- Recent research suggests the mental health of children and teens in the U.S. is declining.
- Though the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to this decline, experts say the root of the problem existed before the coronavirus outbreak began.
- From 2016 to 2021, the use of mental health services by children ages 1 to 19 years old significantly increased, including a 20% increase in emergency room visits and a 61% increase in inpatient admissions.
Over this past decade, young people have consistently had to process and answer the demands of an increasingly stressful world. From the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change to political and economic instability, it’s been a time when the mental health of children and teens has been particularly affected by complex times.