6 Ways to Support Kids' Mental Health Right Now
As the pandemic pushes kids' lives even more online, their mental health depends on parental support -- and a lot less anti-tech talk. By Caroline Knorr
Before the pandemic hit, kids' mental health picture was worrisome, with anxiety, depression, and the youth suicide rate on the rise for the last decade, especially for girls and kids of color. Now that our kids' worlds have been turned upside down, we can only guess what the long-term effects of this disruption will be on their well-being. But while some researchers -- and many attention-grabbing news articles -- before looked at screens and social media as possible causes of the mental health problem (and found scant evidence), now we can see even more clearly how essential screens are for education, entertainment, and social connection. In Common Sense's new report, Tweens, Teens, Tech, and Mental Health, we examined the existing research on kids and mental health and found that, with a few exceptions, we need to look beyond screens and social media for the causes of this mental health crisis. And we need to reframe our perspective on digital tools -- especially now -- if we're going to support our kids through this difficult phase in our collective lives.