Teens Anxiety Levels Are Rising. Here’s What Parents Need to Know.
By Movieguide® Contributor
Experts say anxiety levels in teens are skyrocketing — here’s what parents need to know.
A new study from the Murdoch Research Children’s Institute (MCRI) in Melbourne found that 64% of those surveyed reported at least three episodes of anxiety or depression over their teen years.
Additionally, girls were more likely to have chronic or persistent symptoms of anxiety or depression — 84%, as opposed to 61% in boys.
Dr. Susan M. Sawyer, head of the Centre for Adolescent Health at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia, and chair of Adolescent Health at the University of Melbourne and the Royal Children’s Hospital, recently spoke to Fox News about this rise in mental health issues in young people.
“These days there is greater mental health literacy, which leads to more reporting of symptoms,” she explained. “And adolescents have a greater ability to recognize stress and emotional distress than we did and have the language for reporting it. The stigma is much less, which is healthy.”
Sawyer continued, “Adolescence is a time for figuring out how to gain emotional control. It is a time for seeking mental health support. The ‘stiff upper lip’ approach of [older] generations was not healthy.”
Many have pointed the finger at social media, blaming its addictive qualities and lack of real-world connection for the issues teens have with emotions. However, Sawyer isn’t so sure.
“We still need more evidence,” she said, but did add that it is “clear that the more time spent on social media, the more lonely and the less connected [people are]. We do need some system in place for delaying young people’s access to social media.”
READ MORE: IS SCREEN TIME MAKING YOUR TEEN DEPRESSED?
Sawyer emphasized that the focus needs to be on prevention.
“Schools need to be important environments to stress health and well-being — to build a greater orientation to mental health,” she explained. “There is a risk of glamorization of mental health problems. But prevention, through more attention to the physical environment, more nature, becoming less sedentary, rethinking opportunities, focusing on well-being — this is the real path forward.”
Johns Hopkins published some tips for parents who want to help their teenagers navigate this time, recommending acknowledging your teen’s fears and emotions, giving them love and empathy and making time to talk with your child every day without any distractions.
“Strong parent-teenager relationships are good for young people’s mental health and are protective,” the site reads. “We need to take their emotions seriously and be ready to listen.”
READ MORE: PUTTING AWAY YOUR PHONE COULD HELP YOUR CHILD’S ANXIETY
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