Giving Compass' Take:

• According to a recent report, teens face various issues that contribute to stress, prompting experts to promote more policies that focus on teen mental health.

• How can donors play a role in enacting social change that prioritizes teen mental health?

• Learn more about investing in youth mental health. 

Of the 25.1 million teens in the United States between the ages of 13 and 18, 60 percent report languishing or only feeling moderately mentally well.

That's fifteen million teens who are not flourishing psychologically, socially, or emotionally. Indeed, the state of teen well-being in America is troubling, and we clearly are not doing enough to support them. Older teens are on the cusp of adulthood, about to enter the workforce, and will soon be asked to help solve the significant challenges we face — and yet we deride and discount them, and too often ignore them when it comes to public policy investments.

According to a new report, Advancing Adolescent Flourishing: Moving Policy Upstream, teens today face myriad challenges unique to their generation. The report found that in addition to the stress of navigating academic expectations, online sexual harassment and bullying, and the pressures imposed by social media, teens are also concerned about mass shootings, rising suicide rates, the political attacks on immigrants and migrant families, and climate change.

The teen years are a critical developmental period and present an incredible opportunity to shape a young person's life — not to mention the future leaders and citizens of our nation. We all do better when our teens do better.

In order to foster the flourishing of all teens, we need to promote teen-focused health policies at all levels of government and enact solutions that address existing gaps in every aspect of their lives, from education and digital life to teen welfare and foster care.

For starters, we can:

  • Provide more resources to parents and families with teens.
  • Prioritize students' educational well-being.
  • Protect teens from harmful social media content.
  • Include teens in policy decision that affect them.

Read the full article about teen mental health by Benjamin F. Miller and Denise Dougherty at PhilanTopic.