Kansas City,
25
May
2023
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09:05 AM
America/Chicago

ABC News: Mental health professionals answer parents' top questions about kids and mental health

By Sony Salzman and Katie Kindelan

From social media to school shootings, three years of a global pandemic, an ongoing climate crisis and the everyday pressures of school and friendships that come with being a kid, there is a lot happening in the minds of America's youth right now.

The data shows this as well, prompting the U.S. surgeon general in 2021 to warn of a growing mental health crisis among young people.

"The challenges today's generation of young people face are unprecedented and uniquely hard to navigate," Dr. Vivek H. Murthy said in his 2021 warning, calling it both a moral and medical obligation to respond and provide resources for children and families.

To learn more about the crisis facing kids, "Good Morning America" interviewed leading mental health providers from across the country, who all agreed the U.S. is experiencing an unprecedented emergency.

What role does social media play in the crisis?

Mental health professionals at Children's Mercy Kansas City, a medical center in Missouri, say that social media can impact not only "adolescents' self-view and interpersonal relationships," but spending a lot of time on smartphones and "media multitasking" can also negatively impact kids' sleep, cognitive control and academic performance.

 

See the full story via ABC News

Children's Mercy Mental Health Toolkit