The biggest threats to children’s mental health, according to parents

Concerned parents said that the pandemic, the loss of a loved one, and uncertainty are three of the biggest threats to their children’s mental health, according to a U.S. survey conducted by Morning Consult. Social media, problems with friendships, and bullying, are among the other chief worries they say cloud their children’s minds.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, mental health illnesses were on the rise even before the pandemic, with suicide being the second main cause of death for 10-24 year olds. This worsening situation brought the AAP, Children's Hospital Association, and the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry to take action back in 2020, when they declared a National State of Emergency in Children’s Mental Health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that the pandemic seems to have exacerbated these patterns. Their report reveals that members of the LGBT community have been hit particularly hard, and are more than twice as likely to report poor mental health than their heterosexual peers. The AAP is now calling on policy makers to increase federal funding towards mental health screening, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as to improve access to technology to assure telemedicine can provide mental health care to all populations.