Study finds post-pandemic teens doing worse emotionally than parents suspect

Teenagers are doing worse emotionally since the pandemic than their parents suspect or previous studies have shown, according to federal data released Tuesday.

Among 4,424 parents and 1,176 adolescents aged 12-17 who completed a national health survey between July 2021 and December 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found a significant perception gap on the question, “How often do you get the social and emotional support you need?”

The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics reported that while more than 9 in 10 parents said their children “always” or “usually” received the support they needed, just 58.5% of teens agreed.

The remaining 41.5% of children who said they “sometimes,” “rarely” or “never” received support were more likely to report poor or fair health, anxiety or depression, “very low” life satisfaction and poor sleep quality.

The national study is the first to ask teens and their parents the same questions about teens’ mental health, said lead author Ben Zablotsky, a CDC statistician.

“Most nationally representative research dedicated to teenager health has relied on parental report instead of asking teenagers directly about their own health,” Mr. Zablotsky said in an email. “This has the potential to provide an inaccurate picture of how teenagers are doing in our country.”

He said further research is necessary to unpack the “notable disconnect” the findings revealed.

“Many parents may be unaware their teenager is not receiving the support they need,” Mr. Zablotsky added.

The study comes as public health officials have warned of a growing youth mental health crisis since COVID-19 shuttered K-12 schools in March 2020.

In an op-ed this month, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called upon Congress to slap a tobacco-style label warning on social media, which he has flagged for an uptick in anxiety and depression among young people.

Several states and urban public school systems have moved this summer to ban smartphones in public schools, including Virginia and the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The CDC findings released Tuesday found that Black and Hispanic teenagers, girls and sexual or gender identity minorities were among the “least likely” to report getting the social and emotional support they needed. Researchers noted a link between this lack of support, social isolation and poor health outcomes.

The study did not delve into social media use.

Some mental health experts reached for comment said it’s impossible to separate digital screen addiction from the growing isolation of teens since the pandemic.

“The more contact gets electronic, the worse isolation and loneliness will be,” said Timothy Jansen, a licensed mental health counselor and CEO of a federal 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline center in Hyattsville, Maryland. “We work with callers daily to help them connect and reconnect in their worlds.”

For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.