Post Author
Michael Cooper
Senior Director of Advocacy
Life is different for today’s youth than it was for us adults. Growing up we had landlines and dial speed internet. Today they have smartphones and social media.
These new technologies are full of potential for learning and for networking. But they’re also having a negative impact on youth mental health. And that’s why NC Child is speaking out.
In recent years we have tracked an alarming rise of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation amongst our youth.
In 2020 more than one in 10 children in North Carolina, aged 3-17, had a diagnosis of depression or anxiety. That was a 49 percent increase from 2016.
More alarming, we found that one in five of our high school students seriously considered suicide in 2021 and that one in 10 actually made an attempt.
That’s not normal. And that’s not just a North Carolina issue.
According to State of the Nation, a recent report by scholars from Brookings and the American Enterprise Institute, when it comes to youth depression, the United States ranks second to last in the world of 112 higher-income countries and we are falling further behind.
Why is this happening? There are several factors.
The pandemic was a disruption, and those months of isolation did not help.
Today’s youth also face social pressures at home and at school.
But exacerbating all those issues has been an increased use of smartphones and social media.
“There has been considerable debate about the causes,” write the authors of State of the Nation about the youth mental health crisis. But “the timing of the depression spike coincides with the launch of the iPhone, and the more recent spike around 2017 is associated with the rapidly expanded use of social media through those devices.”
That’s when things changed.
According to author Jonathan Haidt, rates of anxiety and depression, fairly stable in the United States in the 2000s, rose by over 50 percent from 2010 to 2019. Meanwhile, the suicide rate rose 48 percent for adolescents, and for girls ages 10 to 14, it rose 131 percent.
As reported by Axios teens now spend an average of 4.8 hours a day on social media. And research has linked both screen time and social media use to increased risk of anxiety, depression, bullying, aggression, and eating disorders among children.
It is worth noting that smartphones and social media are not all bad.
Some research shows that it can make youth feel more connected and find more ways to express themselves. But mostly it shows that smartphones are disconnecting youth from the real world.
According to the Survey Center on American Life, today’s young people have fewer friends, are less likely to play sports, less likely to get a part-time job, and less likely to date than prior generations. And those trends were typified by a 2024 headline, “Gen Z Are So Lonely They’re Posting Friendship Applications on Facebook”.
Young people aren’t alone in experiencing a decline of community. We are living in the midst of an epidemic of loneliness and isolation in the country. But young people are experiencing it in their most formative years. And they deserve their own opportunities to find connection.
That should be a policy priority.
In 2023 the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office issued an advisory stating that while social media may have some positives there is also ample evidence that it can have “a profound risk of harm to the mental health well-being of children and adolescents.”
It recommended setting boundaries for phones and social media apps, modeling good behavior, creating tech-free zones, and encouraging children to foster in-person friendships.
Haidt in his latest book The Anxious Generation suggests no smartphones before high school, no social media before 16, encouraging more free play outdoors, and making schools phone-free.
That last solution has picked up momentum.
Data shows that phones impact learning, cyberbullying, and teacher morale in addition to mental health. According to Pew the majority of high school teachers think they are a problem.
That’s why 27 states have introduced legislation to limit phones in schools.
And now nine states have passed bills.
In 2022 Burke County Schools prohibited students from being on their phones during class time unless the phones are being used for instructional purposes.
That kind of policy is supported by 68 percent of adults across the United States.
In Wake County, Rolesville Middle School implemented something like that.
According to the News & Observer, two years later the atmosphere has improved. “They’re much less distracted because they’re not trying to get on their phone and see who their Snapchat notification is from or who texted them,” said an eighth-grade teacher.
There are also fewer incidents at school. “Every child wants to be in a building where they don’t have to worry about somebody recording them or somebody sending them mean messages during the day,” said the principal.
That’s why NC Child supports this kind of approach.
Smartphones provide all kinds of new opportunities. But it can’t be good to constantly be on them. That’s why we should moderate their use and limit screen time during the school day.
And that’s what leaders in North Carolina are attempting to do.
In February, Senators Burgin, Lee and Barnes introduced Senate Bill 55 which would require schools to prohibit students from being on their phones during class time unless authorized by a teacher. There is a similar bill in the House. Both have bipartisan sponsors.
NC Child supports both bills and thanks the legislators for taking action.
This legislation will not solve the crisis entirely. That’s why we support suicide prevention training for school personnel and school-based telehealth programming that provides more access to counseling.
But this is a start. By limiting phone time during school, we can set boundaries and instill norms that students will take home. We will improve educational outcomes and reduce peer pressure. And all of that will improve mental health.
We should continue to study trends and identify solutions.
But we shouldn’t wait to implement what we already know is working.
As one Rolesville Middle School student said to the N&O, “I think not having your phone 24/7 in a learning environment not only helps you with focus but also helps you curb that addiction a little. It also just teaches you to just enjoy school in general.”