State legislators are grappling with an unprecedented series of mental health challenges facing minors, as the use of social media and follow-on effects of a global pandemic lead to rising anxiety and depression among younger generations.
Lawmakers who will gather in Louisville, Ky., next week for the National Conference of State Legislatures’s annual legislative summit say they are racing to provide solutions to a uniquely vexing set of problems minors face today. Absenteeism rates at schools are higher than ever, and public health officials warn about rising instances of self-harm and suicidal ideation.
“There are so many influences out there that clearly are having an impact on kids’ mental health and overall success in schools,” Indiana Rep. Robert Behning (R) said in an interview. “Especially post-Covid, it seems like schools have had a more significant challenge than they even did before.”
Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show more than 4 in 10 students felt persistently sad or hopeless, and more than 1 in 5 had seriously contemplated suicide. Those rates are higher among LGBTQ youth and Black students.
Behning and Colorado Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet (D) will lead a panel at NCSL’s legislative summit exploring state approaches to support youth mental health.
Behning’s home state, Indiana, is among those that have taken steps to ban cell phones from schools to promote concentration in the classroom and to limit consumption of social media during the day. But, he said, contributing factors to mental health challenges extend beyond the classroom.
“When two-thirds of the kid’s life is spent outside the classroom, we have to at least recognize and try to figure out how, if the kid comes to school hungry, if there’s addiction in the household, if there’s abuse in the household, how do we reduce the impact on his life,” Behning said. “They’re not going to be focused on learning, they’re going to be fight or flight.”
In her state, Michaelson Jenet sponsored legislation this year that would extend a program giving students access to up to six free virtual counseling sessions. Michaelson Jenet said the program, dubbed I Matter, has helped reduce youth suicide rates in recent years.
In recent years, 21 states have extended Medicaid programs to include school-based services, according to Education Week. Colorado, Nevada and Washington have all implemented new programs aimed at boosting the number of mental health workers based in schools.
This is part of a series of stories previewing the 2024 NCSL Legislative Summit:
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