Being bullied can make your life miserable, and decades of research prove it: Bullied children and teens for anxiety, depression, dropping out of school, peer rejection, social isolation and self-harm.

Adults can be bullied too, often at a job, and they as kids do.

who studies child and adolescent development. That includes learning how people become bullies 鈥� and how they can be stopped.

First, let鈥檚 : It鈥檚 mean-spirited, harmful behavior by someone with more power or status 鈥� like a popular kid at school or a supervisor at work 鈥� who repeatedly picks on, harasses, irritates or injures a person with less power or status.

鈥� physical, like pushing, shoving and hitting; relational, such as spreading rumors, keeping somebody out of a friend group or just rude remarks; or sexual harassment and stalking behavior.

Sometimes, bullies target someone because of their race, religion, sexual orientation or appearance. People from the LGBTQ+ community, or who are overweight, or with a physical or developmental disability are . As a result, they , including depression, anxiety and self-harming behavior.

So why do bullies do it?

People learn how to bully others early on through what psychologists call modeling and social learning. This means bullies see other people bullying and they essentially model, or copy, this aggressive behavior.

Media is . When mean or violent conduct is glamorized and gamified in music, video games, TV and movies, bullies will imitate what they see and hear, especially if it seems cool or if it鈥檚 rewarded.

Family . If children grow up in a home without kindness and closeness, but with plenty of physical punishment and heavy conflict 鈥� including parents fighting with each other 鈥� then children view this behavior as acceptable. They can go on to treat their peers this way.

A similar thing happens when a kid falls into a group of friends who are bullies; they become . To say it another way, they bully because they think it makes them look cool in front of their friends.

And bullies bully for . Some do it because it makes them feel better about themselves when they put other people down. Other bullies discovered that force and intimidation worked for them in the past, so it鈥檚 a go-to strategy to get what they want. Still others simply have difficulty controlling themselves and can鈥檛 calm down when they鈥檙e angry.

And with some bullies, it鈥檚 just a way to get ahead. For instance, an adult bully in the workplace about a co-worker to keep a rival from being promoted.

How to handle bullies

Fortunately, there are lots of ways to stop a bully.

If you鈥檙e a child or teenager, talk about what has happened with a trusted adult 鈥� a parent, teacher, principal or counselor. They will help you figure out your next move. Schools are familiar with this sort of problem; they have to protect victims of bullying.

If you鈥檙e an adult who has been bullied in the workplace, talk to your human resources department or a neutral supervisor who can advise you on next steps. You are also legally protected 鈥� employment laws .

Whatever your age, it鈥檚 a good idea to talk to friends or family members who may not be involved in the incident but who will offer support. Engaging in coping activities 鈥� like exercising, or relaxing with a walk 鈥� .

You can also use the , available 24/7, by texting 741741. Or call the at 1-800-273-8255; the link also provides international numbers. Or call 988 to reach the national .

And a final word: Bullying is not acceptable. It鈥檚 not just 鈥渒ids being kids,鈥� or that you鈥檙e 鈥渢oo sensitive.鈥� If a bully is bothering you, don鈥檛 try to handle it alone 鈥� getting help is the way to get through.

Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you鈥檇 like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

And since curiosity has no age limit 鈥� adults, let us know what you鈥檙e wondering, too. We won鈥檛 be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

Through tears, her mother coaches her to make eye contact and regulate breathing.  

Along with artwork and snippets of therapy sessions, the scene is one of many in the new documentary , now available to stream on , Apple TV, Prime Video and Google Play for $5-12, that paints an intimate portrait of families experiencing the youth mental health crisis firsthand.

Created by Oscar-winning documentary director Vanessa Roth and entrepreneur and author Laura Morton, Anxious Nation invites audiences into the world of several young people managing anxiety, OCD, suicidal ideation and depression. Their experiences are interspersed with reflections from a psychotherapist and advocates including Taraji P. Henson.

After a nearly year-long run at regional film festivals across the country , the film is now being brought to select cinemas, high school and college campuses to jumpstart conversations about managing generalized anxiety disorder 鈥� top of mind for families now more than ever in recent history. 

Anxious Nation has generated a multi-generational response, with many grandparents attending screenings and sharing letters to the director and cast. Some say the film helped them understand that anxiety is real, or encouraged them to talk to their grandchildren in ways they didn鈥檛 before. 

Sevey Morton, the teen from the kitchen table and daughter of filmmaker Laura Morton, said the film helped her find coping strategies through others鈥� stories. And while initially hesitant to give her permission to use the scene, she now sees the representation as necessary. 

鈥淚 remembered what it felt like at my age to be struggling with that and feeling like I was the only person,鈥� Sevey said. 鈥淚f I can be that person that girls and boys can relate to with mental health and the struggles then that’s worth it 鈥� I feel like it’s so needed, I haven’t seen any footage like that or anyone being vulnerable like that on camera.鈥�

鈥淚 would have killed to see someone like me who was in a film similar to this, speaking truthfully about their mental health,鈥� she added. 

Rather than having experts to explain anxiety鈥檚 history or a mythical solution, filmmakers intentionally centered childrens鈥� point of view, through reflections, artwork, and vulnerable at-home video of moments previously only experienced by themselves, their parents or mental health providers.

In frank interviews, teens lay out how anxiety has impacted their relationships 鈥� to romantic partners, parents, school and even faith communities. 

鈥淭eenagers really are asking to be seen and heard. We, teachers, community members, whether we think something should make them feel anxious or not, or whether we think we know how they should deal with it, doesn’t matter,鈥� said Roth. 鈥淲e actually need to start from where they are.鈥�

New Hampshire鈥檚 Winnacunnet Public Schools Superintendent Meredith Nadeau said Anxious Nation helped their schools begin conversations and be more empathetic about mental health. 

鈥淭he film helps to normalize the experience of anxiety in children and adolescents, and, I think, has helped people to better understand what a young person with anxiety might be experiencing,鈥� Nadeau told 蜜桃影视 by email. 

While the youth in Anxious Nation range in age, race and geography, all have had professional support with their anxiety disorders. Many children currently living with anxiety have not yet had consistent access to that level of care. 

鈥淭here’s a whole other realm of students and children that we work with that are lacking resources and lacking parent reflection and lacking the ability to articulate what’s happening,鈥� said Heather Cronan, director of school counseling at Winnacunnet High School.

Still, Cronan hopes to one day be able to screen parts of the film in health classes, as it can help jumpstart talks about mental health and family dynamics 鈥� something she often sees left out of the conversation. 

The documentary doesn鈥檛 shy away from the role parents, caregivers, and the family environment play on children with anxiety. 

In some scenes, parents鈥� own anxieties about success trigger childrens鈥� fears and feelings of inadequacy.

鈥淲e look at the person suffering, and so rarely do we look at what role and contribution parents have in all of it, whether it’s nurture or nature or both,鈥� said Laura Morton. 

Lynn Lyons, a psychotherapist who specializes in anxiety disorders, also likens anxiety to a 鈥渃ult leader鈥� that dictates what families can and cannot do. 

The metaphor, she told 蜜桃影视, has been helpful for parents to get distance from the day-day interactions with anxiety. Thinking of anxiety as separate from the child can also remove some blame and shame. 

For instance, one young boy had severe anxiety about attending school. The father found himself 鈥渇ollowing the cult leader鈥� by attending class with his son, offering constant comfort. This solution, though it felt necessary short-term, was not sustainable and did not help his son develop tools to manage anxiety. 

鈥淲e can say, look how powerful this anxiety is 鈥� Look how much it impacts your decisions. And we have this common goal, of not letting the cult leader be in charge,鈥� she said. 

Lyons and other experts recommend that children with anxiety develop a toolkit. For Sevey, journaling and grounding exercises have helped with catastrophic thinking. 

鈥淲henever I get anxious, I really spiral and I think that it’s going to last forever,鈥� Sevey said. 鈥淪o a way to ground myself is I think about how long is it gonna last? Like, is it gonna matter in five minutes? Yes. Is it gonna matter in five hours, five days, five weeks, five months, five years?鈥� 

Others in the film find relief in a combination of skateboarding, basketball, therapy, socializing and breathing exercises. 

鈥淲e might not be able to address the nature of a person that comes into the world,鈥� Roth said, 鈥渂ut we certainly as a society can do better at [nurturing].鈥� 

Confronted with that startling reality, the from the University of Chicago鈥檚 Education Lab has identified a cost-effective, school-based model that can support young girls: group counseling and mentorship. 

Attending weekly in-school counseling for just four months through the program decreased PTSD symptoms brought on by witnessing or experiencing violent attacks or or losing a loved one by 22%, depression by 14% and anxiety by about 10%, according to the randomized control trial, considered the gold standard of research.

The program is currently offered to groups of 10 teen girls in about 30 Chicago Public Schools and more in Dallas, Kansas City and Boston.

鈥淸Because of] the violence we see, and there’s violence everywhere, not just in Chicago鈥� they are experiencing a lot of loss,鈥� said Christine Diaz Luna, a senior counselor at Hancock College Prep which serves mostly Latino students on the city鈥檚 southwest side. 鈥淚’ve seen in my experience that loss, that grief, that longing for connection.鈥� 

The high prevalence of PTSD shocked lead researcher Monica Bhatt, whose team studied over 3,700 9th- through 11th-grade girls across 10 high schools from 2017-19. 

鈥淭hese are girls who, despite the very, very high levels of trauma that they were experiencing, are coming to school. We see a B average 鈥� We don’t see a lot of externalizing behaviors,鈥� Bhatt said.听

鈥淚t really adds evidence to this notion 鈥� of having a set of latent mental health challenges that do surface later in life, but aren’t apparent early on.鈥� Research has shown that leaving depression and PTSD unchecked can affect girls鈥� future ability to succeed in their careers and family. 

Earlier this year, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report shed some light into just how pervasive traumatic experiences are for young girls: 1 in 5 nationwide experienced sexual violence in 2021.

The Chicago research is the first large-scale study to look at effective mental health interventions specifically for Black and Latino girls 鈥� who are more likely than their peers to experience traumatic childhood experiences and have higher rates of depression and anxiety. 

鈥淯sually, we sort of study program effectiveness on a large sample, and then we try to understand, does this vary for particular student groups?鈥� Bhatt added. 鈥淭his is a program that was designed particularly with Black and Latino girls in mind 鈥� We’re starting to develop a body of evidence where there wasn’t a lot prior.鈥�

Students who are actively suicidal, have learning disabilities or are absent more than 75% of the year were excluded from the Chicago sample. More research is needed to understand how a program like WOW might impact those student groups. 

Researchers believe results would be even greater for girls attending for the designed length, two school years. According to , the local nonprofit that launched the model in 2011, girls who start within clinical range for PTSD and depression have even more success: decreasing symptoms by 62% and 71%, respectively.听

WOW in Action

After her freshman year, whenever TK Nowlin was overwhelmed by family, school and friend stress, she鈥檇 get frustrated, and get into arguments, or stop communicating.听

Now a junior at Fenger Academy High School in her second year of WOW programming, she feels more calm and sure of herself. 

鈥淸WOW] helped me work on my healthy relationships 鈥� It’s very important to listen to understand instead of listening to respond, and I know that played a big factor in my life, because it was like I always had a rebuttal to something,鈥� Nowlin said.听

Fellow junior Yazmin Hunter told 蜜桃影视 she now has a system when she鈥檚 reaching the point of frustration: take a break, sit down, breathe, listen to music, take a walk. 

Once a week, TK, Yazmin and peers across Chicago leave their elective or physical education classes to head to their WOW room. They start with a check-in, sharing a rose, bud, thorn from their week or comparing their mood to songs and colors. 

Her counselor facilitates either full group discussions or individual journaling. Surrounded by colorful walls, affirmations and mirrors, they sometimes pull cards from a container: Who is the most important person in your life? What does success or a support system look like to you? What are your views on parenting?聽

Informed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, the sessions get girls to reframe or question negative thoughts, reflect on how their day-day actions align with their personal values and listen openly to each others鈥� stories.听

鈥淥ur thoughts are powerful. And sometimes we think thoughts that aren’t necessarily true. As an example, you look in the mirror, 鈥極h my God, I’m ugly,鈥欌�� Diaz Luna explained. 鈥淟et鈥檚 take that thought and break it down. What’s going on there? Where’s that coming from? Have you been told this before by someone else?鈥�

Having the group offered during the school day is critical to reach students who work or have family commitments after school that would prevent them from attending otherwise. Students are never pulled out of core classes or lunch, only electives or physical education. 

Students can volunteer for the program, pending a parent鈥檚 permission. School staff can also refer students to the program if they notice someone struggling. 

Cost and space are typically the biggest barriers for potential school partners, Youth Guidance鈥檚 chief program officer Nacole Milbrook told 蜜桃影视. 

At about $115,000 per school for one counselor, who works with four to five groups of students, WOW is still about $40,000 cheaper to run than the accepted threshold for similar services.

Surgeon general Vivek Murthy warned Tuesday in a that social media poses a profound risk to children, with excessive use impacting sleep, relationships and depression that can lead to thoughts of suicide. The report may also shape national policy as legislators and courts take on algorithms, privacy and age policies, and access to platforms. 

鈥淲e are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is an important driver of that crisis 鈥� one that we must urgently address,鈥� Murthy said in a statement.

According to Murthy鈥檚 report, even as 95% of teens and 40% of 8-12 year olds use social media, there is no evidence platforms are 鈥渟ufficiently safe.鈥� Spending more than three hours daily doubles their risk of poor mental health, including depression and anxiety symptoms, the report states. The average daily use for teens is three and a half hours, research shows.

The surgeon general also noted push notifications, infinite scrolls, and public like lists are particularly enticing and concerning for youth in early adolescence who frequently compare themselves to peers.

Citing many of the same concerns Murthy identified, more than 100 school districts nationwide have sued companies including TikTok, Snap, YouTube and Meta for their allegedly addictive algorithms that they say harm students.

Lawyers at the forefront of district litigation said the surgeon general鈥檚 report strengthens their claims.

鈥淚 think you鈥檙e going to see even more file as a result of this advisory,鈥� said Dean Kawamoto, counsel with Keller Rohrback, the leading Seattle-based law firm representing several districts who hope to make platforms less harmful. 

But some lawyers not involved in the case remain skeptical, believing that while the report will inform the national conversation, it does not carry enough weight to make waves in court.

鈥淚t is tentative and ambiguous and not really definitive in the way that most courts are going to want when ruling on something being dangerous,鈥� said Rebecca Tushnet, First Amendment expert and Harvard Law professor.

In contrast to the definitive stance on, for example, smoking, the surgeon general acknowledged social media also holds benefits. Platforms can help create a community for marginalized young people.

Active Minds, one of the nation鈥檚 leading mental health advocacy nonprofits, urged families and policy makers curbing social media access in the wake of the advisory to consider what may be lost. 

Bans could cut off access to critical sex education or communities where isolated LGBTQ, Black and Brown youth feel they belong 鈥� similar reasons other .

鈥淲hile the harmful impacts of social media usage on youth mental health certainly exist, are well documented, and require additional research鈥e鈥檝e also heard from many youth and young adults, particularly from vulnerable communities, who credit social media with saving their lives,鈥� Active Minds told 蜜桃影视.

Among the practical recommendations for and tech companies: set limits in the house around meals or bedtime; reach out for help; share data that could further research on health impacts; enforce age minimums; develop safety standards by age; and increase funding for research. 

鈥淥ur children and adolescents don鈥檛 have the luxury of waiting years until we know the full extent of social media鈥檚 impact. Their childhoods and development are happening now,鈥� the report states.

About two thirds of adolescents are 鈥渙ften鈥� or 鈥渟ometimes鈥� exposed to hate-based content. Six in 10 girls have been contacted by a stranger on social media in ways that make them uncomfortable. Young girls and LGBTQ youth are more likely than their peers to experience cyberbullying or harassment, which about 75% of adolescents believe is poorly managed by social media sites. 

At the same time, in a recent survey of , 64% said they would rather give up their right to vote for one year than give up their social media accounts.

Meta and TikTok did not respond to requests for comment. 

“As a messaging service for real friends, we applaud the Surgeon General鈥檚 principled approach to protecting teens from the ills of traditional social media platforms,鈥� a spokesperson for Snap Inc, owner of SnapChat, told 蜜桃影视.

Every day, adults are tasked with supporting young people showing behavioral changes or experiencing a mental health crisis. The problem? Many are unprepared to do so. 

It鈥檚 a challenge Deborah Offner came up against so often, as a consulting psychologist for schools in and around Boston, she decided to write a guide. Urgency is only growing: a recent CDC report shows about a third of teen girls contemplate suicide, the second-leading cause of death for children.

Educators as First Responders: A Teacher鈥檚 Guide to Adolescent Development and Mental Health, Grades 6-12, , delves into the adolescent brain. Offner pairs the science of what鈥檚 happening, at a given age or for those with a particular mental illness, with school-based examples she and educators have had over decades. 

Through it all, she invites readers to take off their adult hats and to see youth behavior in the context of development. How are requests for nudes, for example, registering in a 14-year old鈥檚 brain? What are they seeing as the risk and rewards? What other information do you need to know to decide whether to pull a counselor or parent in? 

鈥淭eachers really are playing these significant roles, to help kids develop and manage their emotional lives. They should be a little more equipped and supported to be able to do that in a way that they feel confident about because they’re doing it anyway,鈥� said Offner, who also treats children and young adults in her private practice.

In discussion with 蜜桃影视, Offner reveals the best practices adults can keep in mind and how schools can meet some of students鈥� emotional needs beyond referral to talk therapy. 

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Please be advised that some responses reference self-harm and suicide. 

蜜桃影视: As somebody who’s done this work for decades, is thinking of educators as first responders in this way a new paradigm or shift? Why write this now?

When I tell teachers, and other mental health professionals who work in schools, it seems very intuitive. Of course, kids go to their teacher when they’re upset. But it’s not recognized or acknowledged as being such a central part of the role. 

In part I wrote the book to call attention to the fact that teachers really are playing these significant roles, to help kids develop and manage their emotional lives. They should be a little more equipped and supported to be able to do that in a way that they feel confident about because they’re doing it anyway. What are some things I can do and say? I understand these kids as learners, but how do I understand them as people?

You spend the first good chunk of the book with the social contexts that shape adolescence and the psychology behind kids鈥� actions. Why is that understanding critical and how might educators鈥� actions change as a result? What’s the danger of what you call an 鈥渁dult-centric lens鈥�?

One of the things I like to do when I work with schools is to help build empathy in adults for what kids and also parents go through. When teachers understand what’s behind the behavior, there’s a couple of things that change. You don’t take it personally when a kid isn’t paying attention, can’t remember to do something, or has a certain attitude. You recognize that it’s not something you’re necessarily doing wrong, or something that if you just were different would change. It鈥檚 what they’re going through, and also, it’s normal.

There’s great benefit to the increased awareness of mental health issues in kids, but at the same time, there’s a lot of things that all kids do that can look a little crazy if you don’t recognize why it is. They don’t have the same controls, the same ways of thinking or organizing themselves and behavior that adults do. So it normalizes some of the funny things that can be perplexing or frustrating; it helps you to have perspective on them.

I’m curious if you have an example from talking to a teacher about this. Any light-bulb moments to share, from when you explained the underpinning of a behavior?

There’s an example I use in the book about a boy who looked really indifferent, kind of lazy, like he didn’t care about his work or about his teachers expectations of him. Teachers would ask him to meet after class and he would just disappear, slink out of the room. He was getting behind and seemed really disengaged. 

As the school counselor, I got an opportunity to speak with a therapist he was working with outside of school and learned from her that he had the worst case of social anxiety she鈥檇 ever seen. And once I understood, oh, that’s why he’s avoiding his teachers. That’s why he seems shut down. It’s actually called social phobia, a specific disorder. It鈥檚 not being shy or not wanting to talk to people exactly. It’s about worrying that other people are gonna think something critical of you, or bad. He was actually so exquisitely sensitive to feeling like he was letting his teachers down that he was avoiding them. 

Once they knew that, rather than just being angry and taking it personally, they were more sympathetic and could put some plans into place. I helped him to agree to what would work for him so that he could connect with them and do better. It wasn’t a magic solution, but the energy in the room changes when you explain to faculty why a kid is struggling, right?

It’s funny you bring up that example because it鈥檚 one I wanted to ask you about. What would you have done if there wasn’t yet a therapist to consult in that case? How would you have gone about finding or meeting his needs without the context?

That’s a great question because in so many cases, kids don’t have one, let alone one that knows them so well that they can offer you that kind of input. What I recommend to anyone who’s in a counseling role, or even like a Dean or administrative role, is to try to sit down with a student and hear their point of view about what’s going on. Often, kids will tell a counselor things that they might not share with a teacher. With the kids permission, you can, in some ways, act as a liaison. Even if the kid doesn’t want you to share everything they’ve told you, if you come to a better understanding of what’s going on, you can share that.

What factors adults can look out for to keep a pulse on a student’s well being while maintaining their boundaries?

Every student has different boundaries. There’s some kids, as we all know, that will tell you everything from what they ate for breakfast to a fight they had with their best friend whether you want to know or not. And there’s other kids that keep their cards really close to their chest. You have to 鈥� this is the beauty of teachers 鈥� get to know your students. Sometimes it can be as simple as asking, how are you doing? Kids can be almost surprised and even kind of touched that a teacher is interested. That is always a starting point. It doesn’t mean that a kid is going to tell you in the moment about a serious problem they’re having, but showing that you want to know it’s an important step in the direction of kids feeling they could open up to you if they wanted to. 

Obviously if you notice any change in behavior 鈥� like a kid who’s usually alert who suddenly seems sleepy 鈥� it’s okay to say, are you feeling okay? You seem a little different or not quite yourself today, or you鈥檙e quieter than usual.

You mentioned earlier that sometimes teachers are unsure of when to not fly solo and involve a professional clinician or let the family know. What are some considerations that a teacher can think through?

The bright lines that I draw have to do with any physical or potential harm to the student. If a kid is talking about suicide, cutting themselves, or other things that have to do with concrete harm, it’s really important that you not be the only one who knows that, especially when you’re not trained to assess the seriousness, gravity or reality of such a situation. Sometimes kids cut themselves and it doesn’t mean anything other than that they’re trying to manage their distress. It’s not a good sign, but it doesn’t mean that they’re going to necessarily attempt suicide. 

In situations where there’s the possibility of self harm, whether it’s happened or might happen, it’s really important to let the student know that you need to let their parents know or let the school counselor know. You can give them a choice about how you tell their parents, whether they want to tell them and then have them loop back to you, there’s different ways to negotiate the process, but that’s again the bright line. 

Otherwise, I think if a kid tells you something and you find yourself thinking about it after you go home, it’s always great to run it by a mental health professional at the school, even without a name if you want to protect the kids privacy, just to get someone else’s take on it. Someone who’s trained and knows maybe a little more about the specifics of what’s worrisome. 

What are some best practices to keep in mind when a young person discloses something traumatic or difficult for them?

One of the first things that you always want to say if a kid confides in you about something traumatic is to thank them for letting you know, that you’re so glad that they were able to tell you, that you wouldn’t want them to be alone with this experience. Ask, have they told anybody else? Oftentimes kids will confide in a teacher, and it will be the first person they’ve told about something like this. Find out so you’re aware if you’re the only person holding this fact, or if in fact the parents already know. That’s a really different scenario, if you know that another adult is kind of taking responsibility. 

Certainly in that first conversation, do not jump to issues of reporting or filing charges are anything administrative or procedural, but focus more on how they’re doing and to maybe ask for a little bit more detail. Say something like, if you feel comfortable telling me, could you let me know a little more about what happened, is there anyone else who would like to know, or anything else that I can do to be helpful? 

Of course, if someone under 18 tells you they’ve been sexually assaulted, you’re a mandated reporter. There are those requirements, legally. But again, I wouldn’t bring that up in the first meeting. Generally speaking, you should go to your school administration and potentially the school counselor to talk about how the school wants to make the report and certainly not to do it without involving the student and potentially their family. In the moment, it’s just important to be there and sit with the kid and absorb whatever they’re feeling.

Another issue you raise in the book is this idea of compassion fatigue that some educators face. Can you share how that might show up in school and what educators can do to best avoid it or manage it when it comes?

This is a huge theme right now in schools, as we as a culture and country recognize the prevalence of trauma, of being sexually assaulted. So for example, a kid tells you they were sexually assaulted, there’s sort of a vicarious traumatization that happens when you hear a story like that, but it could also be more subtle things like their parent mistreating them or them going through a difficult depression. 

As we bring an empathic response to supporting that child, and the more we do that, it can take a toll on us. The ways to address it have to do with building a network or community, finding a mentor or supervisor or someone that you can share some of the weight. It’s sharing it with another adult or a small group and also taking care of yourself in all the ways that we’ve been told to throughout the pandemic, whether it’s exercise, sleep, making time for yourself, to prevent the kind of fatigue that can happen.

When you saw the latest findings from the CDC about the frequency of sexual assault and suicidal ideation, what was your reaction personally?

On the one hand, as a human as a parent, I was horrified. As a psychologist who works with many girls in high school and college, I wasn’t surprised at all. I would say, and I don’t think I’m exaggerating, that virtually every girl in my practice over the age of 18 has been either sexually assaulted or coerced into sex at least once. Now, I have a small practice but these are girls from all different backgrounds and different schools. It’s really pervasive in a way that continues to shock me, even though I also know it’s reality.

You’ve also worked with youth interfacing with the foster care system and underserved youth in Boston more generally. For educators whose student populations are disproportionately impacted by poverty, homelessness, or adverse childhood experiences, are there specific things you recommend keeping in mind when they take on this first-responder approach?

There are ways to be sensitive and thoughtful if you’re a person who doesn’t come from a background of poverty and you’re not familiar with some of the sort of coping strategies that families may have to use. It’s important to be sensitive, both to the economic strain on families and also to cultural preferences for ways of talking about and dealing with mental health. 

A common thing for our families from Beacon Academy 鈥� who are all students of color and low-income, some have parents who have immigrated fairly recently 鈥� is that older kids will take care of younger kids on a regular basis. They may spend many, many hours caring for their siblings in a way that more privileged families may not, and often that could interfere with following through on a commitment to an extracurricular activity or something at school. It’s important, if you find a kid who is having trouble meeting a certain expectation, to gently explore and understand. Are there family commitments that are taking up their time? That’s really different than if someone doesn’t feel like getting up in the morning. Maybe their mom had to go to work and they couldn’t afford a babysitter.

That goes back to the idea of building empathy you mentioned earlier. We also know that suicidal ideation, depression and anxiety symptoms are more common in particular marginalized student groups 鈥� girls, students of color, queer students. Are there particular supports to keep in mind for them? 

The thing to keep in mind about these identities is that they may make kids more vulnerable, or more worried about sharing information for fear of people judging or criticizing them or not being accepting. What I always have in mind for myself is the kid鈥檚 identity, as I understand it and as they claim it, and also my own identity 鈥� what the differences are in those. Then I can see and mind the gap. 

How can schools be more affirming right now outside of offering traditional talk therapy, particularly because a lot of students might have family contexts that still stigmatize care or can’t access it? 

I think mental health awareness days are always helpful. I was in a school last week that had a wellness day for the middle and high school. Kids could go to all kinds of workshops; I did one on perfectionism for high school students. They had a dance group come and other speakers to talk about things like body image and dieting. That was a very popular talk because a lot of kids have concerns about that. I think it started off as kids being skeptical and now it’s like a day that nobody wants to miss. They have therapy pets come, someone doing caricatures, but it celebrates that wellness is important for kids. It’s not just about being high achieving academically or athletically. 

There’s other ways to offer support in-school that aren’t therapy, per se. For younger kids, and this could even go through middle school, lunch groups may be held with either a school counselor or someone savvy about kids. They can talk about mental health, relationships; kids could come together and be able to chat with each other and with a teacher for no particular reason. It doesn’t have to be only kids that are having trouble. 

At the school where I am, we had someone come in 鈥� he’s not a therapist, more of a coach, who’s going to do some art projects with the kids and provide a safe space for kids to chat with him if they wish. It鈥檚 activity-based, but it’s a time for them to just be there for themselves and not have any expectations on them. Doing things that show that you value their well being can be really important and parents never have to pay or give permission for it.

Lastly, are there particular storylines, or aspects of youth mental health that you feel are being misrepresented, over- or underrepresented?

What I feel is probably not addressed enough is family life and the importance of supporting parents so that they can effectively support their kids. You see a lot about either the sort of fetishization of motherhood 鈥� maternal love as this kind of ideal, special, gendered state 鈥� or parents who are abusive. The extremes of parents. Most parents are obviously somewhere in the middle, either themselves struggling with mental health issues or ambivalent about the pressures that parent parenthood puts on them. 

For today’s kids, there’s so much about social media and the effects of that in terms of mental health, but in my experience, a lot of what determines how kids feel about themselves and how well they do is their relationship with their parents. I wish there was more attention to helping parents be more present in better ways for their kids.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Additional resources are available at . For LGBTQ mental health support, you can contact The Trevor Project鈥檚 toll-free support line at 866-488-7386.

They鈥檇 just watched a three minute, wordless animation 鈥� 5,618 frames hand-drawn by Red Mountain High School senior Mariana Myers.

A genderless, ageless figure downloads apps. Dopamine fires in their brain; they appear to float. They seek the feeling out more often, foregoing stretching for a morning scroll, isolating from friends to stay connected online. A chain appears on their wrist. They adopt risky behaviors like using their phone while driving. 

When they realize and break the chain, they fall into an abyss.

The black and white video essay illustrates in painful simplicity how social media addiction and fear of being disconnected, termed nomophobia, can impact young people. 

Researched and produced for her English class, Myers鈥檚 work found its way into a 111-page lawsuit in which her home district, the largest in Arizona, is suing TikTok, Meta, YouTube, Snap and Google for allegedly targeting and addicting young people through harmful product design. They are one of dozens. 

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got 250 people in a room and you could not hear a word and there were tears in people’s eyes,鈥� said Mesa Public Schools superintendent Andi Fourlis. 鈥淭hat begs, let’s do something differently about this. So I have to answer that call.鈥�

Myers told 蜜桃影视 she drew inspiration from independent research, documentaries and real-life observations, of bullying, hate speech, addiction, eating disorders, and friends basing their worth off of likes.

She knew immediately that she wanted to attempt an animation, what she sees as the most powerful art form. 

鈥淵ou can take any type of idea that you have in your head. It not only conveys an idea, but it can also convey things like movement, emotion, expression.鈥�

A gymnastics coach for kids three through fourteen, Myers has witnessed youth of many ages grow dependent on their phones. Every water break, phones come out, and in-person interaction stops. 

They implemented a new rule: lock your phone in a box as you walk in for the three-hour practice. But some still found a way to keep their connection, hiding their phones in their lockers or deep in backpacks. 

鈥淭hey just constantly needed鈥� to check their social media in particular,鈥� Myers said. 鈥淚 would see them on Snapchat or Instagram, messaging friends and I’m like, you’re here to do gymnastics 鈥� you can go home and do that. But it was almost as if they couldn’t change that pattern.鈥�  

The phenomenon is one of many she illustrated for the video essay, showing how the urge to connect online can drive isolation with peers in person. 

Particularly in the throes of a youth mental health crisis, experts suggest schools familiarize themselves with warning signs of youth behavior and make schools as affirming as possible. 

While Myers has not struggled with severe addiction, she knows the impact access to professional help can have. Long before she ever downloaded a social media app, she struggled with disordered eating and Tourettes.  

She attended a group for young people in recovery, many of whom pointed to social media as the cause or a contributor to their disordered relationship to food or body image. 

鈥淣o matter how subtle, or how purposeful it is, any type of subliminal messaging like that can end up being extremely impactful.鈥�

Though some of her mental health struggles predated her use of social media, she faced the fear of missing out that many children experience as they see their peers鈥� lives played out online. 

She could see every time her former teammates, who she鈥檇 been very close with before getting a concussion, would hang out.

鈥淚 was very sad that I had been excluded from a lot鈥� Because that was my team.鈥� The posts became 鈥渁 reminder that I wasn’t there anymore.鈥� 

She decided at the time to take a break from social media, something she now does often.

Today, she is a self-described mom-friend and therapist for teammates, friends, sometimes family. She鈥檚 the sarcastic person many turn to when they鈥檙e in pain, mentally or physically. She has a locker full of braces for any body part, 鈥渂ecause I鈥檓 amazing at getting hurt.鈥�

Professional mental healthcare is a resource she wishes more of her peers had access to.

鈥淗aving somebody to talk to that was trained was very helpful,鈥� said Myers. 鈥淚 wish that was something more people could have, something that had less of a stigma around it鈥� Addictions can be a scary thing.鈥� 

Now, new national data unveil one factor that could be exacerbating the crisis: a record increase in sexual violence.

Nearly 1 in 5 teen girls experienced sexual violence in 2021, forced to kiss or touch someone in their life, according to the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention鈥檚 released Monday.

A startling 14%, more than 1 in 10, were forced to have sex against their will, according to the report which compiled responses from 17,000 young people surveyed in the fall of 2021. The violence is up 20% since 2017.听

The CDC conducts the survey every other year, though Monday鈥檚 report is the first to capture pandemic-era trends. And while there are bright spots 鈥� bullying and use of illicit drugs are down overall 鈥� the recent findings are grim.

In 2021, at least 18% of girls experienced some form of sexual violence 鈥� forced to touch or kiss someone in their life. And while the rate of girls forced to have sex in particular had remained pretty constant for the last 10 years, in the two year period from 2019 to 2021, it jumped from 11% to 14%.听

鈥淭his is truly alarming,鈥� said Kathleen Ethier, director of the CDC鈥檚 division of adolescent and school health. 鈥淔or every 10 teenage girls you know, at least one of them, and probably more, has been raped. This tragedy cannot continue.鈥�

Nearly 1 in 3 girls also seriously considered suicide. One quarter of girls and 37% of lesbian, gay or queer youth made suicide plans. Thirteen percent of girls attempted it, the highest numbers in a decade, roughly double the rate for boys.听

While increases in suicidal ideation can be seen across many demographics, Black and Native or Indigenous students remain significantly more likely to attempt and are the students most impacted by housing insecurity.

鈥淎merica’s teen girls are engulfed in a growing wave of sadness, violence and trauma,鈥� said Debra Houry, chief medical officer for the CDC, during a press briefing Monday.听

鈥淭hese data are hard to hear and should result in action,鈥� Houry said. 鈥淎s a parent to a teenage girl, I am heartbroken.鈥�

Research confirms adolescents who are forced to kiss, touch or have sex with people against their will are symptoms of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress. In children, this can manifest in a number of ways, including withdrawal from friends or social activities, difficulty sleeping, poor , self-harm, substance abuse and suicidal ideation.

Houry said while this report did not look at the connections between sexual violence and the increase in depression and suicidality, prior research has shown 鈥渟exual violence is associated with mental health issues, substance use and also long-term health consequences.鈥� 

Girls are also 5% more likely than boys to misuse prescription opioids and more likely to have tried illicit drugs like cocaine, inhalants, heroin, methamphetamines, hallucinogens, or ecstasy, according to the report 

Nearly half of all high schoolers are 鈥減ersistently sad or hopeless,鈥� the report found, symptoms used as a proxy to measure depression. Numbers are notably higher for girls, queer youth and students of color.听

The feelings, particularly when they are the result of sexual violence, hold the power to have lifelong impacts: 鈥測oung people who feel hopeless about their future are more likely to engage in behaviors that put them at risk for HIV, STDs, and unintended pregnancy,鈥� the report states. 

Only about half of teens, according to the 2021 findings, used a condom the last time they had sex. And only 5% were screened for STIs within the last year.

Yet many of the challenges facing young people today, Houry added, are in fact 鈥減reventable.鈥�

can revamp health curricula to educate young people about sexual consent and managing emotions; encourage school-based clubs like Gay Straight Alliances; and increase mental health training for teachers, peers and staff. 

Healthy relationship and bystander training programs like Green Dot can reduce harm and stigma in talking about sexual or romantic violence, CDC officials said. 

The CDC and advocates also encouraged families to look for warning associated with suicide and regularly ask young people about their feelings or concerns. 

鈥淚 wish my family knew these resources and what to look for earlier,鈥� national PTA President Anna King tearfully said during the media briefing. King lost a niece to suicide nearly five years ago.听

鈥淭hese conversations will help parents learn how to help their child and figure out what’s going on emotionally, building their ability to cope with life’s stressors and show them their feelings matter,鈥� King said. 鈥淚t also helps them to understand that they’re not alone.鈥�

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Additional resources are available at . For LGBTQ mental health support, you can contact The Trevor Project鈥檚 toll-free support line at 866-488-7386.

A familiar anxiety set in. 

It wasn鈥檛 until New York City high school science teacher Joshua Modeste saw photos of the teenagers involved in the December stabbing the tension eased: He did not know her. 

A little over a year had passed since he lost his first student, , 16, shot in the stomach a few blocks away from school. Soon after, he lost another when Benji鈥檚 best friend was briefly incarcerated. Ever since, when he hears about violence involving a young person, he feels dread build in his gut.

A few hours passed before he was reminded of why. A student, hanging out in his room over lunch to do makeup work, yelled out, 鈥淲hat?! Oh my God,鈥� before bolting into the hall. The Harlem victim, Saniyah, was her friend.

Modeste felt unprepared, and worn out. Within one year, he and his mostly Black and Latino students at Harlem鈥檚 Urban Assembly School of Global Commerce navigated death, prisons, racial violence, a continuing pandemic. As one of the school鈥檚 few Black male teachers he shouldered a disproportionate weight through it all, and isolation has become . 

And while the youth mental health crisis mounts, so does the toll for educators on the frontlines 鈥� especially as force teachers like Modeste to manage alone. Traction is building for student supports, but some worry teachers are being left behind 鈥� a direct hit to learning recovery.

鈥淣obody in the teaching department or other teacher candidates talked to us about that stuff 鈥� trauma and grief, emotions, and how to manage all of that while trying to maintain a classroom of 30 kids who are going through their own situations at home,鈥� Modeste said of his teacher preparation program at SUNY Plattsburgh.听

(While there is no class on these topics at Plattsburgh, the curriculum has been revised since Modeste鈥檚 graduation in 2016 and 鈥渢hese themes are woven through many of our courses,鈥� Maureen Squires, chair of the joint bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 program, told 蜜桃影视.)聽

鈥淚t was kind of like, 鈥業f you can’t handle this, then this is not the job for you,鈥欌�� Modeste said. Still, there鈥檚 not a doubt in his mind that he should continue teaching. In fact, he鈥檚 flourishing professionally, last year among the prestigious FLAG Awardees for Teaching Excellence. 

But he is struggling. 

Teachers are for experiencing more job-related stress than any other profession. Yet help for classroom leaders is hard to come by. Mental health insurance coverage varies district to district, if visits are covered at all. Even in New York City 鈥� where teacher copays for outpatient, in-network mental health care max out at $25 鈥� provider shortages and stigma can prevent educators from accessing care consistently.听

The demand for professional support is also growing rapidly. Anxiety and depression symptoms in teachers are on the rise, highest for early career educators and teachers of color, according to Leigh McLean, a researcher at the University of Delaware. 

Overall in the 2018-19 school year, 4,550 New York City teachers accessed services through their union, the United Federation of Teachers. Last year, the number exceeded 20,000. Daily calls to the program soared, from about 20 to 100 per day; hundreds of school social workers volunteered after school and on weekends to meet the need.听

For McLean, who has studied the impact of teacher depression for years, the reality is simple 鈥� educators have been given an impossible task. 

鈥淓specially through COVID, we’re putting the emphasis on teachers themselves to support their own well-being. But we’ve created a system that is not supportive of their well-being,鈥� she said.

Modeste knows this to be true. Now in his seventh year of teaching, he relied on instinct, not training, to meet Saniyah鈥檚 friend in the hall that December afternoon. 

He asked about their , whether her mom knew her too, what she might need. He told her grief surfaces in many ways, but 鈥淚 can’t tell you where that starts or ends,鈥� before offering an empty room for her to cry. 

鈥楳y anxiety lives in my belly鈥�

The son of Trinidadian pastors and youngest of three brothers, Modeste didn鈥檛 grow up talking about mental health. Don鈥檛 cry, give it to God in prayer. 

鈥淪ociety has told me that Black men are supposed to be strong and figure things out on their own,鈥� he said. 鈥淏lack men don’t talk to me about therapy. So it doesn’t seem like something that’s normal.鈥�

But the emotional weight was building each day. Soon after the murder, one of Modeste鈥檚 students sat visibly crying in class. Benji鈥檚 best friend. He did not know what to wear to the funeral 鈥� this would be his first. 

Entering grades at the semester鈥檚 end, Benji鈥檚 name on his roster stared at him, waiting for an entry. In November, Facebook memories brought back pictures, and emotions, at the year anniversary. The funeral was the first time he had seen many of his students cry, especially the boys.

鈥淚 thought I got through it. And then this time of the year resurfaced some stuff for me,鈥� he said.

Psychologists dub the phenomenon or empathetic distress. Studies have mainly focused on clinical staff like social workers or therapists. Tish Jennings, an expert on teacher stress and social-emotional learning at the University of Virginia, said researchers have only recently started to explore how it affects teachers and students. 

鈥淵ou need therapy when you have trauma exposure,鈥� she told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淚t’s very hard these days to get good treatment, because there’s such a huge need, and there’s such a shortage of good clinicians.鈥�

Because of the clinical shortages impacting New York City teachers, 鈥渕embers who cannot wait for an appointment sometimes go to a mental health provider outside the networks. These professionals often don’t take insurance and can charge what they want,鈥� said Alison Gendar, a UFT spokesperson.

Unaware of the options provided by the union and in crisis, Modeste urgently searched for a male therapist of color last fall. He ultimately paid over $120 for a month of Talkspace sessions, but could not afford to continue treatment. The NYC Department of Education did not provide grief counseling to staff or students after losing Benji, according to Modeste.

鈥淚f you have to deal with traumatized people all the time and you don’t have the skills, you can try to numb yourself as a way to protect yourself from feeling those feelings,鈥� Jennings explained. 鈥淵ou can also become kind of challenged or jaded, sarcastic as a way to protect yourself. And you can also become very overwhelmed and feel depressed and hopeless.鈥�

Teachers鈥� depression is shown to 鈥� teachers plan less, , may rely on independent or group instead of the more demanding whole-class instruction, and are less warm with students. 

High stress , too; Jennings described a scenario where a teacher under extreme stress is quicker to overreact, taking a small disruption personally, 鈥淚 might not realize this is normal kid behavior and become more punitive in response to that.鈥�

Ideally, teachers should receive training or therapy to become aware of their emotional state so as to, 鈥渞espond to situations thoughtfully instead of reacting automatically,鈥� she added. 

Modeste is beginning to recognize when physical sensations pop up and articulate his needs, or to meditate 鈥� skills he picked up at a mindfulness workshop by NYC Men Teach. 

鈥淢y anxiety lives in my belly,鈥� he said.

Experts told 蜜桃影视 teaching mindfulness and compassionate is necessary, but by themselves, cannot reduce the high levels of stress teachers face. The most effective changes are system-wide, not individual: comprehensive health care packages; staff devoted to teacher well-being; professional development; and establishing .听

An invisible tax

They鈥檙e the kinds of support that teachers are craving, particularly those who serve students disproportionately impacted by poverty, homelessness, incarceration or violence. For Modeste, constant exposure to violence and death in the community and online weighs heavy on the mind. In his youth, the only time he saw dead bodies was at funerals. 

Last May during class, he confronted what he called a new 鈥渄eath culture:鈥� a student watching the Buffalo grocery store massacre video on Twitch during class. He had mistaken it, like many young people, for a first-person shooter game. This fall, images of rappers Takeoff and PnB Rock鈥檚 death circulated.

鈥淚 was like, ‘No, why are you watching these things? Do you understand the impact that this stuff is having on you?’鈥� he recalled. 鈥淚 don’t know if people are processing with them, what that means for you to look at that person, someone that you looked up to or somebody that you listen to their music, to see a picture of them on the floor dead.鈥澛�

It鈥檚 also not lost on him that, for some students, he may be the only one with whom they鈥檙e comfortable talking. Researchers and those in the field refer to this as an 鈥溾�� on educators of color, often among the few adults in a school who represent their students鈥� racial identities, are more likely to share life experiences.听

Black teachers report having to discipline students of color and be liaisons to families more often because of their race, according to the Center for Black Educator Development. They may also navigate more lack of trust from administrators and colleagues.

Compared to white male teachers, Black teachers spend counseling students outside of class, about five hours per week. Modeste, for instance, shared his phone number with students when they went remote for the first time in the spring of 2020 鈥� a way to stay connected if they needed it. And many did. 

He fielded calls throughout distance learning, while battling his own anxiety and isolation, witnessing anti-Black violence week after week. In sometimes hour-long conversations, he listened to students vent about fights they had with their mother; college applications and whether STEM could really be an option for them.听

Since returning to class, some have opened up about feeling hypersexualized, like they have to perform masculinity and some idea of what it is to be a Black man. Modeste keeps a note from one student, who was suicidal while in his class, in his desk at all times.

While the staff at Global Commerce is racially diverse, Modeste finds himself dispelling assumptions staff place on students 鈥� about how they spend their money or why their families live in nearby affordable housing projects 鈥� something no one had done for him. And like most other , Modeste is one of the longest-serving teachers.听

鈥淚t creates a situation where students feel either abandoned or they feel like they don’t have anyone to connect to 鈥� It puts an extra responsibility on me,鈥� he said. 

The research is clear in this regard, according to McLean: 鈥淭eachers and students in these underserved contexts are really experiencing the most trauma and are the ones that need the most prioritized and targeted support.鈥�

Modeste knew that would be his reality before beginning his career, but he鈥檚 still realizing the toll. 

In December, he briefly tried psychotherapy again through a free Betterhelp trial, offered through a teacher honor society. He had a couple sessions with a Black male therapist and wanted to continue, but the $200 per month price tag stopped him. 

For now, Modeste and his advisory students have started role-play scenarios on setting boundaries and saying no, swapping TV shows and music that helps them cope with feeling overwhelmed. Leaning on cultural affinity groups and colleagues, he is finding ways to 鈥渞eframe鈥� the parts of his life that serve as informal therapy: journaling, writing affirmations like 鈥榝ocus鈥� and 鈥榣ove鈥� on his bathroom mirror in Expo marker and caring for his pet fish.

In his Ph.D. program at Columbia Teachers College, he鈥檚 researching ways to make science education more culturally responsive, and the experiences of male science teachers of color.听

He doesn鈥檛 hide emotions anymore, or ignore what鈥檚 happening outside of school. His default demeanor is bubbly, but on days he鈥檚 going through something, he smiles and talks less. 

鈥淎nd kids will ask me like, you know, ‘Yo, Modeste are you OK?’ That’s when I open up 鈥� 鈥極h, you know, I’m going through some stuff with my family, I just need some space right now,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淚 think that that shows them that when I ask them if they’re OK, the responses that I’m trying to elicit.鈥�

Secondary students at every grade level maintain depression, stress, and anxiety is the most common barrier to learning. And fewer than half of them, regardless of gender, sexual and racial identity, have an adult they feel comfortable talking to when stressed or upset, according to a new YouthTruth. 

The report also reveals drastic mental health disparities, with white students students  at least 7% more likely to access a school psychologist, counselor or therapist than their Black, Latino and Asian peers. LGBTQ youth experienced suicidal ideation more than double the rate of their peers.

鈥淭he increase in the mental health load that students experienced during the pandemic has not gone away,  is still very present, even increased and it’s not going away anytime soon,鈥� said Jen Wilka,  executive director of YouthTruth. 鈥淔or now, we need to adjust to that as the new normal and and think about how we support students.鈥� 

The survey found that last academic year, less than a quarter of students spoke to school counselors, therapists or psychologists about what they were facing. 

鈥淚 think that the conversation about learning loss and the academic side of learning is so loud, that we can sometimes lose sight 鈥�  of the interconnectedness between emotional and mental health and students鈥� ability to learn academically,鈥� Wilka added. 鈥淚t’s really impossible to do one without the other.鈥�

Less than half of the 222,837 students surveyed this fall across 20 states are satisfied with their school鈥檚 mental health offerings. 鈥淚 wish the school did more to train and educate its students on how to identify … warning signs of deteriorating mental health, abuse, self-harm, and violence within their peers – and respond appropriately and compassionately,鈥� one Asian-American high school senior boy wrote.

Gender disparities 

YouthTruth鈥檚 findings, disaggregated for the first time by gender identity, also reveal starkly different emotional realities and gaps in access to meaningful care for LGBTQ students.

An overwhelming majority, 83-85%, of trans and non-binary students say depression, stress and anxiety block their ability to learn, rates at least 33% above the average for all students. LGBTQ middle and high school students report twice as much as their peers that bullying also impacts their learning.

Only about a third of LGBTQ students report their school鈥檚 mental health support is satisfactory.

鈥淭hat says that we still have work to do to meet those students where they’re at and be tailoring that support,鈥� Wilka said. 

LGBTQ students want to feel 鈥渟een and recognized鈥� in , which would contribute to a positive sense of self. Recent efforts to censor content at school have plagued students鈥� mental health, write-in responses reveal. 

Curriculum bans launch a domino effect, stifling classroom talks about gender and sexuality. The culture makes it difficult for students to process when they may not freely be able to at home, and to feel a sense of belonging. 

Distinctive Schools, a charter network in Chicago and Detroit and YouthTruth partner, is currently ramping up support for LGBTQ students 鈥� encouraging active Gay-Straight Alliances on each campus and making their dress code language more gender inclusive 鈥� and expanding their mental healthcare teams to combat mental health stigma.

鈥淚’m giving trainings to teachers that historically you would only get as a clinician鈥nd we can still be doing better, they still need more, and we still can’t keep up with the demand,鈥� Distinctive School鈥檚 Director of Clinical Services, Michele Lansing, told the 74. Their suicide or risk assessments are up, the result of peers sharing their concern for one another more frequently. 

鈥淥ur students are more educated and getting better at putting words to what was already there, 鈥滾ansing said. 

鈥淭hey know that their friends deserve help and support.鈥�

Boys were the least likely subgroup to speak with school staff about their mental health or the problems they experience, at about 15%. One young student, in a workshop analyzing his school鈥檚 results, hypothesized that a 鈥渃ulture of masculinity鈥� impacts the numbers 鈥� there鈥檚 an expectation that boys shouldn鈥檛 express their feelings. 

鈥淓ven though in this data, we might look at it and say 鈥榦h, boys and young men are doing fine, it鈥檚 girls, transgender, and non-binary students that we need to be worrying about.鈥� We know from other data that boys and young men are not fine,鈥� Wilka said.

鈥淒o better:鈥� Involve students, families 

The overwhelming ask from students鈥� write-in responses is now 鈥渄o better.鈥� The plea is a stark shift from past surveys, where students wanted schools to do something, anything, to address the mental suffering they experience and witness.  

鈥淭hat refrain, ‘talk to us first’ is just exploding in the qualitative data right now,鈥� Wilka said, adding that the message suggests schools can do more to bring students into the process of planning or adjusting offerings. Distinctive Schools, for example, meets each family individually at the start of the year.

鈥淲e鈥檙e young, but we deserve respect,鈥� one white high school senior wrote in their survey response, criticizing what they felt were inadequate attempts to address needs by adding mental health days. 

鈥淒on鈥檛 just hear us, listen to us,鈥� another wrote, 鈥� …You have to work alongside us, or it just doesn鈥檛 work. Do something … Do better.鈥�

The new normal is not at all surprising to Makayla, a Black high school junior at one of Distinctive School鈥檚 Chicago high schools. She asked her last name not be used to maintain privacy. 

鈥淚 have experienced all three 鈥� the depression, stress and anxiety, and it definitely did affect my work 鈥� I was torn apart, and so many days, I just wasn’t okay,鈥� she told 蜜桃影视.  

Typically a high-achieving student, Makayla found it harder and harder to stay emotionally stable last spring, often sitting in the counselor鈥檚 office collecting herself for most of the school day. Her grades plummeted. Yet she was among the minority of secondary school students comfortable enough with her teachers to be honest when they took notice. 

鈥淥n the days that I would come to school while I was mentally not okay, my English teacher, she was like, 鈥榙o you need to take a breather? Do you want to just sit here and catch up on work later?鈥� 鈥澛� Makayla said. 鈥�…They understand that if you need a moment, then I’ll give you a moment, or however long it takes.鈥�

Kristy Maxwell realized something had to change the day she picked her son Levi up from school and found out his teacher had left the autistic kindergartener alone crying and throwing pencils from under his desk.

The Michigan mom switched her son to a school that had a good reputation serving students with disabilities, but things didn鈥檛 improve. Because Levi was a 鈥渕ath whiz,鈥� staff ignored his trouble socializing and his difficulty handling the cafeteria鈥檚 loud noises, Maxwell said. Meanwhile, she was unsuccessful in lobbying the school to screen her child for autism, a way to secure the extra services required by law for students with disabilities. The mother worried her son might never get the learning support he needed.

Then, in March 2020, the pandemic shifted all classes at his school online and forced the family into an accidental experiment in a new model of education. 

During remote school, Levi could get one-on-one attention sitting next to his mother, who had to temporarily stop her work as a massage therapist due to COVID. His younger sister, who struggles with anxiety, could take breaks to pet the family鈥檚 dogs.

鈥淲hen everything shut down and we were forced to go virtual 鈥� my two younger kids did really well,鈥� Maxwell said. 

鈥淲e decided after doing that, since the younger two kids did so well outside of a brick-and-mortar [school], keeping them virtual would be the best way to help them academically.鈥�

The Maxwells, whose three kids are now 9, 11 and 15, are among the thousands of families across the U.S. that tried virtual learning for the first time during the pandemic and are now staying with it.

New data indicate that online schools have had a staying power beyond the pandemic that few observers suspected. While some virtual academies have operated for decades, they saw a well-documented in 2020-21, the first full school year after COVID, as many virus-wary parents looked to protect their children from infections and anti-mask families sought a way out of face-covering requirements. But in the following year, even as brick-and-mortar schools fully reopened and mask mandates fell, remote schools mostly maintained their pandemic enrollment gains 鈥� and in many cases added new seats.

On average across 10 states, virtual school enrollment rose to 170% of its pre-pandemic level in 2020-21, then nudged up further to 176% in 2021-22, according to data obtained by 蜜桃影视. 

The new figures contribute to a more far-reaching understanding because, while have documented the uptick in new fully virtual schools and standalone remote academies offered by districts, scant analyses have provided a national picture of student enrollment in those schools.

鈥楲ooks like it鈥檒l stick鈥�

The trend reveals that for many families virtual learning has become more than a temporary model to get through the pandemic 鈥� but rather a long-term option preferred in increasing numbers.

鈥淚t looks like it鈥檒l stick,鈥� said Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education. 鈥淚n some states, the numbers went up temporarily and came back down a bit. But overall, if [families] are staying for a couple of years, I would expect that they would keep it going.鈥�

Six states in the dataset 鈥� Arkansas, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota and North Carolina 鈥� saw consecutive year-over-year virtual enrollment increases, while four 鈥� Florida, Oregon, Wisconsin and Wyoming 鈥� saw dramatic upticks in 2020-21, then a slight dip in 2021-22.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 know what to expect after the [mask] mandates were lifted, but we maintained our enrollment and we continue to grow,鈥� said Jodell Glagnow, attendance administrator at Wisconsin Virtual Academy.

In Iowa, an extreme case, virtual school enrollment swelled to 373% of pre-pandemic levels in 2020-21 and notched up even further to 388% in 2021-22. The growth corresponded with an increase in the number of approved online schools in the state from three to nearly two dozen over that span, a state Department of Education spokesperson explained.

The data represents K-12 students enrolled in standalone online academies and excludes students taking remote classes offered by their home brick-and-mortar school. The scope, however, varies slightly state by state. For example, the Florida numbers reflect enrollment in the statewide Florida Virtual School, while the Arkansas figures come from its two approved virtual charters and the Michigan tally encompasses students at all 88 providers approved for online instruction.

Oregon was the lone state to provide , revealing white students were overrepresented in the state鈥檚 virtual schools in 2020-21, while students with disabilities, those navigating poverty and English learners were underrepresented. Overall, enrollment rose to 172% of pre-pandemic levels that year and reduced slightly the next year. 

GeRita Connor runs Lowcountry Connections Academy, a virtual school in South Carolina. Her school opened last year to accommodate the overwhelming demand for online schooling once capacity was reached at its partner academy, South Carolina Connections, which contracts with the same for-profit provider, Connections LLC, an offshoot of publishing and testing giant Pearson. 

The families who were newcomers to online academies like hers in the fall of 2021, she said, often hadn鈥檛 even considered remote schooling before COVID.

鈥淚 think that what happened during the pandemic is that families became more aware of the option of virtual learning,鈥� Connor said. 鈥淸It] really opened the doors for those opportunities to exist.鈥�

For the Maxwells in Michigan, Levi stayed in the online option his school maintained through the 2020-21 year, then in the fall of 2021 switched to the statewide Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy. His younger sister, Aria, briefly returned to school in person, but switched back to a district-run online option in January 2022. In September, she was able to join her brother at Great Lakes.

Rotten apples?

Experts caution the emerging trend could translate to poor academic outcomes. Virtual academies far predated COVID in some states, often with lackluster track records. And during the pandemic, students who spent the most time away from in-person classes suffered the largest learning setbacks.

Research from the using pre-pandemic data shows students at online schools score far worse on academic tests than their peers learning in-person, even when controlling for factors like race, poverty level and disability status.

To now see more and more families enrolling in online learning worries Heather Schwartz, a researcher at the Rand Corporation who has during the pandemic.

鈥淯ntil we have proof the virtual schools can perform just as well 鈥� for at least some students 鈥� as traditional public schools, yeah, I鈥檓 concerned,鈥� she said.

Participating families and administrators, however, attest to a positive impact on student learning at many virtual schools. Levi Maxwell, for example, has seen his grades improve dramatically while learning online, his mother reports. Last year, he wrote his first story by himself, after struggling for years in English.

But Gary Miron, an education professor at Western Michigan University and outspoken critic of virtual academies, believes the negative experiences outweigh the positive ones and is frustrated to see student enrollment continue to rise.

鈥淚t defies market theory,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou鈥檇 think consumers would wake up and say, 鈥業’m not going to buy these apples. They’re rotten. I’m going to get another producer.鈥� But they’re not.鈥�

He also warns that many virtual schools 鈥� including Connections Academies 鈥� have nonprofit 鈥渟hells鈥� that contract with for-profit management organizations. Those contracts often include costly management fees and six- or seven-figure salaries for top executives, he said. 

鈥淭hose so-called nonprofits are just incredibly profitable,鈥� Miron said.

Connections Academy spokesperson Chantal Kowalski countered that schools in her organization are public and, like traditional brick-and-mortar schools, are governed by boards that 鈥渕ake all material or budget decisions and publicly post board meeting minutes online.鈥� She added that they 鈥渃ontract with Pearson for online education products and services like curriculum and technology.”

Still, GAO education director Jacqueline Nowicki remains concerned about oversight.

鈥淭o the extent that the sector grows and becomes larger, I do think the risk to the federal government grows in terms of accountability,鈥� she said.

Virtual schools, real relationships

The primary concern for Lake, of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, is whether students enrolling in online schools lose out on facetime with teachers. Many remote academies rely heavily on asynchronous lessons and offer fewer hours of live instruction than traditional schools.

鈥淰irtual learning can be a great option, but it isn’t a substitute for connections with adults,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou have to make sure that the virtual program is providing a lot of student-teacher interaction.鈥�

At their Michigan virtual academy, the Maxwells feel like their needs are being well met. The school has provided more specialists to accommodate her children鈥檚 special needs than their brick-and-mortar schools ever did, Kristy Maxwell said. But she admits the energy required to keep her children on task through the school day can be considerable.

鈥淚t is a lot of work on my part,鈥� the mom acknowledged.

In a nearby Great Lakes state, seventh grader Helena Warren has also felt satisfied with a recent pivot to the Wisconsin Virtual Academy. She transferred in January 2022 and appreciates how much one-on-one time she gets with her teachers through Zoom breakout rooms or phone calls when she needs extra help.

The middle schooler made the switch because the work at her old school was too 鈥渂asic and easy,鈥� she said, causing her to tune out and get bad grades, including some C鈥檚 and D鈥檚. Now her grades are better and the assignments are more challenging. When she demonstrates mastery of a concept, her teacher asks her to help explain it to her peers, which she enjoys.

鈥淪he’s doing higher-grade stuff than she would be doing at a regular brick-and-mortar school,鈥� said her proud mother, Melody Warren, who plans for Helena to stay online indefinitely.

鈥淚 think she’s gonna go through high school,鈥� Warren said.

Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness, a two-part documentary that premieres Monday on PBS, presents the raw accounts of nearly two dozen young people from diverse backgrounds who open up about their excruciating life experiences. Through varied stories that touch on issues like abuse, addiction and discrimination, the Ewers hope their film will give their audience an understanding that they came to themselves: Everybody, no matter their backgrounds, is affected by America鈥檚 mental health crisis in one way or another. 

The film, executive produced by renowned documentarian Ken Burns, was screened at the White House Thursday, with First Lady Jill Biden saying, 鈥淲e have so much work to do to help our children heal,鈥� and thanking the filmmakers for shining a light on mental health.

鈥淚t鈥檚 impossible not to be moved by the pain that these young people and their families share,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut there was so much hope there, too. Because they had all found a way from that darkness towards the light.鈥� 

The documentary can be seen at 9 p.m. ET on Monday and Tuesday and will be available on PBS stations nationally, PBS.com and the . It is part of , called Well Beings, to raise awareness about mental health issues. 

鈥淭he goal of the film, we hope, is that people will find relatability in their own lives through these kids鈥� stories,鈥� Christopher, who co-directed the documentary with his brother, told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淚 felt connected in ways that I can鈥檛 even describe to each and every person鈥檚 story. Some of them nearly destroyed me as we were filming their interviews because they hit so close to home.鈥�

The young people featured in it range in age from 11 to 27, including a teenager who lost the fight against addiction at the age of 15, a young Native American woman who felt so isolated that she contemplated suicide and a high school freshman who experienced a series of assaults that led to troubling hallucinations. Among them is Billie, a 15-year-old from a rural farming community who endured intense bullying for being transgender. For 14-year-old Xavier, trauma stemmed from an abusive father. 

鈥淐igarette smoke is a very triggering thing from my past since I associate that with getting beat by wooden sticks,鈥� said Xavier, who recalled getting beaten 鈥渇or seemingly no reason.鈥�

begin by the age of 14 and 75% occur by age 24, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. 

鈥淭he things my ancestors went through, it鈥檚 shown through alcohol abuse, addictions, non-stable families, toxic relationships,鈥� explains Alexis, a 21-year-old who grew up on a Native American reservation. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the burden that Indigenous youth deal with everyday, you鈥檙e just born into it.鈥� 

New Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data offer bleak insight into the extent of the problem and how the pandemic has made the crisis even worse for millions of teens, especially LGBTQ youth and girls. In a recent CDC survey, more than a third of high school students reported experiencing poor mental health during the pandemic, nearly 20% reported that they seriously considered dying by suicide and a staggering 9% had actually tried. Even before the pandemic, suicide was a leading cause of death among teens as rates of youth anxiety and depression surged. In 2009, a quarter of high school students reported feeling persistent sadness or hopelessness. By 2019, that rate jumped to nearly 37%. 

Though the project has been years in the making, the film acknowledges how the pandemic has made the crises far more urgent. The Ewers are longtime collaborators with Ken Burns and the trio will continue working together to create a series of films examining the mental health crisis in America.

Over the course of four hours, this first film takes viewers on a journey that for many began with traumatic experiences that led to debilitating mental health struggles, but ended with a message of hope. Despite roadblocks including homelessness, arrests, addictions, eating disorders and suicide attempts, many of the young subjects were able to go on and live happy lives thanks to mental health care and the coping skills they developed.

Yet recovery is a lifelong process. It鈥檚 a lesson that Erik learned firsthand over the course of filming the documentary, he said. Throughout his entire life, he struggled to understand his emotional issues. Although his parents took him to a psychiatrist while he was in elementary school, it wasn鈥檛 until he started filming the documentary that he began to truly address his challenges. The youth in his film, he said, 鈥済ave me an education about myself.鈥�

鈥淚f the film has the power to do that for me, I can only hope that it will have that power for other people as well,鈥� he said. 

Christopher said the youth interviews hit home for his family, too, as his daughter struggled with mental health challenges of her own. Listening to each of the stories, he said, 鈥済ave us the courage and the commitment to see through the proper care for our daughter.鈥� 

As the filmmakers weave the young peoples鈥� individual stories into a cohesive narrative, the result can only be described as a gut punch. With the goal of presenting an unvarnished look into the pervasiveness of youth mental health crises, the documentary is difficult to watch at times. But sugarcoating the issue would be a disservice to those who are struggling, Erik said. 

鈥淚magine a kid out there who is literally watching it and we watered it down, which of course, we had not,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut if they did, they鈥檇 be saying 鈥榃ow, I鈥檓 a lot worse than I thought,鈥� or say 鈥楾his is bullshit.鈥欌��

The stigma still associated with mental health issues prevents many young people from sharing their experiences, yet the Ewers brothers said their subjects were motivated to open up on film 鈥� and wound up feeling better as a result. They were tired of keeping their suffering bottled up inside and hoped that greater awareness could save lives. 

Alexis, who grew up on the reservation, said that nearly all Indigenous youth are the victims of trauma and abuse to some degree. Yet also embedded in her DNA, she said, is resilience. 

鈥淚 know for a fact that my ancestors and my elders, they鈥檙e rooting for me and they want me to do good,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檒l share my story over and over again. I鈥檒l go through those emotions like a million times if it helps one person.鈥�

More than a third of high school students reported experiencing poor mental health during the pandemic, more than half reported being subjected to emotional abuse at home and a quarter said a parent or another adult at home had lost their jobs, according to results from the first nationally representative survey of high school students鈥� mental health and well-being during the pandemic.

Faced with sudden school closures, social isolation and the fear of family loss or illness, 66% of students reported that schoolwork became more difficult to complete after the pandemic shuttered campuses nationwide in March 2020.

Even before the pandemic, survey data suggests that youth mental health had grown bleeker and suicide was already a leading cause of death among teens. The new CDC data point to a situation that鈥檚 grown even more dire, especially for LGBTQ youth and girls, two groups that reported particularly high levels of poor mental health during the pandemic.

In response, public health experts called on policymakers to act with urgency to reverse the trend.听

鈥淵oung people and their families have been under incredible levels of stress during the pandemic,鈥� Kathleen Ethier, director of the CDC鈥檚 division of adolescent and school health, said during a press call Thursday. 鈥淥ur data exposes cracks and uncovers an important layer of insight into the extreme disruptions that some youth have encountered.鈥澛�

The results come from the Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, which was completed by a nationally representative sample of 7,705 public and private high school students. The CARES Act-funded questionnaire was conducted online between January and June 2021. Since then, the country has entered a new phase of the pandemic as mask mandates and other public health measures are lifted, but while the . Public health officials acknowledged it鈥檚 unclear how youth well-being has fared since the survey was completed.

The figures are key to understanding the pandemic’s effects on the health and well-being of American youth. Previous evidence has suggested the pandemic has had a deleterious effect on youth and contributed to trends like a surge in teen depression and anxiety, but the national survey is the first to asses the national prevalence of disruptions and adversities like parental job loss, personal job loss, homelessness, hunger and the extent of emotional or physical abuse at home.

They also reveal a promising strategy that school leaders can leverage to put youth on a better trajectory. Youth who feel connected to their school, the survey found, were significantly less likely than those who did not to report feeling hopeless or attempt suicide. Yet fewer than half 鈥� 47% 鈥� of teens reported feeling close to the people at their schools during the pandemic, when millions primarily experienced learning remotely.听

鈥淎lthough our latest findings present an often-grim picture and there is much work to be done, it is clear that right now young people need all the support we can give them,鈥� Ethier said.

During his State of the Union address earlier this month, President Joe Biden addressed the youth mental health crisis, declaring that students 鈥渓ives and education have been turned upside-down.鈥� His released this week seeks $1 billion to double the number of counselors and psychologists in schools.听

Based on the CDC鈥檚 survey data, these six charts show the challenges students faced during the pandemic 鈥� while also revealing promising strategies that could help them recover from more than two years of life-altering disruptions.听

As the pandemic shuttered businesses, many teens were forced to live through the hardships of an economic crisis.

Nearly a third of students reported that a parent or another adult at home had lost their job while 22% of teens reported experiencing job loss themselves. A quarter of teens reported experiencing food insecurity. Among white students 18.5% reported experiencing hunger while 32% of Black students said they lacked enough food to eat. In total, 2% of students reported experiencing homelessness.听

Teachers and other school officials are generally considered mandated reporters, putting them on the front lines of spotting issues like physical abuse at home. Remote learning heightened concerns that such abuse could go undetected at a moment when pandemic-induced stressors could exacerbate the problem. Indeed, the CDC data suggest that the physical and emotional abuse of teens has grown more alarming during the public health crisis.

More than half of respondents 鈥� 55% 鈥斅爎eported that a parent or another adult at home had subjected them to emotional abuse and 11% said they faced physical abuse. Black students experienced the highest prevalence of physical abuse by a parent, at 15%, compared to 9.8% of white students.听

Those figures are substantially higher than pre-pandemic levels, when 13.9% of students reported experiencing emotional abuse in and 5.5% reported being subjected to physical abuse by a caregiver. These differences, CDC researchers concluded, highlights a reality that 鈥渋ncreased stress contributes to violence.鈥�

The pandemic鈥檚 devastating emotional toll on high schoolers was clear in the data. Overall, 37.1% of students reported experiencing poor mental health during the pandemic and an even larger share 鈥� 44.2% 鈥斅爏aid they felt persistently sad or hopeless during the 12 months prior to completing the survey.

And while a teen suicide crisis has been billowing for years, the new CDC data show the extent of the problem. While 19.9% of students reported that they seriously considered dying by suicide, a staggering 9% had actually tried.听

The pandemic-era mental health crisis was particularly grim for girls. Nearly half of girls reported having poor mental health during the pandemic compared to nearly a quarter of boys. Similarly, 5.3% of boys reported attempting suicide compared with 12.4% of girls.听

A widely reported found an increase in youth emergency room visits due to suicide attempts during the pandemic. In February and March 2021, suicide-related emergency room visits were 50.6% higher for girls and 3.7% higher for boys than they were during the same period in 2019.

Even prior to the pandemic, youth mental health was a critical public health concern. Among high school students nationwide, 26.1% reported feeling persistent sadness or hopelessness in 2009. By 2019, that rate jumped more than 10 percentage points to 36.8%. During that same period, there was a 5 percentage point increase in students reporting having seriously considered attempting suicide and a 2.6 percentage point increase in youth reporting having attempted suicide.听

CDC data suggest the pandemic has been particularly challenging for students who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual. Perhaps more troubling, the data were released at a moment when Republican lawmakers have championed legislation that critics say would make life harder for LGBTQ youth. Just this week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis , a controversial law that bans educators from offering instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity to children in grades K-3.听

Nearly three-quarters of gay, lesbian and bisexual teens reported experiencing emotional abuse at home, compared to roughly half of their straight classmates. Similarly, more than a quarter of gay, lesbian and bisexual teens reported an attempt to die by suicide in the last year compared to 5.2% of heterosexual youth.

Although the survey doesn鈥檛 highlight the experiences of transgender youth, previous surveys suggest they also faced heightened risks during the pandemic compared to their cisgender peers, Ethier said.听

Between January and June 2021, 31.6% of respondents reported using tobacco, alcohol or marijuana, or misusing prescription opioids. Nearly a third of students who said they鈥檇 used such substances before reported using more of them during the pandemic.听

However, CDC survey data suggest that overall teen substance use decreased during the pandemic. It鈥檚 possible, researchers concluded, that students who attended schools virtually had limited access and greater parental supervision.

Students who attended schools virtually, the survey revealed, were less likely than those who attended in-person to use substances like tobacco and alcohol. For example, a quarter of in-person students reported using tobacco compared to just 9% of remote learners.听

Because youth get tobacco products from social sources such as friends, access to those products likely decreased during the pandemic, researchers concluded. However, more open alcohol policies like home delivery may have lowered barriers for youth attempting to purchase booze.

The CDC survey highlights the steep obstacles that teens have had to navigate during the pandemic, but it also recommends strategies that could offer a brighter future. While remote learning likely hindered students鈥� feelings of connectedness at school, experts stressed it鈥檚 not too late to make positive changes.听

The CDC survey reveals that feelings of connectedness at school are critical to youth mental health. More than a quarter of youth who felt connected at school reported poor mental health during the pandemic compared to nearly half of those who said they did not feel close to others at their schools.听

Youth who said they experienced racism during the pandemic and those who are gay, lesbian or bisexual were less likely than other student groups to report feeling connected at school.听

To foster greater connectedness and promote positive school climates, the CDC recommended that districts implement programs that focus on social-emotional learning and professional development centered on classroom management and fostering positive relationships between students, their families and school staff. Districts should also analyze school disciplinary policies to ensure they鈥檙e implemented equitably across racial and ethnic groups, researchers recommended.

鈥淭here is much that can be done to make sure that LGBTQ youth and youth from racial and ethnic minority groups feel safe, supported and connected in their schools,鈥� Ethier said, noting the importance of such school efforts specifically designed to improve the mental health of LGBTQ youth and reduce their risk of suicide. 鈥淲hen schools are less toxic for youth at increased risk for severe outcomes, schools are less toxic for everyone.鈥澛�

In the third and final survey of young people during the pandemic by the national nonprofit YouthTruth, 49 percent of students talked about the detrimental effects of growing mental and emotional issues while just 39 percent said they had an adult at school to whom they could turn for support. The gap in access to social and emotional help has widened even from fall 2020 survey data, at the start of students鈥� first full pandemic school year.

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YouthTruth Executive Director Jen Wilka said adult connection was actually at its highest at the start of emergency distance learning in spring 2020. Those interactions and energy, which students say is key to learning, are not as strong now a year and a half later, evidenced by the declining number of young people who say they have a supportive adult in their school orbit.

鈥淪tudents really felt that increase in their teachers making an effort to sort of reach outside and beyond those virtual walls and understand what it is like,鈥� Wilka said. 鈥淭hat has now waned, and is closer to normal, maybe a little bit higher than normal. We saw that really peak in spring 2020.鈥�

One aspect of student-adult relationships in school that has improved over time is respect. Some 70 percent of students said they think adults treat youth with respect 鈥� up significantly from the 57 percent who believed that pre-pandemic.

A narrative animation compiles student write-in responses on stress, anxiety, and depression and how it affected their learning in 2020-21. (YouthTruth)

YouthTruth, which solicits student, family, and educator feedback, analyzed data from 206,950 third- through 12th-grade students across 19 states and 585 urban, suburban and rural schools. Open-ended and choice responses were solicited via anonymous 15-minute surveys from January through May 2021.

Previous pandemic-era surveys were conducted in 2020 by YouthTruth from (20,000 students) and (85,170 students). Mental health concerns have consistently been a barrier to learning, and high school seniors鈥� plans post-graduation continue to be affected by the pandemic. Students have been vocal about the importance of building relationships with their teachers, and their sense of belonging within their school community peaked in fall 2020.

Twenty-one percent of those most recently surveyed attend high-poverty schools, similar to the national average of 25 percent, and students鈥� racial identities mirror national averages.

For students of all gender identities, depression, stress, and anxiety has become more prevalent as a barrier to learning since fall 2020. For female- and non-binary identifying students, the rates are much higher, 60 and 83 percent, respectively.

Youth cite overwhelming workloads with assignments that lack relevance to their daily life and futures, according to write-in responses and qualitative analysis.

鈥淪chool restricts me from being content with who I am,鈥� one high school upperclassman shared. 鈥淲e need to radically change the education system, it’s way overdue for that and it needs to right now. I cannot get out of bed anymore. I hate school more than how I used to. I’m mentally strained because of distance learning […] However, an English assignment and 11 other assignments are due by 11:59pm tonight because grades are so important – more important than surviving and finding new healthy coping mechanisms after all.鈥�

Education leaders across the country are seeking ways to ameliorate growing concerns for students鈥� emotional and social well-being; a number of states plan to utilize American Rescue Plan funds to bolster mental health access.

In the North Clackamas School District, serving the greater Portland, Oregon area, social and mental health services were established pre-COVID yet leaders saw emotional needs grow during the pandemic. In response to the changing ways students needed access to adults and sought connection, the district partnered with providers and nonprofits to offer telehealth services, devices, and hotspots to youth and their families districtwide.

Through the pandemic, the district sought to make 鈥渟ure that we had established pathways that were normalized, made very typical and open for families to access a mental health therapist,鈥� Dr. Shelly Reggiani, the district鈥檚 director of equity and instruction, told 蜜桃影视 during a YouthTruth press call last week.

In sharing other ways to remove learning barriers and improve engagement, youth said they鈥檇 like to see more real-world topics, like applying for higher education, financial aid, and jobs and learning personal finance.

Survey results show that fewer seniors surveyed this spring will head to four-year institutions this fall, a trend also reflected by declining enrollment rates, which saw the worst single-year decline since 2011. And though more will enroll in two-year colleges than in fall 2020 鈥� about 20 percent of those surveyed 鈥� the proportion hasn鈥檛 yet rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.

Qualitative survey data revealed some of the barriers that persist for high schoolers looking to access higher education. Students recognized 鈥渢he need for social capital (like from a teacher or sibling) as part of college access,鈥� the confusing nature of the application process, which is typically formally taught during the school day, and felt that finding information and choosing to apply came 鈥渢oo late,鈥� YouthTruth researchers told 蜜桃影视.

鈥淭he school is pushing students to go to a four-year college and for most students they don鈥檛 want to go to a four-year college because they don鈥檛 want to go into debt,鈥� one student said.

鈥淕ive us Pathways for the Future,鈥� one of four video animations depicting trends from 480,000 open-ended responses and reflections on the 2020-21 academic year. (YouthTruth)

鈥淭hey’re really searching for meaning in learning, and that’s an opportunity for us as educators to connect learning, and real life, and relevance to help address students鈥� needs here,鈥� Sonya Heisters, YouthTruth鈥檚 deputy director, said.

Other notable findings

• Secondary school students鈥� perceptions of learning and belonging returned to pre-pandemic levels
• Many Spanish-speaking students detailed how language barriers became an additional obstacle to their learning during virtual and hybrid environments, and 21 percent of Hispanic/Latino students cited lack of teacher support as an obstacle to learning compared to just 14 percent of other students.
• Providing inclusive curricula, adopting anti-racist policies, and treating students fairly are common recommendations found among data from 5,000 Black / African-American students.
• Many students enjoyed paper-free learning, and hope to maintain access to online materials with the return to in-person school
• Black/African-American and Hispanic/Latino students report feeling unsafe in school at higher rates than their peers, at 11 and 16 percent respectively vs. 9 percent for non-Black, non-Hispanic students.
• 65 percent of students report that their teachers give extra help when needed, but this is more common among students who receive high academic grades

Disclosure: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provides financial support to YouthTruth and 蜜桃影视.