Why are teens so sad?

Teens today are facing higher rates of depression than ever before. It’s in the stats, reports the Pew Research Center

Teens today are facing higher rates of depression than ever before. It’s in the stats, reports the Pew Research Center

So why are teens so sad? The Harvard Gazette blames the pandemic

A study in JAMA Pediatrics says the same. In the first year of COVID, 1 in 4 kids experienced worsening depression, and 1 in 5 had worsening anxiety

NBC doesn’t think it was COVID, though: Teen depression was bad before the pandemic

Back in 2018, Time said tech was the culprit. All that screen time is ruining kids’ lives

SPSP agrees: Kids are definitely depressed because of their phones. Plus social media, which is even worse than screen time

The Child Mind Institute isn’t sure if social media alone causes depression, but says it definitely has a negative effect on mental health

Hold on, says Forbes. Researchers haven’t found a correlation between depression/anxiety and social media use

Well, maybe it’s the falling age of puberty? WebMD thinks that’s definitely leading to an increase in mental health concerns, especially for girls

Nami.org isn’t convinced. Even though puberty commonly causes mood swings and increased anxiety, it doesn’t necessarily lead to mental illness

The Atlantic has a different theory: Maybe teens are sad because overall the world is a darker place right now

Back in 2016, Quartz made a similar point: Kids these days are forced to grow up too fast. That impacts their ability to learn crucial life skills

We can’t forget about the classic dangers of teenage sex and drug use, says Newswise. A 2005 study found that teens become depressed because of sex and drug use

No way, retorts The NYT. Today, fewer kids are having sex and doing drugs, but depression is rising

Verywell Mind thinks we have to be careful with making assumptions. There’s no direct cause-and-effect relationship between risky behaviors and depression, even though they frequently go hand in hand