previous decade, starting even before the pandemic. The number of high school students seriously considering a suicide attempt rose by 36 percent. In the first years of the pandemic, the percentage of young people with depressive and anxiety symptoms doubled. There are multiple possible causes in addition to the pandemic, experts say, including the polarized political environment, anxiety over climate change, the effects of social media use and adverse personal circumstances.

When looking for ways to counter these problems, researchers point to the importance of “contribution”—providing support or resources to others or helping to achieve a shared goal—as an essential piece of social and emotional development for adolescents. Young people have a developmental need to connect and belong. “Part of the exploration of adolescence and young adulthood is figuring out where you can be needed and useful—arguably core aspects of our mental health,” says developmental psychologist Andrew Fuligni, co-­executive director of the Center for the Developing Adolescent at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Volunteering is one good way young people can contribute. The importance of mattering to others and to the larger world “translates really well to the needs of adolescents to have a meaningful role to play in their community,” says developmental psychologist Parissa Ballard of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. In a small 2022 pilot study, Ballard and her colleagues tested volunteering as an intervention for nine 14- to 20-year-olds who had been recently diagnosed with mild to moderate depression or anxiety and were recruited through their clinicians. After 30 hours of volunteer work at animal shelters, food banks, and other community organizations, the average reduction in de­pressive symptoms among participants was 19 percent.

Everyone in the study enjoyed the work and reported a sense of pride and accomplishment. “Young people who were struggling with anxiety said that they were pretty anxious before doing it but then felt so much better after,” Ballard says. Although volunteering should not replace mental health treatment, she says, it could help in conjunction with other forms of therapy. She is pursuing that hypothesis in a larger study.

What accounts for the benefits? Helping others improves mood and raises self-esteem. It provides fertile ground for building social connections. It also shifts people’s focus away from negative things and can change how they see themselves. Many teens say they don’t feel important, Ballard says. “Volunteering can give people a different sense of themselves, a sense of confidence and efficacy.” Lanza thinks of it as “a health pipeline.” He adds that “it equips you with certain types of skills that better control anxiety.”

There may be a potential downside to volunteering, however. Fuligni and his colleagues have found that young people’s mental health can suffer if they feel their contributions are devalued because of their gender, racial or ethnic identity. And if they feel like they are being forced to participate or are not doing much, the experience can be harmful, Ballard says. One report found that people who were required to volunteer when they were young were less likely to do such work when they were older. “Young people have to choose something that feels meaningful to them,” Ballard says. Adults can help by offering choices and by vetting volunteer opportunities to be sure that organizations are well run and equipped to offer a good experience.

When these situations are carefully thought out, volunteering doesn’t just help the volunteers. It also helps the people and communities on the receiving end. “Volunteering could be a win-win,” Lanza says.

This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes
• Raising Kids

10 Social Issues and Problems That Trouble Today's Teens

Technology and social media can amplify the struggles teens face, but they aren't the only issues they encounter.

Social Media

Peer pressure, on-screen violence, sexual activity, alcohol use, academic problems, how to talk to your teen.

Just like adults, teens nowadays often face social problems. They may also be more susceptible to challenges because their brains are still developing and their bodies are changing quickly. Combine that with advances in technology, and today's teens are facing new and different social issues than their parents may have.

Not only has electronic media amplified some teenage troubles, but digital communication and social media have also changed the way teens interact with their peers and romantic interests. The end result is a group of young people who struggle with essential interpersonal communication skills like picking up on social cues.

Some of this dysfunction can be linked to technology—especially since the average teen spends more than eight hours each day using electronic devices.  That said, not all teen social issues are linked to the digital world. Teens also are at a higher risk for overdose, might not practice safe sex, and are facing increasing academic pressures.

Here's a closer look at the top 10 social issues teens nowadays struggle with.

Brianna Gilmartin 

Instagram, Twitter, and SnapChat  can be great ways for teens to connect, but social media can be problematic for several reasons. It can expose your teen to cyberbullying, slut-shaming, and so much more.  

Social media can hurt friendships, and it's changing the way teens date. Research shows it can impact their mental health.  And no matter what precautions you take, teens are likely to be exposed to unsavory people, unhealthy images, and sexual content online.

Help your teen learn to navigate social media in a healthy way by following these tips:

• Talk about ways to stay safe online.
• Ask what your teen is doing on social media.
• Educate yourself about the latest apps, websites, and social media pages teens are using.
• Consider  limiting your teen's screen time .

While peer pressure has affected teens for generations, social media brings it to a whole new level. Sexting, for example, is a major cause for concern. Many teens don't understand the lifelong consequences that sharing explicit photos can have. 

But sending inappropriate photos isn't the only thing kids are coerced into doing. Teens face pressure to have sex, use drugs or alcohol, and even bully others.  

To keep your kids from falling victim to peer pressure, consider these tips:

• Give them skills to make healthy choices and resist peer pressure.
• Talk to teens about what to do if they make a mistake.
• Let them know it's safe to come to you when they have problems or make poor choices.
• Demonstrate that you can listen without judging or overreacting.
• Help them find healthy ways to make amends and move on if they peer pressure others.

Teenagers are going to witness some violent media at one time or another. And it's not just TV, music, and movies that depict violence. Many of today's video games portray gory scenes and disturbing acts of aggression. Over the past couple of decades, studies have linked these violent images to a lack of empathy and aggressive behavior .

Other studies have shown the top factor in determining the way kids relate to media is how their parents think and act.  That means the more violence parents watch, the more likely their kids will think it's OK.  

To help limit exposure to on-screen violence, pay attention to your teen's media use and consider implementing these guidelines:

• Restrict or limit your teen from watching R-rated movies or playing M-rated video games. Consuming that material excessively (and unsupervised) is not healthy. 
• Talk about the dangers of being exposed to violent images and monitor your teen's mental state.
• Discuss sexual situations and racial stereotypes that your teen might see.
• Help them identify what's good and what's bad about the media.
• Boost their media literacy by helping them think objectively about what they're seeing on television, TikTok, in the movie theater, or in a video game.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), an estimated 5 million adolescents in the U.S. have had at least one major depressive episode . That means 20% of American teenagers may experience depression before reaching adulthood. Data from NIMH also shows that depression is much more prevalent in female teens (29.2%) than male teens (11.5%) and among teens who reported two or more races (27.2%).

Spending too much time on electronic devices may be preventing young people from in-person activities with their peers, such as sports or other physical activities, that can help ward off depression.  They're also experiencing new conditions like "fear of missing out" or FOMO, which further leads to feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Keep in mind that depressive disorders are treatable, but it's important to seek professional help. Here's how to navigate this situation:

• Schedule an appointment to a health care provider or contact a mental health professional if your teen seems withdrawn, experiences a change in sleep patterns, or starts to perform poorly in school.
• Consider online therapy as an option if your teen is reluctant to meet with a therapist in person.
• Be willing to discuss what they're thinking or feeling, including their thoughts of suicide. Having these conversations can reduce their fears and let them know someone is willing to listen, but it also needs to be handled thoughtfully.
• Call the  National Suicide Prevention Lifeline  at  988  or  911 if they are in immediate danger.

Nearly one in four teens between the ages of 12 and 18 report being bullied each year.  Research suggests that social media has made bullying much more public and more pervasive. In fact, cyberbullying has replaced in-person bullying as the most common type of harassment that teens experience.

To help guard against these kinds of teenage troubles, regularly talk to your teen about bullying and consider utilizing these tips to help:

• Discuss what they can do when they witness bullying.
• Talk about options if they become a target themselves.
• Recognize that being proactive is key to helping your child deal with a bully.
• Talk to your child about when and how to get help from a trusted adult.
• Acknowledge that talking about how someone has humiliated them is never an easy topic.
• Remind them that asking for help isn't a sign of weakness; it's a show of courage.

According to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) survey, 30% of high school students reported having had sex and 21% said they were currently sexually active . That represents a decline over the past decade (47% had had sex in 2011; 34% were currently sexually active).

This decline in sexual activity doesn't necessarily mean teens nowadays are using contraceptives, though. Just over half of sexually active teens reported using a condom in their last sexual encounter, according to YRBSS data, while about one-third used hormonal birth control and 10% used both.

This may explain why more than half of the 26 million new sexually transmitted infections in the U.S. are among young people between the ages of 15 and 24. Here are some things you can do to ensure that your teen understands the risks of teen sex and how to be safe:

• Talk to your teen about sex and allow them to ask questions.
• Let them know they can come to you about anything and that no questions are off-limits.
• Do your best to not shame them or make them feel embarrassed by their inquiries.
• Instill the importance of safe sex practices—even if you don't think your child is engaging in sexual activity.
• Discuss contraception options and make sure they have access to contraception if they're sexually active.
• Give them resources to learn about safe sex.

The percentage of teens nowadays using illicit substances is roughly 10.9% of eighth graders, 19.8% of 10th graders, and 31.2% of 12th graders, according to most recent data from the Monitoring the Future Survey published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. While this decline has been noted since the survey began in 1975, there has been a dramatic rise in overdoses among teens.

Illicit fentanyl, a powerful synthetic drug, is largely responsible for these overdoses. Drug dealers are adding it to counterfeit pills made to resemble prescription medications, which means that although teen drug use is declining, it's becoming more risky for those who do partake.

It's important to have regular conversations with your teen about the dangers of drugs. Here are some key topics you need to discuss:

• Mention the dangers of over-the-counter drugs and prescription medications. Many teens don't recognize the risks associated with taking a friend's prescription or popping a few pills.
• Tell your teen that drug use during adolescence increases their risk for developing a substance use disorder later in life.
• Address how easily addictions can happen.
• Discuss how drug and alcohol use can affect their brain development.
• Talk about the risks associated with overdosing.
• Explain the danger of illicit fentanyl contaminating counterfeit drugs.
• Recognize talks about drug use are not one-and-done conversations, but something you should be discussing on a consistent basis.

Alcohol use and binge drinking continue to decline among teenagers. Still, 15.1% of eighth graders, 30.6% of 10th graders, and 45.7% of seniors say they used alcohol in the past year. The forms of alcohol teens are using have also changed. More kids are choosing flavored alcohol (also called "alcopops") and alcohol with caffeine in it. About 36% of seniors reported drinking flavored alcohol.

It's important to talk to your teen about the risks of underage drinking. Here are some tips on how to navigate those conversations.

• Educate them about the dangers of alcohol use, including the fact that alcohol can take a serious toll on their developing brain.  
• Express your disapproval of underage drinking. Saying you don't approve can make a big difference in whether your teen decides to drink.
• Discuss the dangers of drinking and driving.
• Let them know that if they do decide to drink, they should call you or another trusted adult for a ride rather than risk getting behind the wheel.
• Assure your teen that it's safe to reach out to you if they make a mistake and need help.

About 22% of 12- to 19-year-olds in the U.S. are obese, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. Hispanic and Black children are more likely to be overweight or obese than White or Asian children.

Children and teens who are overweight or obese are often targeted by bullies and are at a much greater risk of lifelong health problems such as diabetes , arthritis, cancer, and heart disease.  They may also struggle with body image issues or develop eating disorders as a way of changing their appearance.

But surveys show parents may not recognize when their kids are overweight.  They tend to underestimate their child's size and the risks associated with being overweight. Here are some ways you can help:

• Ask their health care provider privately about their weight in comparison to their height and age—though many health care providers will alert you to an issue without asking.
• Find ways to support and empower your teen , especially if their doctor recommends a different eating plan or exercise.
• Ensure your teen has the necessary tools to make changes, but recognize that they must want to change. You can't force the issue, nor should you try to control them,
• Avoid shaming or embarrassing your teen about their weight, but instead communicate acceptance for who they are as a person. They need to know their worth is not tied to their weight.

About 5% of high school students drop out of high school each year in the United States, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.  A high school dropout is likely to earn significantly less over their lifetime when compared to a high school graduate, which can have a significant impact on a young person's future.

But it's no longer just "troubled teens" who are dropping out of school. Some teens feel so much pressure to get into a good college that they're burning themselves out before they graduate from high school.

Here are some ways you can help your teen avoid academic problems:

• Stay involved in your teen's education.
• Provide support and guidance when needed.
• Be ready to assist your teen if they encounter problems.
• Try to remove some of the pressure they may be facing by not placing so much emphasis on grades, achievements, and college acceptances.

Bringing up any difficult subjects with your teen can feel uncomfortable. And your teen isn't likely to respond well to a lengthy lecture or too many direct questions. But having a conversation with your teen about social issues and other teenage troubles isn't something you should shy away from.

Even when it seems like they're not listening, you're the most influential person in your teen's life. It's important to lay a strong foundation before the window of opportunity closes. A good way to strike up a conversation about drugs, sex, vaping, or other uncomfortable situations is to ask a question like, "Do you think this is a big issue at your school?"

Listen to what your teen has to say. Try not to be judgmental, but make your expectations and opinions clear. It's important that your teen understands that you don't condone certain behaviors and that they know the consequences of breaking the rules. That said, you also need to communicate that if they do make a poor choice, it's not the end of the world and that you're there to help.

Technology-Based Communication and the Development of Interpersonal Competencies Within Adolescent Romantic Relationships: A Preliminary Investigation .  J Res Adolesc . 2017.

Growing Up Wired: Social Networking Sites and Adolescent Psychosocial Development .  Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev . 2014.

Associations Between Social Media and Cyberbullying: A Review of the Literature .  Mhealth . 2016.

Smartphones, Social Media Use and Youth Mental Health .  CMAJ . 2020.

Sexting, Mental Health, and Victimization Among Adolescents: A Literature Review .  Int J Environ Res Public Health . 2019.

Emotional Desensitization to Violence Contributes to Adolescents' Violent Behavior .  J Abnorm Child Psychol . 2016.

Screen Violence and Youth Behavior .  Pediatrics . 2017.

Tips on How to Deal With Media Violence . Common Sense Media.

Major Depression . National Institute on Mental Health.

Physical Exercise in Major Depression: Reducing the Mortality Gap While Improving Clinical Outcomes .  Front Psychiatry . 2018.

The Myths & Facts of Youth Suicide . Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) Office of Suicide Prevention .

Bullying Statistics: Rates of Incidence . National Bullying Prevention Center .

Cyberbullying Prevalence Among US Middle and High School-Aged Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Quality Assessment .  J Adolesc Health . 2016.

Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report 2011–2021 . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Adolescents and Young Adults . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

Monitoring the Future: National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2023: Secondary School Students . National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Reported Drug Use Among Adolescents Continued to Hold Below Pre-Pandemic Levels in 2023 . National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The Effect of Alcohol Use on Human Adolescent Brain Structures and Systems .  Handb Clin Neurol . 2014.

Prevalence of Childhood Obesity in the United States . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

Morbidity and Mortality associated With Obesity .  Ann Transl Med . 2017.

BMI Health Report Cards: Parents' perceptions and reactions .  Health Promot Pract . 2018.

Status Dropout Rates . National Center for Education Statistics. 

Burned Out to Drop Out: Exploring the Relationship Between School Burnout and School Dropout .  Eur J Psychol Educ . 2012.

Related Articles

Essay on Problems Faced by Youth Today

Students are often asked to write an essay on Problems Faced by Youth Today in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Problems Faced by Youth Today

Introduction.

Youth today face numerous challenges that shape their lives. These problems range from social, emotional, to economic issues.

Social Problems

Economic challenges.

Youths struggle with unemployment and the high cost of education. These financial constraints limit their opportunities and growth.

Emotional Issues

Depression and anxiety are common among youth, often due to pressure from society, school, or family. Mental health issues are a significant concern.

250 Words Essay on Problems Faced by Youth Today

The complexity of modern life.

The youth of today face a myriad of challenges, the complexity of which is amplified by the rapid pace of modern life. The digital age has brought about new opportunities, but it has also introduced problems such as cyberbullying and online privacy violations. Young people are constantly exposed to unrealistic standards of beauty and success on social media, leading to a surge in mental health issues like anxiety and depression.

Educational Challenges

In the realm of education, the youth are confronted with an increasingly competitive environment. The pressure to excel acadically is often overwhelming, leading to stress and burnout. Moreover, the traditional education system is struggling to keep pace with the evolving job market, leaving many young people ill-prepared for future careers.

Socioeconomic Disparities

Socioeconomic disparities pose another significant challenge. The wealth gap is widening, and many young people from disadvantaged backgrounds find it difficult to break the cycle of poverty. The lack of access to quality education and healthcare further exacerbates this problem.

Environmental Concerns

Finally, the youth are inheriting a planet fraught with environmental challenges. From climate change to pollution, these issues pose a threat to their future. However, they also present an opportunity for young people to drive change and create a more sustainable world.

In conclusion, while the youth of today face numerous challenges, they also have the potential to overcome these hurdles and shape a better future. It is our collective responsibility to provide them with the necessary tools and support to do so.

500 Words Essay on Problems Faced by Youth Today

Socio-economic challenges.

One of the primary issues young people face today is unemployment. Despite being the most educated generation in history, many young people struggle to find stable, well-paying jobs. This problem is compounded by the rapid automation of jobs and the gig economy, which often offers unstable employment without benefits.

Another socio-economic issue is the increasing cost of education. Higher education, once seen as a sure path to a good job and a comfortable life, is now a significant financial burden for many young people. The rising cost of tuition, coupled with the uncertainty of job prospects after graduation, has put immense pressure on the youth.

Psychological Challenges

Mental health problems among young people are on the rise. Depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders are becoming increasingly prevalent. These issues are often exacerbated by social pressures, such as the need to succeed academically, fit in socially, and meet high expectations set by society and family.

Technological Challenges

The rise of technology presents both opportunities and challenges. On one hand, technology has opened up new avenues for learning, communication, and entertainment. On the other hand, it has also led to problems like cyberbullying, online privacy concerns, and addiction to social media and online gaming.

The challenges faced by youth today are complex and multifaceted. They require concerted efforts from all sectors of society, including government, educators, parents, and the young people themselves, to address. By understanding these challenges, we can develop effective strategies to support the youth and help them navigate these issues. After all, the well-being of our youth is integral to the future of our society.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• MEMBER DIRECTORY
• Member Login
• Publications
• Clinician Well-Being
• Culture of Health and Health Equity
• Fellowships and Leadership Programs
• Future of Nursing
• U.S. Health Policy and System Improvement
• Healthy Longevity
• Human Gene Editing
• U.S. Opioid Epidemic
• Staff Directory
• Opportunities
• Action Collaborative on Decarbonizing the U.S. Health Sector
• Climate Communities Network
• Communicating About Climate Change & Health
• Research and Innovation
• Culture of Health
• Fellowships
• Emerging Leaders in Health & Medicine
• Culture & Inclusiveness
• Digital Health
• Evidence Mobilization
• Value Incentives & Systems
• Substance Use & Opioid Crises
• Reproductive Health, Equity, & Society
• Credible Sources of Health Information
• Emerging Science, Technology, & Innovation
• Pandemic & Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Preparedness and Response
• Preventing Firearm-Related Injuries and Deaths
• Vital Directions for Health & Health Care
• NAM Perspectives
• All Publications
• Upcoming Events
• Past Events
• MEMBER HOME

The Power of Youth in Improving Community Conditions for Health

Though a common target for health-improving efforts, young people are not often regarded as agents of change for healthier communities. However, a growing number of successful health-supportive policy, environment, and systems-change efforts trace their impetus to youth involvement. Not only are youth proving to be catalysts and prolific communicators in social movements, but their involvement signals a potential for career choices and civic stewardship that portends improving population health and equity in the years to come. An emerging area of research is beginning to show that youth organizing can contribute to both community development and youth development (Ginwright and James, 2002; Christens and Kirschner, 2011). This discussion paper examines promising models of youth involvement in social movements for better community health, some of which recently came to the attention of the Roundtable on Improving Population Health.

On Community and the Potential of Youth

Health does not just happen in hospitals and doctors’ offices. We know that health, in the broad sense, also happens in the places where people live, work, learn, and play. Making health happen in nonmedical settings is largely dependent on the contributions of people working on behalf of communities, including elected officials and community leaders. Organizing community residents has become an increasingly common approach to promoting the health of the public, or population health.

Community organizing motivates and prepares community members to identify shared problems and to work collectively toward solutions. Community organizing may focus on health improvement for reasons both ethical (e.g., “nothing about me without me”) and practical (e.g., communities have essential knowledge and assets not available from outside experts). Common targets for community organizing for health include HIV/ AIDS prevention, childhood obesity prevention, health care reform, and mental health services. This discussion paper focuses on community organizing to improve health that involves youth.

“Youth organizing is a process for developing within a neighborhood or community a base of young people committed to altering power relationships and creating meaningful institutional change” (Sullivan et. al., 2003). Projects aiming for the greatest impact on population health in low-income communities and communities of color necessarily focus on the upstream social determinants of health and often engage youth in advancing policy and systems change strategies. Youth are vital to the cause because they live the everyday reality of their neighborhoods, are knowledgeable of the community’s strengths and vulnerabilities, and understand the workings of culture and the community’s shared values. Their views about a community’s needs and potential solutions inform the core of collective community-based health improvement efforts, and help to assure community buy-in. Preparing youth for authentic involvement in community health improvement efforts is a strategy that serves both short and longer-term outcomes.

Young people have unique potential, as well as the energy, enthusiasm, optimism, and creativity to collaboratively seek solutions to complex and costly challenges. Being involved in organizing provides an important sense of validation and empowerment regarding their own lives and their community surroundings. Absent this solidarity, young people may misdirect blame and action for things that are not going well in their lives. For example, many hard-working students from poor communities are limited in their options for higher education and better jobs, not because of their own failing, but because systems and environments fail to create conditions favorable to advancement. Until young people understand how power and systems work, it is easy for self-blame and frustration to be untoward outcomes. Engaging them in community betterment serves several purposes, not only to improve present conditions for health, but also to prepare for a new generation of civic leadership and (potentially) careers in health. Youth organizing alumni are five times more likely than uninvolved youth to remain committed as young adults to civic involvement and three times more likely to be employed and/or going to college (Rogers and Terriquez, 2013).

Examples of Youth in Action

As a prelude to its April 10, 2014, workshop on the role of Community in Improving Population Health, the IOM Roundtable on Improving Population Health held a site visit to InnerCity Struggle (ICS) in Los Angeles. ICS employs an intergenerational community organizing approach to improve health and to address social inequities. By developing the leadership of parents and youth and engaging them in campaigns to improve learning and health conditions in schools, ICS has developed the civic capacity of community members, changed local school policies, and brought more educational and health resources into the neighborhood.

United Students is the youth organizing arm of ICS. United Students trains high school students that wish to address the problems of educational inequality, violence, and health disparities that impact their lives and limit their opportunities to obtain a higher education. A core group of about 45 high school students receive intensive leadership training. With guidance from young adult staff, this core group facilitates campus clubs at six local high schools that involve hundreds of students through lunchtime and after-school meetings focusing on leadership and advocacy for healthier conditions in schools and the community (Terriquez and Armenta, 2014).

Below, we share highlights, lessons learned, and some successes of several other California-based community health projects where young people are providing leadership and advocacy to improve community conditions for health and equity.

Jóvenes SANOS

Jóvenes SANOS is a high school youth advocacy project seeking to build an environment that embraces a culture of health by promoting access to affordable and healthy food options and opportunities for active living for the young people and families of Watsonville, California. Jóvenes SANOS youth work in different sectors of the community with many committed partners and endeavor to achieve their goals by proposing and implementing long-term environmental policy and system change. The group’s vision is to grow a world of healthy communities deeply rooted in equity and justice, and its mission is to achieve the vision by growing powerful, skilled young leaders. Markets in the community have been transformed into “Health Zones,” bike trails have been proposed and built, restaurants offer more healthy options than ever, free “healthy fun” events have happened and continue to happen. The greatest impact, however, is the lives of the youth: the youth who now have healthy options and can choose them. These youth are leaders and activists in their own communities and will carry these values and skills wherever they go.

United Way of Santa Cruz County and Jóvenes Sanos have identified several core principles and best practices. The principles are to

• educate and inspire, with practices that range from clearly defining the problem to explaining the system and understanding how to work within it;
• empower and engage, with practices that range from connecting problems to people’s lives to demonstrating flexibility;
• build capacity and leadership, with practices that include public speaking and opportunities for all (to develop skills and leadership abilities); and
• create and participate in community, with practices that include relationship building and encouraging mutual reliance.

Jóvenes SANOS also identified a set of tips for adults (e.g., community or public health leaders) working in partnership with young people. The tips include:

• Be reasonable and realistic in what is expected, and the compromises needed for progress.
• Be inclusive and supportive, but also fun and spontaneous.
• Become familiar with the youth, their neighborhoods, etc.
• Plan carefully.
• Put school first, while supporting other activities.
• Be authentic.
• Shared decision making whenever possible and transparency when not.
• Believe in youth.

Jóvenes SANOS Success Stories

The youth worked together over the past several years to advocate for municipal policies that support healthful nutrition choices. As a result, several policies were enacted or implemented. For example, a healthy restaurant options ordinance was enacted in October 2010. Initially, the ordinance applied to new restaurants, but preexisting restaurants may not participate. Jóvenes SANOS supports the promotion of the participating restaurants and encourages the community to choose these restaurants. All participating restaurants are acknowledged for their commitment with a decal that can be displayed in their place of business. In a related effort, the youth of Jóvenes SANOS worked with the Santa Cruz Metro Board to enact a healthy options vending/vendor policy, which included transitioning vending machines to a minimum of 50 percent healthy meal or snack options. Finally, the young people worked with corner market owners in Watsonville to “make over” the markets. The project included first conducting assessments, including visual audits, and entering into a memorandum of understanding with owners interested in participating. The project goal is to promote healthier eating by offering guidance and materials to support offering more health-promoting foods, informative signage and displays, and nutrition education events. Two markets underwent the makeover in 2013, and up to six additional stores may participate in 2014.

Physical activity is another area of focus for Jóvenes SANOS, and the youth’s activities in this area include implementing a fitness program for youth, designed in part to improve knowledge and awareness.

Youth Prompt Changes in School Discipline Policy

The “school-to-prison pipeline” refers to policies and practices that push students perceived as problems out of school and into the juvenile justice system as early as the fourth grade. Hispanic and African American boys are disproportionately affected, accounting for low school attendance, performance, and graduation rates and a cascade of lifelong challenges. Similarly, a “school to deportation pipeline” is identified in places where certain such students are reported to immigration authorities. Over the past few years, recognizing the inequities and the impact on health and on the community, youth in Fresno, Oakland, Long Beach, and Los Angeles organized to advocate for policy change. Virtual rallies were held that allowed youth to tell their stories. Many of these young people had no idea that other youth around California were also on the receiving end of high rates of harsh disciplinary measures. When they realized they were not the only ones, they felt empowered and emboldened in calling for change. Students appeared before local and state officials so they could tell their stories in their own words. As a result, school districts in those places and a growing number of others have moved to expand restorative justice policies and end reliance on “willful defiance” as grounds for suspension or expulsion. The governor signed four new laws aimed at keeping kids in school. The impact has been swift: In the 2012-13 school year, school suspensions statewide were down by more than 100,000, or 14.1 percent, and down by 28 percent compared to 2011-12. In that time, suspensions specifically for willful defiance dropped nearly 24 percent (Sacbee.com, 2014).

Youth Take Action to Increase Access to Health Services

Riverbank youth partnered with Golden Valley Health Centers to build awareness about the Medical Outreach Mobile Health Clinic (MOM). Through the Step-by-Step Community Youth Activist team, the youth developed a video to build awareness in their community about accessing medical services at the MOM, a temporary mobile clinic. A permanent school-based health center is being built on campus at Riverbank High School and will open this fall. Youth had initiated work to increase access to health care in 2006, when Riverbank High School students surveyed their peers and identified that access to appropriate and affordable health care services was a priority for their community. Since then, youth have been leading efforts in working with stakeholders and school administration to get a health center on their campus that provides access to the entire community.

Youth Power in Media

Youth voice is essential to youth organizing and advocacy. Health and justice-themed stories written and produced by youth fill the social media, and are driving public awareness and action in places like Coachella, Long Beach, Merced, Fresno, Richmond, South Kern, and Boyle Heights. Youth Radio, based in Oakland, is an award-winning media production company that trains diverse young people in digital media and technology. Partnering with industry professionals, students learn to produce marketable media for large audiences while bringing youth perspectives to issues of public concern. The Youth Radio mission is to launch young people on career and education pathways by engaging them in work-based learning opportunities, creative expression, professional development, and health and academic support services. Youth Radio stories reach thousands of listeners and are cited by numerous news outlets informing public opinion and policy decision making. Some recent health topics include Fresno youth on the need for health coverage for undocumented immigrants, a movement in Oakland working with young people who have been failed by institutions designed to support them, skateboarders in San Diego cleaning up their community, schools’ responses to e-cigarettes, depression among youth, and more.

Sons and Brothers

Health Happens Here with all our Sons and Brothers is developing youth leaders across the state who are advocating for public policies and system changes to ensure that young men of color have the chance to grow up healthy and get a good education and the opportunity to make positive contributions to their communities. The program organizes and trains participants to understand root causes of social and community issues, cultural consciousness, healthy masculinity, and movement building. The program is a model for President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative. Recently, the Presidential Task Force for My Brother’s Keeper released a 90-day progress report that cites critical statistics and personal accounts from young men of color and provides guidelines and specific recommendations for moving the initiative forward.

Aspiring to Health Careers

Pre-Health Dreamers (PHD) is a nationwide network of students, educators, and allies in support of undocumented immigrant pre-health career students, offering peer support and professional development, promoting community service, and leading advocacy for greater opportunities for health careers and health care for undocumented immigrants. PHD recognizes that motivated undocumented young people possess invaluable experience from having overcome significant obstacles and living in underserved communities. When allowed to put these experiences into practice through meaningful work, undocumented young people can help meet the rising demand for a diverse health care workforce. PHD strives to convince graduate and professional schools to adopt nondiscriminatory policies and attitudes toward students with complex immigration circumstances. The vision of Pre-Health Dreamers centers on the belief that immigration status should not exclude anybody from pursuing their dreams of higher education, careers, and contributions to their communities.

Youth as Changemakers

Change-making youth recognize that social adversity is a challenge not only to be overcome, but also to be removed so that others may succeed. Leveling the field, or advancing equity, is a core tenet of The California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities. Fostering youth leadership to advance equity through personal development and constructive civic action is proving to be a key driver and promising practice for changing the conditions for improved population health to occur. Examples of multiple efforts that involve youth as leaders or participants include: mobilizing the Latino community for civic participation; dialogue with county supervisors about community priorities such as access to preventions services, support school performance, social connectedness, and graduation; decisions on school-related spending; and parent and student organizing to support the social and academic needs of African-American high-school youth (Ignant, 2014) (see Resources for more information).

Shifting the emphasis in population health improvement from preventing widespread diseases to addressing the social and environmental factors that underpin health has opened the door to broad public involvement. With participation in community organizing and social media as informal indicators, young people are taking an increasingly prominent role in efforts to improve population health. Given sufficient training and guidance, the power of youth as agents for community change (leading to health improvement) is surfacing in school and civic decision making, media accounts, and project reports, but is less recognized in scientific literature. This trend indicating early personal investment in social good is a positive sign—one that portends a brighter future for population health, equity, and for civic engagement as well.

• Ginwright, S. and T. James. 2002. From assets to agents of change: Social justice, organizing, and youth development. New Directions For Youth Development 96: 27-46. https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.25
• Christens, B. D., & B. Kirshner. 2011. Taking stock of youth organizing: An interdisciplinary perspective. In C. A. Flanagan & B. D. Christens (Eds.), Youth civic development: Work at the cutting edge. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development , 134, 27–41. https://doi.org/10.1002/cd.309
• Ignant, C. 2014. Marginalized on Campus Black High School Students and Parents Organize. Richmond Pulse / New America Media, News Report. Available at: http://newamericamedia.org/2014/05http://newamericamedia.org/2014/05/marginalized-on-campusblack-high-school-students-and-parents-organize.php/marginalized-on-campus-black-high-schoolstudents-andparents-organize.php (accessed June 11, 2020).
• Rogers, J., and V. Terriquez. 2013. Learning to lead: The impact of youth organizing on the educational and civic trajectories of low-income youth. Los Angeles, CA: Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access. Available at: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED574627 (accessed June 11, 2020).
• Sacbee.com. 2014. California sees sharp drop in school expulsions, suspensions. Capitol Alert, Sacramento Bee.
• Sullivan, L., D. Edwards, N. A. Johnson, and K. McGillicuddy. 2003. An emerging model for working with youth: Community development + youth development = youth organizing. New York, NY: Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing.
• Terriquez, V. and G. Dominguez. 2014. Building healthy communities through youth leadership: Summary of key findings from the 2013-2014 Youth Program Participant Survey. USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity. Available at: http://dornsife.usc.edu/pere/BHC-youth-leadership (accessed September 9, 2014).
• Terriquez, V., and R. Armenta. Forthcoming. Promoting Latino health through intergenerational community organizing: The case of InnerCity Struggle in East Los Angeles. USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity.

For more information about efforts involving youth in several communities across California:

• http://californiacenter.org/youthvoices/riverbank_youth_build_awareness_about_accessing_medical_services/ (Riverbank [Central Valley] youth efforts)
• http://www.calendow.org/youth_action/sons-and-brothers-youth.aspx (Health Happens Here with all our Sons and Brothers)
• http://www.phdreamers.org/ (Pre-Health Dreamers)
• www.coachellaunincorporated.org (for information on Mi Familia Vota and other student action)
• www.southkernsol.org (Kern County)
• http://www.richmondpulse.org (work of Richmond youth coalition and other efforts)

https://doi.org/10.31478/201409b

Suggested Citation

Flores, G., M. L. Goeke, and R. Perez. 2014. The Power of Youth in Improving Community Conditions for Health. NAM Perspectives. Discussion Paper, National Academy of Medicine, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.31478/201409b

The views expressed in this commentary are those of the authors and not necessarily of the authors’ organizations or of the Institute of Medicine. The commentary is intended to help inform and stimulate discussion. It has not been subjected to the review procedures of the Institute of Medicine and is not a report of the Institute of Medicine or of the National Research Council.

Join Our Community

Sign up for nam email updates.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Guest Essay

Surgeon General: Why I’m Calling for a Warning Label on Social Media Platforms

By Vivek H. Murthy

Dr. Murthy is the surgeon general.

One of the most important lessons I learned in medical school was that in an emergency, you don’t have the luxury to wait for perfect information. You assess the available facts, you use your best judgment, and you act quickly.

The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor. Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, and the average daily use in this age group, as of the summer of 2023, was 4.8 hours . Additionally, nearly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.

It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents. A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe. Evidence from tobacco studies show that warning labels can increase awareness and change behavior. When asked if a warning from the surgeon general would prompt them to limit or monitor their children’s social media use, 76 percent of people in one recent survey of Latino parents said yes.

To be clear, a warning label would not, on its own, make social media safe for young people. The advisory I issued a year ago about social media and young people’s mental health included specific recommendations for policymakers, platforms and the public to make social media safer for kids. Such measures, which already have strong bipartisan support, remain the priority.

Legislation from Congress should shield young people from online harassment, abuse and exploitation and from exposure to extreme violence and sexual content that too often appears in algorithm-driven feeds. The measures should prevent platforms from collecting sensitive data from children and should restrict the use of features like push notifications, autoplay and infinite scroll, which prey on developing brains and contribute to excessive use.

Additionally, companies must be required to share all of their data on health effects with independent scientists and the public — currently they do not — and allow independent safety audits. While the platforms claim they are making their products safer, Americans need more than words. We need proof.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .